On Saturday, we headed out to the countryside. A farm called Loxtonia had invited runners for a 5k and 10k trail run. It would be a self-timed event and all runners would receive a bottle of cider and a bag of cherries at the finish line.
Cider? Obviously, we signed up. The invitation had no specific start times, it simply said that the race was open from 7.30 am onwards. Great! We opted for a sleep-in and turned up at the farm at 10.30 am.
There were quite a few people there, relaxing on the lawn and appropriately drinking cider and eating cherries.
I looked out for other runners who were about to start, but I couldn’t see any. I went to the registration desk, which was unmanned.
It took a while for me to realize that we were the only ones who had not run yet. Anxiously, I asked one of the ladies at the cherry stand if we had missed the start. “Oh yes”, she said. “The race started at 9 am”. Somehow, I didn’t get the memo.
Kai laughed his head off while I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The very alert cherry lady quickly called the race director, a young woman called Janneke. Janneke saved the day by suggesting that we simply run the course on our own – the route was clearly marked and we couldn’t go wrong.
Great! Let’s do it!
A lonely registration desk. 
Alpacas 
A selfie with Janneke, the race director.
We set off and had a wonderfully peaceful run through the orchards. We both agreed that this was the most relaxed 10k race we had ever done.
Clearly marked route. 
Let’s go!
We took our time to check the fruit growing in the orchards.
Pears. 
Apples. 
Peaches!
We ended the 10k with nearly 12k on our Garmins. We didn’t mind at all. Janneke later explained that they had to make the route a bit longer because some trees had been felled.
Everyone was still there when we got back. Janneke and her helpers gave us our ciders and cherries. Kai said they were the best cherries he ever had (for some reason I don’t like cherries).
Cherries. 
Cider. 
Selling specialties. 
Coffee, tea, Ginger biscuit 
We chatted a bit with Janneke. She works in the cider production which had only been started in 2018. Before that, they focused on exporting premium-class apples. While they still export apples, they now make good use of the second-class apples for the cider.
Since the pandemic, the demand for cider has exploded and they can hardly keep up with the production. Of course, we did an apple cider tasting and bought a bottle of each of their different flavours.
It was a delightful experience and we will definitely sign up for this race again. But next time, I will make sure to find out what time it starts!
Back home over a small mountain pass. 
Road scenes
- Have you ever been late for a race?
- Do you like cider? What about cherries?
I’m joining Kooky Runner and Zenaida’s link-up, Tuesday Topics. I’m also joining Runner’s Roundup with Mile By Mile, Coach Debbie Runs, Confessions of a Mother Runner, Runs with Pugs and Laura Norris Running.
All´s well that ends well – you got a private run and didn´t have to run in a crowd. 😉 The photos look beautiful as always.
I´ve never actually visited any type of vineyard or orchard, but I´d love to! Sounds like a marvelous idea to sample the produce at the very place they´re grown/processed. I like both cider (but it has to be very dry and crispy) and cherries (fresh, preserved ones are horrible).
That’s what I thought, too, Riitta! It turned out to be much nicer that way. 🙂
Oh, that is something you would definitely enjoy! There are a gazillion vineyards here where you get to do a wine tasting. It’s the first time I had a cider tasting. They had your favourite covered, it was called “Crispy Apple Cider”. My favourite was the “Sparkling” one. It tasted a bit like dry champagne.
Agreed! Preserved cherries are horrible! The very reason I don’t like Ferrero’s “Mon Chérie” at all.
Mon Chéries are THE worst, I agree!!! 😀 The thought itself gives me shivers.
I’m glad you agree!
Liebe Catrina,
ja das war ja eine Nummer! Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, wie dich die Panik erfasste und Kai’s Humor beflügelt wurde. Aber klasse, dass man euch quasi ein privilegiertes Privat-Rennen ermöglichte 🙂
Wahrscheinlich auch eine seltsame Situation zu wissen, alle anderen sind längst im Ziel. Doch andererseits, wie du beschreibst, welch ein entspanntes Rennen! Ihr konntet in aller Ruhe das Terrain erkunden!
Aus Sorge, dass mir mal ähnliches passiert, lese ich Auschreibungen und alle Renninfos mehrmals. Bislang klappte es noch immer. Nur passierte es mir schon 2x bei der SBB-Fahrt von Thun nach Interlaken zum Jungfrau-Marathon, dass ich den Fahrplan falsch interpretierte und statt des Zugs ein Bus fuhr. Da man das in D nicht kennt, dass Bus und Zug in einem Plan stehen, war ich da selber auf der falschen Spur. Da ich aber immer sehr früh losmöchte, passte es mit dem nächsten Zug jeweils dann immer noch.
Kirschen gern. Cider – kommt drauf an. Ich kenne eine recht schmackhafte Sorte aus der Normandie. Aber in Hessen hat man den lokalen “Äbbelwoi”, der ist sowas von sauer, brrrrrr, das schüttelt einen.
