There are very few urban areas that can rival the picturesque streets of Bedfordview.
Just ask one of the regular participants of the Dischem Half Marathon and 5km Dash every year.
And many athletes who run this popular event year in and year out will say that this is one of the things that attracts 8 000 people to attend this event, which will take place on Sunday 17 January 2016.
As the event is, in effect, the season “opener”, it is consistently sold out quicker than most other running events. In fact, the limit on online entries was already reached earlier this week which is why the organisers advise that those who want to run this event should send their entries in as soon as possible.
Set to start bright and early at 06:00 on Sunday 17 January at the Bedfordview Virgin Active Club, the Dischem Half Marathon takes runners on a journey which includes Riley Road, Townsend Road, Acacia Road, Oak Avenue and Pine Road before it turns onto Bowling Road. Then runners follow Florence Avenue until the T-junction with Concorde Road where runners turn left onto Concorde Road.
After a distance, runners take the right hand split onto Hawley Road and then merge with Van Buuren Road. Runners then turn right onto Kloof Road and turn right onto Homestead Road after crossing the highway.
The field will no doubt enjoy the tranquil nature of Oriel Park as the route skirts all around this inner city green zone. After turning left onto Kloof Road again off Lynwood Road, runners then run along Tallisman Avenue before turning left onto Nicol Road and then right onto Van der Linde Road.
Using this road, runners cross over the highway and turn left onto Boeing Road and then right onto Batten Road. After this, runners then turn right onto Munday Avenue before following the sharp left hand bend into Malan Avenue. A short while later, runners turn left again into Clarkson Road.
Runners then turn left onto Davidson Street and then re-join Munday Avenue again with another right turn. A left turn onto River Road and runners cross the highway again, keeping straight past Eastgate Shopping Centre until River Road becomes Bradford Road as it crosses Nicol Road.
Turning left onto Smith Road, runners then pass Bedford Shopping Centre before turning right again onto Van der Linde Road and follow this road until the intersection with Geldenhuis Road. A sharp left hand corner leads runners onto Cyclonia Road and over the highway. Runners then turn left onto Taylor Road and then right onto Reginald Avenue.
Half marathon runners then turn right onto Cemetary Road and then left onto Beaconsfield Avenue. Runners then turn left onto Shamrock Road and follow this as it becomes Edenvale Road. A left turn onto Kloof and a right turn bring the runners back onto Townsend Road again. After crossing Van Buuren Road, this becomes Riley Road again which leads the field to the finish.
So if you’ve entered the Dischem Half Marathon, you in for a treat. Remember to train fairly hard and keep disciplined over the festive season as it is a relatively tough route and if you not fit or prepared for it, it will definitely expose you.
For more information or to view the route map, check out http://www.dischem21.co.za/race-info/