MATES presents The Pilchards

Name: MATES presents The Pilchards
Start: 2026-06-06T07:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-06-06T14:00:00+02:00
Location: Velocity Gym Hout Bay

Schedule

Sat Jun 06 2026 at 07:00 am to 02:00 pm

UTC+02:00

Location

Velocity Gym Hout Bay | Cape Town, WC

Saturday, 6 June 2026 - MATES presents the 15th annual "Pilchards”.
This is a MATES club training run but all runners are welcome. The idea is to provide a training run for those doing Old Fisherman's Trail Challenge (OFTC), or give an option to those who couldn’t get an entry. Please note that this is the ORIGINAL OFTC route.
Start: 07:00 at Velocity Gym in Hout Bay.
Route: Approximately 20km trail run from Velocity Gym in Hout Bay, ending at the Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club (not the Sailing Club).
Head up Chapman's Peak Drive to East Fort where you turn left onto the mountain. Up Blackburn Ravine, down into Silvermine North/West to the dam, down the River Walk to Ou Kaapseweg. Cross over into Silvermine South/East, down the gravel road to the Old Fisherman's Trail, on to Crassula Ridge path, Amphitheatre / Echo Valley, Boyes Drive, Main Road to Fish Hoek beach, along the beach to the finish at the Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club (not the Sailing Club).
NB:
You MUST carry your SANParks Wildcard with you OR have sufficient cash to pay the entrance fee to Silvermine. South African Citizens and Residents (with ID): R44; SADC Nationals (with passport): R90; Standard Conservation Fee (Foreign Visitors): R200.
Food & drinks will be available at the Lifesaving club, so please hang out for a while and talk about how fast you used to be.
The legendary prize giving and lucky draw giveaways will start at roughly 11.30, albeit missing one important element.
Some car admin is necessary. You are responsible for arranging your own transport although a co-operative effort may be arranged closer to the time via bus. If you plan on leaving a vehicle in Fish Hoek, be there ready to leave at 06:30 to travel to Hout Bay.
Notes:
Take your own water and snacks.
All runners are welcome.
You need to be completely self-sufficient. Carry everything you will need on the day. This includes a basic medical kit, space blanket, whistle, windproof (waterproof if it is raining) jacket, warm headgear if it's cold or sun protection if it's hot. Charged cell phone with the City's emergency ops number (021 480 7700) and the SANParks Visitor Safety number (086 110 6417) programmed in; just in case you need rescuing.
You are also responsible for your own water and nutrition. There is currently lots of water on the mountain but this could change, and, for the roadies, there are no water stations. You MUST carry your own.
More important:
As with all MATES runs, there is no charge or entry process, but please bring cash / SnapScan to make a donation if you have a good time. We will be collecting for VWS wildfire services. The Lifesaving Club will also appreciate your support!