Liebe Grüße aus dem nasskalten Rheinland
Elke
Liebe Elke
Kai hatte wahrscheinlich gehofft, dass wir direkt zum Cider Trinken rübergehen können ohne vorher zu rennen! 🙂
Es war ein sehr entspannter Lauf – ich denke, das war fast ein Glücksfall, das wir zu spät kamen.
Das kann ich mir vorstellen, dass du immer gut vorbereitet bist. Deine Situation mit dem Zug/Bus hätte mir genauso gut passieren können – ich bin nicht sehr talentiert im Fahrplan-Lesen. Aber gut, dass du immer einen Zeitpuffer einplanst – da können solche Fehler ohne Stress wieder ausgebügelt werden. Am GP Bern hatten wir ja auch diverse kleine Pannen vor dem Start, aber wir hatten zum Glück genug Zeit, alles zu lösen. 🙂
Ah, sehr saurer Apfelwein! Das ist schon etwas Hühnerhaut-mässig. Da wäre mir deine Normandie-Sorte auch lieber. Gestern habe ich bei uns im Spar die Flaschen von dieser Loxtonia Farm gesehen, auch alkoholfreie Sorten. Natürlich haben wir aus Loyalität auch wieder welche gekauft. 🙂
Liebe Grüsse aus dem sonnigen Cape Town!
I am sure that running alone on a race route was a beautiful experience, also considering the location and the landscape. Moreover the swag with local food is my favorite.
Around here there are many vineyard and farms, I like to visit them and to buy their products.
In 2004, a friend of mine and me, were late 3 minutes at the start but it was a lot of fun to overtake the runners who started before us.
It was, Stefano! I think it was even better than running with the other runners. The swag was awesome!
Many years ago we stayed overnight on an Italian farm – it was part of the Agriturismo network. We could taste and buy their local produce. It was amazing. Cheese, olive oil, honey, bread – everything was so delicious!
Haha! That is the best! Playing catch up with other runners is so much fun!
Sounds like you got the better end of the deal, getting to run it on your own! Looks beautiful. I love cherries–not so much to eat out of hand, but in my smoothies and of course, pie! What a fun experience.
I think you’re right Wendy – it was so nice just to run through the orchard on our own.
Cherries in a smoothie – what a perfect idea for a healthy summer snack. Although I imagine getting rid of all those cherry pits beforehand is a lot of work, haha!
That’s a unique race format and venue! I love the idea of the cherries and the cider (#yum). It’s refreshing (in more ways than one) to see an event that offers more than just beer at the finish line 😉
It was a great idea of the apple farm, Kim! A good idea also to attract potential clients – I think they got about 300 runners plus their families.
Come to think of it, this was the first time I had an alcoholic drink at the finish line – it was oddly refreshing. 🙂
Oh no, I can laugh with you now that it’s in the past. I was once late to a race because I assumed it started at one point on a path, but came to realize that wasn’t the start as I saw no racers or start line. I made it by running to the start but it was a close thing & made me very anxious, too!
I LOVE cherries! One of my fav fruits. I like cider but rarely drink it. The views of the course look lovely — although “course is well marked” & “you can’t go wrong” are challenges I can alas meet.
Oh my goodness, Judy, that sounds like a nightmare! Racing to the start line before a race is not ideal. Good that you made it in time!
Ah, another cherry lover! There’s something about them I don’t like – I think I was allergic to them at some point as a child.
We did take a wrong turn a few times during our run – but fortunately, we quickly realized it when we went wrong.
LOL about the wrong turns! That’s me most of the time.
Yes, running to the start — when you’re not even quite sure where it is — isn’t ideal. I learned an important lesson, though.
Ha Ha. I have almost missed the start several times. Once we lost power and I got up late. Another time I could not find parking.
Love cherries. Not much of a beer drinker but I do like hard cider. We do some trail runs in the summer at an orchard. They make the cider so many flavors…
I think the more you race, the more likely it’s going to happen, right? 🙂
And you nearly missed your Turkey Trot if it hadn’t been for your cat waking you up.
I don’t like beer at all, but I really enjoyed the cider. Nice that you also have trail runs at an orchard. They are great for running!
Yes. The cider is one reason to run there.
Oops you’re right about the Turkey trot. But it was still early. Just a nervous Nellie about starts.
Oops, on missing the official race start, but it sounds like you had an even greater time! And isn’t it nice to relax during a race occasionally and take fun pictures along the way?
To answer your question, I like cider (don’t love it), but I love cherries!
We did, Deb! Oh yes! A race without the stress of racing – so perfect! 😄
Haha, for me, it’s exactly the other way around. In fact, I’m enjoying a sparkly cider right now! (it’s 6 pm over here) 😄
There’s been two times where I have almost missed the start of a race. It was so stressful but luckily both times I made it!
I’m allergic to cherries (it’s so sad because I used to love them!) but I love apples. I can eat two a day sometimes.
Oh, two near-misses, Kim! I’m glad you made it both times!
That’s interesting – I was allergic to cherries as a child, but only to the actual fresh fruit. I’m not even sure if I’m still allergic to them because I don’t even want to try them! Apples are the best!
