🗺 Route / venue info:
The route is a well marked and maintained lap. The trail starts at the dam. Turn right for the 5 km route or continue straight for the 2.5 km option. The 5 km route leaves the property through a large gate on the perimeter, does a circuit close to the SPARK high school, then tracks back into the Riversands property, going around the perimeter before heading back to the Riversands Farm Village area over the pedestrian bridge.
You are very welcome to join us afterwards at the outdoor seating area at the Farm Village where we can enjoy a well deserved coffee together ☕🐕
🌦 Weather forecast (Saturday morning):
Expect cloudy conditions with a chance of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the morning, with temperatures starting around 16 to 21°C.
⚠️ Important reminders
- Runs are postponed if temperatures exceed 25°C or if there is lightning nearby
- Please arrive slightly early, at social runs we run together as a group and share key info before departure
- Reactive dogs with yellow collars go ahead, please give them a wide berth
- When overtaking, call out “passing left” or “passing right” loud and clear to the other team
- Reinforce the “on by” cue and remember to praise when your dog reacts to it
- Allow dogs to settle into the environment before the start, mill about calmly
- Redirect fixation immediately with a calm “leave”, gentle upward leash tap, change direction and move away; avoid dragging your dog backwards on the leash as this escalates tension
- Dogs must not interact at any point when in Canicross mode; keep two leash lengths between you and other teams
- Water bowls will be available at the finish; bring a fold up bowl if your dog may need a small amount of water mid run
- I always have first aid, extra water and sunscreen and will stay at the back. Hang back if you need anything
- Please advise me beforehand of any changes to you or your dog’s medical information, any new injuries, any updates to your emergency contact info, or if your bitch could be in heat
- Ensure vaccinations and tick prevention are up to date 🕷️
- Warm up properly including pre run massage, start slow and cool down well after
- No food and start limiting water 1 hour before running. Offer small amounts of water post run until your dog has cooled down sufficiently
- Bring poop bags and clean up after your dog
💡 Top tip:
It is a good idea to arrive with your dog in a separate normal walking collar or harness. Change into the Canicross gear at the venue and remove it again after the run. This helps with conditioning and clearly signals the switch back to normal social mode, perfect for post run coffee and brekkie when we want them to stop pulling and start heeling nicely so we can drink our coffee in peace ☕🐕
🐾 Social run reminder
Please remember that a social run is not a canicross race. It is about having fun with the rest of the pack, building on canicross skills and commands in a relaxed and supportive environment, and gently conditioning your dog into the sport in a non competitive space. You are welcome to go as slow or as fast as you like and there is no official timing taken.
That said, we do track team PBs and times, so after the run please send us a message with your social run time for the week so we can add it to our team tracking ⏱️
Really looking forward to seeing you all at this week’s social run.
LLLLEEEETTTTTSSSSSS GGGGOOOooooooooooo… 🐕🦺🏃♀️
Why we charge R50 for non-members.
To run, you are required to understand the basic regulations set out to protect your companions’ well-being.
This is an admin function that assesses:
– Dog nutrition pre and post run
– Warm ups
– Equipment / Harness
– Transport requirements ensuring comfort and well-being of your companion
– Application form requiring emergency contact information
For this reason, only pre-application can be considered – please reach out to the event organiser.