The first ever Hohenort was held on 15 November 1975, and is the flagship event of the Pinelands Athletic Club. The name Hohenort is derived from the area in which it is held, Hohenort is the name of a sub-section of the Constantia Valley.

So there you have it peeps, a bit of history to keep you going whilst you mull over a well earned refreshment of your choice!

Five of us decided to lift share which works in our favour as there’s only one car to park. And as you know parking at Constantia Alphen Centre is always premium. But today we got lucky with a spot at the shopping centre directly under the shade of a coolabah tree. Quick nip into the mall’s ablutions then off to collect our race cards. Collecting the cards was a piece of cake. Very well organized this Pinelands Athletic Club. We took off at exactly 06h00 as planned with heavy congestion for at least the first km. This was I suppose to be expected as it was the very first road race of 2026. Entries sold out quickly too as Pinelands Athletic Club had reached their capacity and the entry fee being just R130 to run this scenic, crazy hilly route of 15kms! I tucked in behind Paula and Naomi but as the 3km mark approached, it was written in the stars that today I’d be running alone. The girls left me standing and although I could see them up ahead, there was absolutely no chance of me catching up with them.

The first refreshment station was more welcome than I had ever imagined. Delicious ice cold water on offer went down a treat. I took this opportunity to have a little walk before tackling the next hill which came all too soon. The girls were still in my sights but getting further and further ahead of me as time went by. Ok. Time to cut my losses and run on at my own pace – alone. I met up with the fabulous Jill Lategan and had a very very quick chat before she too took off leaving me in her dust. Onto refreshment table number two. Oh what a blessing. This one had coke and water. I indulged in one of each before hitting the road once again. By this time we were well on our way to nine Km’s which was rather comforting to say the very least. The route was surprisingly cool – I found – which shade from the trees along the way. Now let’s cover the hills. And believe me there were many many hills that made up this race. If one wasn’t sure about it beforehand, one certainly found out now. Suicide Hill is in a class of It’s own. It just goes on and on and on, and the further one goes up, the steeper it gets! I think a little chat to Pinelands Athletic Club is on my list of things to do. Running the loop brings it’s own challenges. It’s called Picardie Pain. I could call it something else but not today. It’s on this stretch that the athletes run up one side of the road, make a U turn at indicated cones, then run down the other side. The challenge for me is seeing girlfriends on the down side whilst I’m still running up! Be that as it may, the third and final refreshment station was close to hand offering water and coke again. By now we were fast approaching the finish. Oh my goodness. Dare I say at last! And of course there was another hill just to add insult to injury. But once up that hill it was a km to the finish line. Back to where we’d started from. And so very very welcome.

I found the marshals to be super friendly and encouraging. The traffic police were so very accommodating, even ignoring the relentless hooting of impatient taxis trying to nudge their way through at intersections. The refreshment tables were well stocked and manned by many. I quite frankly could have done with just one extra water table? Personal opinion of course. Just sayin’. Man was I relieved to cross the finish line. Sjoo this was quite some run. Thanks for the socks Pinelands Athletic Club – much appreciated. I have to make mention of some incredible paces out there today. I’m not going to put an age or gender to it, I’m merely saying that these folk have the ability to run. And run FAST. Not sure how they do it but I’m in awe and well done to you. You are fantabulous!! Now I’m not going to list each and every single one of you, so please don’t take umbrage if your name’s not here. Again, it’s just something that amazes me enough to make mention of. Andre Daniels running 15km’s at a pace of 05:59 per km, giving him his second fastest time. George Lemon running a pace of 05:28 per km. Samantha Knaggs running a 06h07 per km. And Bruce Wood running at a pace of 05h48 per km.
I’ve saved the best for last. The unbelievable Anele running at 03:42 per km. How you may ask? Cos I certainly do?

Well that’s Hohenort 15km done and dusted for 2026. As always peeps, this is purely my opinion. Be safe out there and enjoy your running – Gill x