About | Wildrun

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.

Chris Goodwin

Mr Hospitality. Chris sets the bar in travelling with style and class, running active tours throughout Africa and in far flung parts of the world for big international travel companies via his company Active Africa.

Jacqui Goodwin

Chris’s better half. A lively intellect earned through a doctorate in molecular biology, combined with a passion for all things outdoors, means that Jacqui can engage you in philosophical debate while hardly breaking a sweat on a bike or hike!

Dr Mark Middleton

Mark is Owen's big boet and you'll notice when you hear him talk that they sound exactly the same! Mark loves the outdoors and is an avid runner!

Eugene Muller

Eugene Muller, together with his wife Celeste, run their own medical response company in East London called 'Eastern Cape Medical Response'. They have been working Wildrun Africa events since 2009 and bring unparalleled experience to these remote Wilderness running experiences.

Chris Chilvers

Chris, Genevieve and their team of deft hands have kept many a body going over the years. Chris has been working the Wildrun events since 2009 and now it simply isn't a WIldrun without him!

Dave and Glenda Jupp

Tam’s folks - Dave and Glenda have spent a lifetime together, travelling the world and taking it as it comes. Having lived in Texas, Greece, France, England and Belgium, they came back to settle at home in the Cape, where they now try to take as much time off as possible!

Wildrun
Testimonials

What people are saying

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

"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

Thanks again for a wonderful experience. Although it’s like asking which is your favourite child, I think Richtersveld was the best event I have ever done. After Puffer this year I had planned to stop events, but as I feel now, I’m reconsidering that decision.

Jorg Schmid

Richtersveld Wildrun® 2014

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

We had the most fantastic time. It was profoundly the most astounding experience ever. I had to pinch myself daily to be sure I wasn’t dreaming. The organization just brilliant – tents, exquisite meals, cold beers, G&T on the hill at sunset with spectacular views, staff just going out of their way to be helpful. The logistics behind getting an event such as this to run without a hitch must be mind-blowing and you guys pulled it off. Not to mention the wildlife, fascinating history and incredible community involvement.

Bryan Mulliner

Safari-on-the-Run™: Mapungubwe 2017

It's hard to really pinpoint what the very best thing about the Richtersveld Wildrun™ was for me. One would think the amazing, breathtaking rough beauty of the area would win hands-down… but on second thoughts, I think the warmth of the hosts and the people of the area, and the camaraderie of the fellow runners might just have snuck in and taken first place in my heart."

Melanie Nijland

Richtersveld Wildrun® 2014

Today is Wednesday, and I am supposed to be working but can’t get the weekend out of my head! It was an experience of a life time and just want to say thanks for a excellent organised Lesotho Wildrun. Every now and then I catch myself day dreaming about the weekend, somewhere between the biggest mountains I have ever seen, completely lost with only my GPS in one hand, a map in the other and my running partners scattered all over the mountain looking for a cattle track which will hopefully lead us towards the finish. This was my first trail run ever and I had certain expectations of the race, but never in my wildest dreams could I have dreamt of it being such a amazing experience, the LWR 2012 was more than just a trail run it was unforgettable experience of a life time.

Boeta Van Tonder

Lesotho Wildrun 2012

"A life changing event everyone should include in their bucket list!! Thank you Owen, Tamaryn & team for an unbelievable 3 days of running. Can’t wait to be back"

Marelize Retief

Wildcoast Wildrun 2019

Just a note to thank you guys for yet another wonderful event and a truly great and memorable experience. The organisation as always was superb. The routes are excellent and just all round fantastic. Also thanks for accommodating Sharon at such a late stage, she really had a wonderful time and will have many a fond memory of the three days. You people work hard and with passion, so you deserve every bit of success you receive.

Roland van der Merwe