Some are winners, some make winners… but all have had a profound effect on the state of SA running in 2016. – By Mike Finch and Lisa Nevitt

The 10 Most Influential People In South African Running

1. Transformer Of Trails: Stuart McConnachie, Director, Cape Town Running Company, 39

Stuart McConnachie is the technical director of the Ultra Trail Cape Town (UTCT) – a multi-distance event that was the brainchild of race director Nic Bornman. The race – which offers a range of distances: 35km, 65km and 100km – has changed trail runners’ mindsets about what is achievable.

That’s what motivates McConnachie’s role within the trail-running community. He recognises it’s not the distance that matters, but the journey of growth – for some, racing 35km feels more like 100.

“We dig to see others taking on new challenges, realising their abilities and discovering a passion for trail,” McConnachie says.

The event has also contributed towards tourism: this year, 35% of participants will fly into Cape Town from over 40 countries, including the US, the UK, Australia and France.

“UTCT is a popular destination race, because you don’t need to drive six hours out of the city to reach the mountains – in Cape Town, they’re right on your doorstep,” he explains. “Hopefully that means we’ll be on the Ultra Trail World Tour in the not-so-distant future – and that will obviously help us to attract more international elites.”

Another way McConnachie helps to bring his community together is through his Tuesday Trails initiative, a social running group that enables every level of runner to experience Table Mountain’s trails every Tuesday night.

Combined with his exposure to international trail events like the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®, the personal relationships McConnachie has formed with local runners have enabled him to develop an understanding of what his community needs.

So he started the Petzl Wolfpack Trails – a five- to 10-kilometre event, held at night, on golf courses around South Africa. Such events are an ideal introduction to night-time off-road running, because they take place in a safe and controlled environment.

Most trail runners are environmentally aware – McConnachie is no different. But beyond the personal, in support of local initiatives McConnachie has gathered groups to assist in trail clean-ups, and has helped in cutting overgrowth on Devil’s Peak.

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