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 & Myles Siebrits
M&M as they are fondly known, go way back in the Wildrun story. Marion took over in the field kitchen in 2016 and quickly showed us what an operator she is! Together with Myles they ran the catering show until Namibia Crossing 2024. While they might have hung up their catering boots, we can't keep them away and hence can now be found out in the field. Most often you will find M&M at the aid stations, cheering everyone in and offering up the snacks.
Wildrun
Testimonials
What people are saying
"I cannot stop telling people about our life-changing experience at the Richtersveld – and I just wanted to thank you guys for making all of it possible. The organizing of this event was really world-class! Your team’s energy is incredible and inspirational! Please keep in doing what you are doing – you are exposing people to incredible places and experiences! It really changed my life!"
Thea-Mari Franken
Richtersveld Wildrun® 2015
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
It is an experience of a life time. So well organised and you meet people from all over the world and you get to see apart of the world that not everyone gets to see and appreciate. You leave there feeling part of a second family.
Diana Tanner
The Namibia Crossing 2016
The most amazing 3 days of running! Day dream about it often – wish I could go back every 3 months!
Claire Hammon
Wildcoast Wildrun 2011
"I cannot stop telling people about our life-changing experience at the Richtersveld – and I just wanted to thank you guys for making all of it possible. The organizing of this event was really world-class! Your team’s energy is incredible and inspirational! Please keep in doing what you are doing – you are exposing people to incredible places and experiences! It really changed my life!"
Thea-Mari Franken
Richtersveld Wildrun® 2015
The decision to do the Wildrun was one of the best I have made in my life! The past four days have been exciting, nerve-wrecking, challenging, hilarious and uplifting…all-in-one. I realised how blessed we are to be healthy, fit and strong; what the true meaning of being a ‘running partner’ and friend is; how fulfilling it is to run in silence along the long stretches of beach (with the sound of the waves in my ears); how good it feels to be tired at the end of a fulfilling day; how wonderfully our bodies get restored after a decent meal and a good night’s rest… Many fond memories were made, which I will still be telling my great-grandchildren when my running days are long past.
Maryke Neizel
Wildcoast Wildrun® 2013
Another massive thank you for such an incredible week in the Richtersveld. I have little doubt that this must be the top run in the country. If I never run again (which my knees & toes seem to think may be the case), I'll be satisfied that I at least got to tick Richtersveld off my list.
Amy Ebedes
Richtersveld Wildrun® 2014
I just want to express my appreciation to you and your entire team for a most wonderful adventure in Lesotho. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire event, and was greatly impressed with the level of organization, friendliness and care throughout. I certainly hope to be back next year.
Erik Hallendorff
Lesotho Wildrun 2012
"It was a huge privilege and a dream come true for me to have been able to participate in the 2014 Wildcoast Wildrun. I'm still trying to find appropriate words to be able to place the experience in perspective. I guess that I'll just have to return in 2015 to try and find those words somewhere along the magnificent 112 km coastline. Thank you to you and your fantastic team: you were so in touch with all our needs, fears, dreams and joys."
Hein Venter
Wildcoast Wildrun® 2014
What a privilege to be able to participate in the journey event over the past few days. Trail was indescribably beautiful and was a pleasure to run. Thanks to Owen and team for the world class basis in which you have organized this event. I will definitely be back.
Mark van Houten
Wildcoast Wildrun® 2015