“It definitely works for me. After I have run my head is clear and what seemed to be an unsurmountable problem suddenly becomes trivial.  In other words running definitely helps you to have a positive outlook on life.  Running regularly also helped me to adapt a healthy lifestyle,” said Ngubane, who is a quite formidable trail runner who represented South Africa at the WorldTrail Championships in France last year.  However, Ngubane admits that he was never a real contender in the race.

“The international runners do things a bit differently. I now also realize that a mountain is not just a mountain. You need different skills to run up and down the European mountains. To summarize, it was a fantastic experience and I am certainly motivated to race at the World Championships again.

“But first things first.  Before I can even think about racing internationally again I have to make sure that I perform well at the South African Trail Running Championships in Hout Bay,” said Ngubane, who finished Comrades in a time of 6 hours and 44 minutes.

The Hout Bay Trail Challenge is one of the oldest and toughest trail runs in South Africa.
Ngubane, a former winner, says it tests you in every way - fitness, endurance and technique.
“All of this contributes to a sense of real achievement the moment you cross the finish line.”
Ngubane has been running from ever since he can remember.  

“When I finished school I stopped running while I was looking for a job and I also became very involved with soccer.  But eventually I came back to running. I guess once a runner, always a runner.

“I compete in road races as well as in trail runs, but if I have to be honest I love the latter more. Maybe it is because I love nature and have experienced many ‘wow’ moments while I was running on narrow tracks through the bushes. In trail running there is always that sense of not knowing what might happen around the next bend.”

Ngubane considers winning the 100km Ultra Trail Run in Cape Town in 2014 as a definite highlight.
To do so he had to traverse Table Mountain, Lions Head, Signal Hill, Orange Kloof, Llandudno, Hout Bay, the Constantia Winelands, upper slopes of Kirstenbosch Nature Reserve and Devil's Peak, which form part of the iconic natural world heritage site and is one of the new Natural Seven Wonders of the World.

No wonder Ngubane holds his race victory in high esteem.

Who do you look up to and admire?

“For me, it all comes down to runners like Bruce Fordyce, who ran the comrades when there was no prize money involved. Trail running is all about the heart and love of the sport, not about money, and I admire athletes who do it for the passion.”

*** The Hout Bay Trail Challenge, where the South African Championships will be held, was first run way back in 2002 with a mere 25 intrepid mountain goats who are now called trail runners.
It was in the Hout Bay Yacht Club, after a Tuesday Series paddle, that Richard Sutton and Mark Preen started chatting over a beer about doing something different, and so the Hout Bay Trail Challenge was born. The idea was to run to each peak that surrounded Hout Bay.  Fortunately they gave that up and settled for circumnavigating the mountains of Hout Bay.

The race starts and finishes at the Hout Bay Yatch Club.  Within 1km you start to climb up Karbonkelberg for Leg 1. Leg 2 starts at the Suikerbossie Restaurant (that is if you can get away from the hot fire, tea and scones) before tackling the back of Table Mountain to head towards Constantia Nek. Leg 3 is known as the easiest of the 3 legs, but Vlakkenberg does have a sting in its tail if you try to take it too quickly.

Currently the top finishers of the Hout Bay Trail Challenge are aiming to crack the 4 hour mark. AJ Calitz, the current record holder, is only a few seconds off 4 hours with a time of 04:00:21. Stevie Kremer, all the way from the States, holds the ladies' record of 04:34:55. Team Velocity Sports Lab Salomon (Ryan Scott, Ryan Sandes and Michael Bailey) have managed to crack the 4 hours barrier to set the team record at 03:39:19.