Plan your 2024 season around the annual Summer Series!
The 18th annual St Francis Sport Summer Series will again see a few venue, route and rule changes, so make sure you check the info and arrive at the right place on the right day! St Francis Sport and the sponsors of the Summer Series are looking forward to the usual friendly rivalry and healthy competition between family and friends!
If you enter for the series, not only will you save some money, but you also stand a chance to win a spot on a top notch hiking or cycling holiday. All series entries will go into a lucky draw with two prizes, one male and one female will win a spot on a Baviaans Cycle Tour OR Baviaans Camino hike – your choice!
The series kicks off on Sunday 15 December with an exciting pet friendly 5km walk or run, the Sandy Paws Full Moon Walk & Run. It will take place on the Cape St Francis Beach and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to St Francis Tourism.
The first 100 dogs that are pre-entered by 13 December will each receive a funky goody bag, sponsored by the Sandy Paws Pet Shop upstairs in the Village Square Building. The goody bags and race numbers can be collected from Sandy Paws on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 December. The event will start at 18h30 from the parking area closest to the beach in Seal Point Boulevard. This event’s entry fees are reduced to R80 for adults, R50 for under 14’2 and dogs to encourage families to enjoy the evening on the beach. Bring headlamps.
On Wednesday 18 December an old event has a new jacket – the Village Square Superspar MTB OR Trail Run at 08h00 at the Dune Ridge Country House main gate. This event will consist of two legs, either a running leg OR a MTB leg, done by individuals. While the runners (and walkers) enjoy their 5km or 10km (through the southern dunefield) distances, cyclists can participate in a 5km or 15km MTB ride through the Eskom Reserve. This event is aimed at family fun for the youngsters, to be enjoyed with their parents or grandparents.
Next up is the Cape St Francis Resort Road Run on Friday 20 December, using the roads through Cape St Francis and St Francis Field. The event starts at 08h00 from the Resort. Runners and walkers are welcome in the 5km and 10km distance, however no dogs are allowed in any of the Summer Series events other than the Sandy Paws event.
On Monday 23 December the 21km Seal Point Estates Trail Run & Walk from Cape St Francis to Oyster Bay will take place, only available to the Open category. Walkers are welcome provided they get to the Thysbaai Beach before 10h30 where a cut off is. No dogs are allowed, and entries are limited to 100 only. The start is at 08h00 at the Sunset Rock car park, and the finish is in Oyster Bay where refreshments will be available. Participants must make their own transport arrangements.
The first event after Christmas is the Blue Abyss Breathe Canal Swim at 08h00 on Friday 27 December, again taking place from next to Big Time Taverne. The youngsters can participate in the bank to bank while all u/14’s, u/18’s and open category swimmers do the 500m, 1km, 2km and 3km.
The Just Properties Open Water Swim is planned for Saturday the 28th, with the next 4 days as reserve days. Number collection will be from 15h00 at the Port St Francis beach, and the event starts at 16h00. Only pre-entries will be allowed so swimmers can be informed of any changes due to weather or other situations. Make sure you contact Esti on 073 825 0835 to join the group chat.
The Pam Golding Properties Quadrathlon is back at 08h00 on Monday 30 December with a cycle leg through the St Francis Links, followed by the 500m swim, 3km run and the grand finale is the 3km paddle/SUP. The event will take place at the new Paddling Club premises in Mayotte Circle (next to Big Time Taverna).
On Tuesday 31 December the Custom Construction MTB Challenge is happening from the Dune Ridge Country House gate, with a choice of 5km, 15km or 30km. The event starts at 08h00.
For the first time there will be events after New Year – on Thursday 2 January 2025 The River Club Swim/Run Duathlon will start at 08h00 from the Paddling Club venue to the right of Big Time Taverne, Mayotte Circle. This is a team or individual event, with a “short or long” distance to choose from.
Last but not least, is the TCS Sand River Trail Run on Friday 3 January, also at 08h00, from Dune Ridge Country House main gate. Walkers are welcome in the 5km or 14km but the 21km is only open to runners. Again, no dogs are allowed.
Series entries cost R800. The entry fee for all the events but the Sandy Paws Full Moon Walk is R150 for adults and R120 for u/14’s. Online entries are open on EntryNinja. Just click on each event to enter, or search Summer Series on Entry Ninja and you will see them all. Series entries close on the 13th of December 2024 at 22h00 and individual entries 90 minutes before the start of the event, so please bring your POP to the event.
For team events, each team member must be individually entered in order to get a race number. No number, no participation. To make it fair for those who do enter before the time, on the day entrants who arrive at the registration table after 07h30 will not receive a unique number, so you will not be included in the results. Please come early so this will not be necessary.
Registration and number collection starts an hour before the starting time, and race briefing is 15min before the start.
There will be short prize giving ceremonies after each event (once all participants are in and the results worked out), and full results will be announced on social media. The top three male and female winners in each age category (open, under 18 and under 14) will receive medals.
St Francis Sport Summer Series 2024 Programme
Sandy Paws Full Moon Run & Walk
Date: Sunday 15 December
Time: 18h30
Distance: 5km
Venue: Seal Point Boulevard, Cape St Francis main beach.
