Rohan Kennedy wrote his name into the record books at the 2009 Salomon Featherbed Trail Run by winning both the morning Breakfast Run and afternoon Supper Run to stamp his undisputed authority on the event.

The Salomon Featherbed Trail Run was introduced to the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival in 2008 and its instant success and new found cult status prompted the organisers, sponsors and venue hosts to piece together a double running of this unique sports event in 2009. The number of participants allowed to enter is determined by the capacity of the ferries which transport the runners across the picturesque Knysna Lagoon from the Registration and Finishing point at The Cruise Café & Featherbed Ferry Terminus to the remote Start which takes place on the Featherbed Nature Reserve on the Western Head. The choice of two routes (Coelacanth 13 km & Seahorse 7 km) gives those not too fit to take on the challenging and strikingly impressive coastal trail that also includes a mind numbing climb of 200 m of elevation in under a kilometre, the option be transported by a 4 x 4 truck and passenger trailer system to the top of Featherbed. The route back to the finish line at The Cruise Café also includes a variety of surfaces from dirt trails through ancient Milkwood Forests, Coastal Fynbos, paved brick and tar roads through Lake Brenton to finish with the equally unusual dash next to the Outeniqua Choo Choo railway line that traverses back across the Knysna Lagoon.

To accomplish a double win on this tough and fast track is an exceptional achievement. You have to be an all rounder to master the mix of surfaces which includes pristine trail more suited to the technical runners plus the tar and paved sections which naturally suite the more conventional marathon road running fraternity. Rohan Kennedy racing for GU / Brooks Running Shoes has all these qualities and he has set a new benchmark that many will want to aspire to and so add their names to this exclusive list of runners.

Another up and coming athlete that has made his mark on the shorter Seahorse route is 12 year old Mathew Lombardi who finished up as the overall winner in this group. More impressive is that his first place was against runners far older than himself running in a category which also included all the other senior athletes competing for the same title.

Magnetic South has certainly experienced an amazing spike in the performances being posted by the junior athletes at all its 2009 Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival events – we are in for some exciting times ahead and with it being touted as another sell out in 2010 – this new cult event of the festival will continue to impress and attract runners from around the globe.

Final results – Coelecanth 13 km Men – 1^st Rohan Kennedy 51.09, 2^nd Kyle Chettleburgh 51.57,3^rd Richard Wright 53.12 / Ladies 1^st Alae Brand 56.52, 2^nd Jeannie Bomford 60.54,3^rd Tanya Rabie 63.39.

Seahorse 7 km Men – 1st Matthew Lombardi 45.00, 2^nd Philip Emslie 45.27, 3^rd Gavin Slabber 45.53 / Ladies 1^st Helmie 53.12, 2^nd Carly Kent 53.13, 3^rd Eulogy Du Plessis 55.17.    

542 words