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
"Thank you so much for another life-changing event. It's is truly a privilege to get to explore such a remarkable area, whilst making memories with my dad that will last both our lifetimes. If it weren't for your time and dedication to bringing incredible adventures to everyday people, we would never be able to experience something so unique. Can't wait for the next adventure!"
Janine Mazery
The Namibia Crossing 2016
"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
Thanks for a great event – I loved it. I thought your organisation was outstanding.
Peter Hathorn
Wildcoast Wildrun® 2012
'Thank you, thank you for the most magical time last week. It really was the best event I’ve ever been to, and by far the one that I’ve enjoyed the most. Initially I was worried that I hadn’t done enough training blah blah, but as we got further into the run I realised more and more that its really more about the people than the running. You guys and all the runners.
So – to you guys and all the unrelenting hard work you and your team put into looking after us – thank you again.'
Andrew Hishin
The Namibia Crossing 2019
I dont even know how to tell you in words what a phenomenal experience the Wildrun was for me. I am still in shock and think about it constantly! Your effort and gees is much appreciated and I hope to be seeing you guys a lot in the future.
Rick Kotze
Wildcoast Wildrun® 2014
We had no expectations of the run, the event or the people we would meet, other than a raw excitement for a new adventure. But what we experienced was something so much more. From an extremely efficient and well organised race, the insanely friendly and helpful team who always had time to encourage, chat or help us to the other competitors who were all just a fantastic and friendly bunch of people. We loved every minute!
Janine Mazery
Wildcoast Wildrun® 2015
Wildrun Africa’s Rwanda 2019 inaugural trip was an absolute treat – from start to finish. Owen, Chris and their team of four local Rwandan youngsters Jado, Olivier, Emanuel and Danny laid on a completely unique trail-running experience. The Rwanda Wildrun was a bucket-lister of note that exceeded all my expectations. Rwanda has a very tangible soul – she is powerful, positive, hopeful. As a country, she has drawn me in hook, line and sinker and I have fallen quite hopelessly in love.
Karoline Hanks
Rwanda Wildrun® 2019
Still can hardly believe that we were lucky enough to experience such a unique adventure . It really was special the attention to detail, the food , the animals and the amazing staff .
Frances Orzechowski
Safari-on-the-Run™: Mapungubwe 2017
As with all Wildrunner’s events, the organisation is slick and everything happens like clockwork – and achieving that in remote regions is often harder than running the routes themselves! Huge thumbs up to Owen, Tam and the rest of the Wildrunner team for this great Lesotho gem of an event.
Linda Doke
Lesotho Wildrun® 2013
Thanks to you and Owen (+ team of course) for a brilliantly organised event – was fab, what a course, what a place, and would do it year after year if there wasn’t so much else out there to do and see. And I think the absolute best was that AMAZING blanket – I had a very cosy Sunday afternoon snooze beneath it last w/e, what bliss!!!!!!!
Jane MacKinnon
Lesotho Wildrun 2012