Lion of Africa 21.1

Less than a week after the serious climbs of the Kloof Nek Classic sees the Lion of Africa Half Marathon. 

The route is hilly and covers similar areas to the Hohenort 15km. The organisers have made several improvements over the years to prevent congestion at the finish between the various races happening at the same time. The 10km is not a flat race but the hills are not too bad and first half is quite flat

The Lion of Africa event comprises a Half Marathon, 10km road race and the Philip Rabinowitz 10 km Walk, as well as a 5km fun run. The race walk is named in memorial of Philip Rabinowitz (1904-2008) the fastest 100 year old to sprint 100m [Wiki]

Lion Of Africa 21 Elevation Profile

Kloof Nek Classic Half Marathon

Cape Town road races in January are not short of hills Bay to Bay, Hohenort, Lion of Africa 21. Included in the list most definitely is the Kloof Nek Classic which is defined by the steep climbs and steep downhill finish. The views are not too bad either. There are some tough climbs but you also get some long downhill stretches.  

The difference in elevation between the lowest and highest point is over 350 m (according to my watch). With a constant climb over 6 km from the first 500 m.

Kloof Nek Classic 21km Elevation Profile

If you have managed to conserve some energy the steep descent, starting at the base of the Lions head circular path, is a great place to make up some time. There is a final sting at the end when you have to climb up onto the sport field again. 

One of the annoyance factors is that people litter unnecessarily on the race. Runners deliberately throw water sachets in the bush in places that make clean up difficult or impossible. Road traffic has been quite well managed in the past. There are parts where the sound of runner’s feet is the only thing you will hear due to absence of cars and effort required to talk.