Scenes from the @hobbitruns What incredible mountains and people. I got to run 56km with camera in hand to document the race. I loved the camaraderie. I witnessed a father/daughter team bond for 30hrs. After a person fell and broke some ribs, the runner in last place stood by his side for 5hrs until medics had stabilised him. (last runner still finished before cut off!) Aid stations were stocked with baked goods made by a competitor. A husband of a runner stayed up all night managing the overnight hut, dishing out hot meals to ravenous athletes. By the end I knew all the 90km runners by name, each acquaintance being made in a wonderland. This was far more than just a race. Its going to be tough choosing between the camera or running shoes next year.
A Portrait: Peter Slingsby
South Africa's most establish cartographer.
Link in Bio to a short film we made on the importance of exploration and detail.
🌊🌼 RUN WEST 2025 - THE FILM 🌼🌊
What began as an idea - to create something rooted in community, purpose, and place has grown into a movement. Run West is more than a race, it’s a story of people, coastline, and connection.
Together with NEST, we’ve worked to build an event that gives back - empowering local communities, supporting environmental education, and celebrating the spirit of the West Coast.
This short film captures what Run West truly stands for - the heart of Strandfontein, Papendorp, and Doringbaai, and the spirit that connects the entire strip of the West Coast. It’s a story that continues to grow, uniting communities, trails, and people through a shared love of movement and place - bound by the collective energy that made this year unforgettable.
Thank you to everyone who ran, supported, volunteered, and believed in this vision.
🎥 @damienschumann@mentz_germishuis
#runwest2025
#runwest
#forthepreservationofourwildshores
Today we are sharing a powerful image captured by @damienschumann - alongside the poem and war cry he wrote for Chapter One.
This piece has become tradition, spoken aloud before the start of each new chapter and both Run West races every year. A reminder of where we began, and why we move forward.
To the soldiers of swaar
The soothsayers of sand
Step by step you have linked up our landĺ p
And bare witness to a reality all must understand
The message you now carry runs deep in your veins
And it is as rich as the garnet that is about to be estranged
Out of Namaqua our footsteps were few
But they carried a force the mines never knew
We stopped the diggers where they dared cross the line
And we prosecute prospectors where ethics lack refine
We’ve run over cliffs and beach,es pristine
And learned from the San, their history serene
Fishermen have taught us to throw out our nets
But not to let greed ruin the feast
The Weskus wants to provide, and considers us kin
But to rape thy who feeds us is the cardinal sin
Grains through an hour glass
The holders of time
Are the makers of our minerals between earth and the divine
And in our divine I see a part of your soul
A gift from your ancestors who foraged this knoll
To the mines I ask, where does your history lie?
And will your grains turn the hour glass for the remainder of time?
So pick up your weapons, or takkies of choice
And run the South Easter right back to its source
With ears to the wind, and feet following the tide
No mine will stop us as we open our stride.
Image & Poem by: @damienschumann
💛🌊🌼🏃♀️🏃♂️🌼🌊💛
A quality morning going with the Flo and the Fro. The Pure Line tracing the Cape Town skyline. Quality time with quality people. #capetown #skyline #followthesun #tablemountain #lionshead #holyshitreelstakelong #whoreadsthis
Damien Schumann @damienschumann
“Since its inception on that sweltering April weekend in 2021, a mantra for Run West has been to make people fall in love with the west coast. As we did over those first kilometres south of the Namaqua National Park, unlikely as that was when we were ankle deep in soft sand, and 15km from the nearest escape from the heat. But everyone walked away with the feeling that there was more to this place than what first meets the eye. And it made us return again and again.
For the second time now I had the joy of following runners along one of the most pristine sections of the coast in an official event. The oogling and awing over the trail and views was the same. But this year there were double the amount of voices. The locals also welcomed us back with open arms. They’ve learned we’re not one of those fly-by-nighters making a quick buck off their land. And if Dom has his way, a run is only the start of what he’s planning to build here.