Village Square Superspar Trail Run OR MTB Ride
Date: Wednesday 18 December
Time: 08:00 (race briefing 07h45)
Distances: 5km & 10km run OR 5km & 15km MTB – individual event
Venue: Dune Ridge Country House Entrance, Tarragona Ave, St Francis Bay. We have changed the format of this event to a run OR a ride as an individual participant – no more duathlon.
CSF Resort Road Run & Walk
Date: Friday 20 December
Time: 08:00 (race briefing 07h45)
Distances: 5km or 10km
Venue: Cape St Francis Resort, Da Gama Road, Cape St Francis
Seal Point Estates Trail Run & Walk (limited entries, no dogs allowed)
Date: Monday 23 December
Time: 08h00 (race briefing 07h45)
Distance: 21km
Venue: Sunset Rock Car Park, Cape St Francis, finish Oyster Bay. Drinks will be for sale at the Lodge, and you will have to organise your own transport. Please note that the only age category is Open.
Blue Abyss Breathe Canal Swim
Date: Friday 27 December
Time: 08:00 (race briefing 07h45)
Distances: bank2bank (under 10’s), 500m, 1km, 2km, 3km (Open only)
Venue: Big Time Taverne (to the right of the building), Mayotte Circle, St Francis Bay
Just Property Lifestyle Open Water Swim
Date: Saturday 28 December 2023 (Reserve days 29, 30, 31 December)
Time: 16:00 (race briefing 15h30)
Distance: 2,3km Start at Port St Francis, finish at Granny’s Pool, St Francis Bay
Venue: Port St Francis, Triton Ave (start), Granny’s Pool, Harbour Road (finish), St Francis Bay. Each swimmer must have a whistle and dedicated paddler supporting you. Make sure you join the whatsapp chat – contact Esti on 073 825 0835 to add you. Pre-entries and Open Category only.
Pam Golding Properties Quadrathlon
Date: Monday 30 December
Time: 08:00 (race briefing 07h45)
Distances: 12km cycle, 500m swim, 3km run, 3km paddle – teams or individuals
Venue: Big Time Taverne (next to the building), Mayotte Circle, St Francis Bay
Custom Construction MTB/E-Bike Challenge
Date: Tuesday 31 December
Time: 08:00 (race briefing 07h45)
Distance: 5km, 15km or 30km
Venue: Dune Ridge Country House Entrance, Tarragona Ave, St Francis Bay.
The River Club Swim & Run Duathlon
Date: Thursday 2 January
Time: 08:00 (race briefing 07h45)
Distances: 500m swim & 3km run or 1km swim and 6km run – teams or individuals
Venue: Big Time Taverne, Mayotte Circle, St Francis Bay
TCS Trail Run
Friday 3 January
Time: 08:00 (race briefing 07h45)
Distance: 5km, 14km, 20km
Venue: Dune Ridge Country House Entrance, Tarragona Ave, St Francis Bay
Any further questions, please contact: Esti Stewart 073 825 0835
We thank Port St Francis, the St Francis Riparian Committee, St Francis Links, Mostertshoek, St Francis Field, Rebels Rus, Thula Moya, and Eskom, as none of these events would have been possible without you trusting us with your land, and giving us permission to host the various events as well as the Kouga Municipality for approving the series.
Our sponsors are Custom Construction, The River Club, Pam Golding Properties, Blue Abyss Breath, Seal Point Estates, Village Square Superspar, TCS, Just Property Lifestyle and the Cape St Francis Resort – thank you for your continued support.
Programs will be available in printed format from Coimbra Cycles in the Village Centre or St Francis Tourism inside the Kouga Municipal Building, Assissi Drive.
As said above, without the trust of our sponsors and land owners, none of these events would have been possible. We are extemely grateful that the Rebelsrus Private Nature Reserve, a Protected Area of approximately 400ha, currently recognized as a Nature Reserve in terms of the NEM: Protected Areas Act (No. 57 of 2003), gave us permission to open their land for one day in December so all runners and walkers can enjoy this pristine coastline.
The Nature Reserve contains one of the best-preserved examples of a ‘Headland Bypass Dune-field Ecosystem’, which is a very dynamic ecological system with a diverse range of habitat types. It falls within the Cape Floral Region and is located within the distribution range of a number of threatened, rare, and endemic species. The reserve is recognized as a ‘Critical Biodiversity Area’ in both the Eastern Cape Biodiversity Conservation Plan and the Garden Route Initiative Biodiversity Sector Plan. Archaeologically, its dune-fields contain a rich heritage of ancient Khoisan relics such as shell middens, stone-age artefacts and locally extinct animal remains that add tremendously to the overall conservation value of the area.
Although approximately 40% of the reserve land surface area is owned by Eskom, reserve management is supported by a consortium of private landowners through a formally constituted landowners association. Rebelsrus is at the core of most of the environmental protection efforts in the region. Management policies of the association secure and protect both the marine and terrestrial environments from exploitation at close to pristine levels. Access is therefore controlled.
