The Essence
of Wildrun
Who we are
The heartbeat of the Wildrun® is exploring & experiencing truly wild places on the run. Be it on the Wild Coast of South Africa, the remote mountains of Lesotho, the geologically & botanically rich Richtersveld desert or the bushveld of Mapungubwe, each Wildrun® is unique and will be sure to leave an indelible impression on your life.
No markers. No massive crowds. Just you, your sense of adventure and a truly wild place. Be prepared to experience a run like no other.
The Story of
Wildrun(ner)
What we're about
Three or more days of wilderness trail running through some of the most rugged and beautiful scenery in Southern Africa. This is the backbone of a Wildrun®.
The Wildrun® is organised by Wildrunner, premier trail running event organisers in South Africa. We focus on pure trail running with a heartbeat born from a lifetime's passion of exploring wild places on the run.
Wildrunner was established in November 2007 and has held over 200 trail running events in seven South African provinces, as well as Internationally in Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
With this comes a wealth of trail and mountain running event management experience that is unmatched in Africa.
The Wildrun
Management Team
Who runs the world
Owen Middleton
Founder & Managing Director
Trail running, sailing, mountaineering, adventure racing, orienteering, surfing, paddling, kloofing, rock climbing, fly fishing, scuba diving & mountain biking are the life-blood of what makes Owen tick.
Tamaryn Middleton
General Manager
The Real Boss. She is the backbone of Wildrunner and will put a smile on your face any time of the day. Her passion is people, with a healthy dose of scuba diving, trail running and general adventure-seeking thrown in!
Marion Siebrits
Chief of the 100 acre wood (and damn good at catering to!)
Marion's ability to cook up a feast in the middle of nowhere is a gift. She is never short on laughter or practical jokes, but when it comes to delivery always the consummate professional, and when you taste her food you will no doubt agree!
Jason Sharrock
Hospitality & logistics
When not organising events Jason can be found smashing the waves on his surfboard or cruising the cattle trails on his Momsen mountain bike. From entertaining guests to making a plan with broken trailers, Jason is the wild asset working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep operations moving ahead smoothly.
Wildrun
Testimonials
What people are saying
The Lesotho Wildrun was everything my fellow Wild Coasters had promised me it was – tough but amazing and I can’t think of a better way to see and experience a country. The organisation was brilliant as always, even down to the weather! And the hero’s welcome our sweep team received at the finish made the 30+ hours on our legs worth every minute. Can’t wait to put the photos on my pin board next to my Wild Coast ones!! And the very special blanket is already keeping me warm in this cold weather.
Ad Cole
Lesotho Wildrun 2012
Just wanted to say thank you very much for such an inspiring unbelievable experience.
Kim Bulltemier
Safari-on-the-Run™: Mapungubwe 2017
It was a great event and I especially want to thank you guys for focussing on the event and not the racing. For me it was about the journey, the beautiful scenery and the meeting of likeminded people. It was great that the organisers also focused on that, rather than who came first! It made is so much more enjoyable! Thank you for the great organisation, it ran really smooth! It was really a pleasure to participate and Wildrunner did an excellent job. Thanks.
Liza Burmeister
Wildcoast Wildrun 2012
"Many thanks to you and the team for a truly wonderful experience. My soul could not get enough of the horizon to horizon beauty of the Wild Coast... at the necessary cost of a hammering to my feet!"
Mark Stone
Wildcoast Wildrun® 2014
Thanks again to the entire team for a fantastic and memorable event
Daniel Schuurman
Safari-on-the-Run™: Mapungubwe 2017
I just want to congratulate you on organising a superb event. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed the whole experience! It was just awesome! Lesotho is so beautiful and the places we stayed were really great. The food, atmosphere, everything…. unforgettable! Hopefully I will be able to get into the Wildcoast Wildrun either this year (if the waiting list diminishes!) or next year and I am seriously considering doing the Lesotho Wildrun again with my boyfriend next year….just need to work on my navigation skills! Good luck with all your events this year and I really hope to see you in the near future for another amazing event.
Debbie Sessions
Lesotho Wildrun 2011
"A must see, a must do... So many breaths taken away not by running, but by stopping, standing and staring. Words simply can't do it justice. The geology, the ecology, the diversity of the running, the incredible organisation, the camps, the people, the wilderness. I'll be heading back without a doubt next year - the only multistage race I've ever said that about. It's just too unique to miss. Come play."
Georgina Ayre
Richtersveld Wildrun® 2015
"A heartfelt thank-you for a truly magnificent seven days in the Ai-Ais Richtersveld National Park. What a special experience it was to run through such a uniquely exquisite part of our beautiful Africa, and made all the more so by being in the unbelievably capable hands of the Wildrunner team. Everyone on the event marvelled at how slick your operation is – quite honestly, I don’t know how you do it! I can only imagine the degree and depth of forward- and on-the-ground planning that has to go into not only creating a wilderness baby like the Richtersveld Transfrontier Wildrun®, but making it happen so smoothly and in such a fun atmosphere that it all looks so simple, so stress-free. That’s definitely an art, and you guys have mastered it! I can say without hesitation that the RTW was the best organised race I’ve ever done. And at risk of sounding corny, I loved every minute."
Linda Doke
Richtersveld Wildrun® 2016
Thank you so very much for enabling us to have the privilege of running in such an amazing wilderness – the Richtersveld. It was hard, beautiful, awesome, challenging and so well worth it! Your teams - organising, logistics, kitchen, showers, water, safety, checkpoints and photography – surpassed themselves. Nothing was too much and always with a smile. The race was truly wonderful!
Liz Brash
Richtersveld Wildrun® 2014
"The Wildrun has been the highlight of 14 years of running and frankly it has been a life changer for me too!"
Tamara McMillan
Wildcoast Wildrun® 2014