Ultimately, this year I saw double the people recognise the value in the west coast. Almost 300 more people fell in love with it, and now know what we stand to lose. Each of these individuals is one more opportunity for local industry not to be dependent on mining. Each is an entry that supports environmental education in the region and fights illegal prospecting in court with Protect the West Coast. Each is a stance of activism. And one more brick in the path to allow our future generations to enjoy this biological wonder.
Thank you to all who opened their stride over the swaar sand and explored this lesser known gem in their homeland. I trust you weren’t disappointed.””
Damien has been a fundamental figure of Run West since the very beginning. His commitment to the cause has contributed to the success of Run West and the preservation of the West Coast since day one, from behind and in front of the lens.
Damien was out on course capturing all of the excitement on Race Day. You can download Damien’s epic images from the link in bio.
Please remember to credit @damienschumann when sharing his images.
Run West Team.
📷 @damienschumann@protectthewestcoast
💛🌊🌼🏃♀️🏃♂️🌼🌊💛
Happy Friday 🌼🌼🌼
Stepping into the weekend we leave you with a recruitment teaser of what is in store for you as you traverse the beautiful West Coast coastline on race day.
Join the RunWest movement and help shed a light on on our beautiful West Coast which is under threat from unjust mining.
Euhporbia 10km
Olifants 21km
Head over to our website to get your tickets. Entries close 8 Septmember 2024, midnight.
Link in Bio. 🌊💛 #RunWest2024 #WestCoastTales #CommunitySpirit
@gone_outdoor@namaquawestcoast@cederberg_brewery@fryers_cove_vineyards@protectthewestcoast@reducereuse.co
📹: @damienschumann
This week we caught up with @damienschumann , who needs no introduction. Damien has been a fundamental figure of RunWest since the very beginning. His words - thought provoking and get you questioning. Here is Damien’s response to the 5-questionnaire.
1️⃣ Introduce Yourself:
Hi. I’m Damien, or Skollie to anyone who’s had to put up with me for longer than an hour. I love asking hard questions, surprising myself and making stories. These usually go together fairly well. I’m happiest in the elements where silence thwarts distraction.
2️⃣ Why is it important to protect this coastline?
Have you been to the weskus? Go… and then we can chat about this Q.
3️⃣ Favourite Memory or Part of the West Coast?
Running 16miles of beach at midnight to catch low tide. Experiencing the national park by moonlight, without torches, was incredible and a totally unique engagement with the land. The 4 of us arrived in Yserfontein at 4am and spooned in the parking lot of the Spar until our lift arrived near sunrise.
4️⃣ Top Thing to See or Do on the West Coast?
Wild camp as far north as you can get. And its not a trip until you’ve gotten stuck in the swaar sand.
5️⃣ One Word that Describes the West Coast?
Alive.
As always, it is a pleasure and priviledge to chat to @damienschumann on his thoughts 🌊 💛 #RunWest2024 #WestCoastTales #CommunitySpirit
@gone_outdoor@namaquawestcoast@cederberg_brewery@fryers_cove_vineyards@protectthewestcoast@reducereuse.co
📸: @si_pocock
Damien Schumann was the only one we never heard of before traveling to South Africa and he was an amazing discovery. His name was pointed out by local runners in Muizenberg, a surfers town in the Cape Peninsula, while sharing few pints with us. He was the real deal of the community. So, we had to catch him.
Damien traveled the world as a photographer and videographer working on social justice projects, from Palestine to Myanmar before going back to South Africa. He is an adventurer by nature and merges his social work with his personal projects. He was the first person to traverse the Cape Fold Belt, a mountain range in the southwestern corner of the country and the most biodiverse place in the world. An astonishing achievement that elevated him to the status of legend among local runners.
There was a lot to cover. We talked about how to experience the outdoors, the state of trail running, the media and some of the work he did in the past.
Head over to our stories and website to read the full interview.
#southafrica #trailrunning #outdoorwall
Do we know what we have to lose? 🌊 👣
Damien Schumann joins us to talk about the Run West project and trail running as environmental activism 🌱 From stories of the West Coast to some of his personal adventures along the Cape fold, this one is quite the journey 🎙️
Episode 08 - goes live on Friday 🤙🏼
#trailculture #podcast #runwest #adventure
📷: @fahwaaz_c
