On 24 October 2026, the WESSA uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve will become the setting for a new celebration of trail running, music, markets, and connection with nature.
What does it look like when conservation becomes something you can experience, move through, and celebrate?
On Saturday, 24 October, the inaugural WESSA Ultra Trail Festival will bring runners, families, and outdoor enthusiasts together at the 900-hectare WESSA uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve near Howick for a full day centered on nature, movement, and community.
The festival brings together three interconnected experiences – trail running, music and markets – offering visitors different ways to experience the reserve and celebrate WESSA’s centenary year.
A new milestone for trail running in KwaZulu-Natal
At the heart of the festival is the inaugural WESSA Ultra Trail Run, featuring seven distances ranging from 5.85 km to 100 km.
The range of distances offers experienced trail and ultra runners the opportunity to take on a serious challenge, while also creating an entry point for those wanting to experience trail running over a shorter distance.
This year’s event also marks an important milestone for trail running in KwaZulu-Natal, with the festival incorporating the inaugural KZNA Trail and Mountain Running Championship.
Introduced by KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA), the championship creates a new platform for provincial competition, talent identification and excellence within the province’s growing trail-running community.
For athletes with ambitions of representing KwaZulu-Natal and potentially South Africa, it also provides a pathway towards provincial colours and the national selection process ahead of South Africa hosting the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in October 2027.
“The WESSA Ultra Festival gives us an opportunity to bring trail running to a much broader audience while creating a meaningful competitive platform for athletes,” said Andrew Booth, lead organiser of the WESSA Ultra Trail Run and partner representing KZNA. “Having the inaugural KZNA championship as part of WESSA’s Ultra Trail festival is an exciting milestone for trail running in the province.”
More than a race
The WESSA Ultra Trail Festival is designed as a full day out, with plenty for those who aren’t taking on the trails.
The music festival starts at approximately 12:00 midday, with Jason Hartman headlining alongside local artists. A curated market will feature local vendors offering food and a variety of crafts and products, while a dedicated kids’ programme will give younger visitors an opportunity to take part in the day.
The festival creates a space where runners, families, friends, and supporters can come together and experience the reserve in different ways.
As WESSA CEO Cindy-Lee Cloete explains, the festival is about bringing people closer to conservation through shared experiences:
“The WESSA Ultra Festival is an invitation to experience conservation as a shared celebration. Whether you are taking on a trail, enjoying the music, exploring the market or bringing your family for the day, you are joining us in celebrating 100 years of people caring for the earth.”
Experience the landscape
The WESSA uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve provides a distinctive backdrop for the festival, with indigenous forests, rolling grasslands, river crossings, dramatic escarpments and valley views forming part of the experience.
For runners, the landscape becomes part of the challenge. For other visitors, it provides an opportunity to spend time outdoors and experience the reserve as a place where nature, movement, and community come together.
The inaugural WESSA Ultra Festival is ultimately about creating different ways for people to connect with the landscape – whether through running a trail, enjoying live music, discovering local products or simply spending time in nature.
Plan your day
- WESSA Ultra Trail Run
- Date: Saturday, 24 October 2026
- Location: WESSA uMngeni Valley Nature Reserve, near Howick, KwaZulu-Natal
- Trail distances: 5.85 km, 12 km, 18 km, 36 km, 48 km, 75 km and 100 km
- Registration: From 02:30
- Race briefing: 15 minutes before each race
- Race format: Loop
- Music festival and market: From approximately 12:00 midday
- Entries and event information: CLICK HERE
As WESSA celebrates 100 years of people caring for the earth, the WESSA Ultra Festival offers a new way to bring that legacy to life – through movement, connection, community and an experience rooted in the natural landscape.