Liebe Catrina,
es sollte so entspannt losgehen und dann der Schock! 🙄
Ob ich einem Nervenzusammenbruch nahe gewesen wäre? 😉 … wahrscheinlich nicht, aber geärgert hätte ich mich auch, wenn es gar nicht mehr geklappt hätte. Dass sich Kai aber fast ‘vor Lachen weggeschmissen hätte’, das kann ich mir gut vorstellen. – Toll, dass er trotzdem mitgemacht hat. Den Cider hat er ja auch dann noch bekommen! – Auf jeden Fall war es super, dass sie euch noch haben laufen lassen und ihr habt einen schönen Sonntagsspazierlauf daraus gemacht! Super! – In Deutschland wäre das wahrscheinlich nicht mehr möglich gewesen … es sei denn bei einem kleinen rührigen Verein irgendwo fernab! 🙂
In einer Obstplantage zu laufen ist bestimmt auch mal was anderes und sicher auch abwechslungsreich!?
Ich mag Kirschen sehr gerne, sie sollten nur nicht zu süß und allzu weich sein. Da hätte ich mich sehr darüber gefreut! Aber den Cider hätte ich wohl verschenkt, es sei denn er wäre alkoholfrei gewesen. Den hätte ich bestimmt mal probiert. – Ich hätte dir nicht mal sagen können, dass der hessische Äbbelwoi sooo sauer ist, da wusste ja Elke mehr! 😉
… und zu einem Wettkampf bin ich noch nie zu spät gekommen. Wenn es mal ein wenig ‘enger’ wurde, dann bin ich schon sehr nervös geworden. Einmal habe ich nicht gleich den Startbereich gefunden, da habe ich einen für PKW gesperrten Feldweg benutzt, um dort hinzugelangen. Allerdings hatte mir ein Einheimischer den Tipp gegeben. … und Sonntag morgens ist ja keine Polizei irgendwo auf dem Land unterwegs! 😛
Zum ‘small mountain pass’ fällt mir nur ein: fit sein, dann ist das ein ideales Laufrevier! 😉
Danke für die vielen schönen Bilder!
Aus dem Südhessischen bei Dämmerlicht
Liebe Grüße Manfred
Lieber Manfred
Du hättest bestimmt mit Kai mitgelacht! 🙂 Genau, es war eigentlich ein schöner Sonntagsspazierlauf – ganz entspannt durch die Obstplantage laufen und die Landschaft geniessen.
Ich habe mich über die vielen Birnbäume gewundert weil die ja eigentlich nicht zu einer Cider Produktion gehören. Ich habe dann nachher erfahren, dass wir über die Felder von mehreren Farmen gelaufen sind. Die jeweiligen Besitzer haben ihre Zustimmung gegeben. Fand ich cool!
Es gab auch alkoholfreien Cider, aber die Flaschen, die sie uns im Ziel in die Hand drückten, hatten 3% Alkohol. War schon etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, ich hätte in dem Moment lieber Wasser gehabt und danach den Cider. Die Kirschen hätten dir bestimmt geschmeckt!
Noch nie zu spät gekommen – super! Dann bist du wie Elke immer gut geplant unterwegs und kannst notfalls improvisieren. Auch wenn man dabei über gesperrte Feldwege fahren muss! 🙂
Genau das haben wir auch gedacht! Ich sagte im Auto noch zu Kai, stelle dir vor, wir müssten hier durch rennen. Ein super Trainingsgebiet!
Liebe Grüsse aus Cape Town mit Morgensonne!
Oh no! I always worry about missing race starts but just have to tell myself that it’s okay because more often than not, it’s chip timed. However this would have made me panic for sure! Glad you were still able to run and enjoy the race. Cider and cherries sounds like a fun post race treat!
Exactly, Virjinia! Whenever I have a bad dream, it’s about being too late for something – usually races. I was so happy they let us run the route on our own. It was very enjoyable – and the post-race cider made us feel even more relaxed, haha!
Hah. Yeah starting 1.5 hours late I would imagine most would be finished.
I was delayed 10 min due to portapotty lineups once. The best part is getting to the finish and knowing you have a 10 minute faster time than most of those finishing w you if they use chip times.
Your “race” was more relaxed which was fun to avoid running w a mass of others. You could enjoy the orchard w all of its fruits. What a great way to promote themselves to healthy people. Nice alternative to beer & bananas.
Sweet cherries freshly picked are the best. So juicy, so succulent. Great when dipped in dark chocolate drinking some champagne. Maybe bubbly cider works too?
✋Anyhoots, another run under your belt!🏃♀️💨🏃♂️💨🏁
Oh, starting with a 10-minute delay at a race where they use chip times must be quite an experience! You get to overtake the slower runners and you generally have more elbow space. And yes, that feeling when you pass the finish line, knowing you’re 10 minutes faster, haha!
Yes, I think the farm’s idea was to get a bit of PR and to advertise their cider. It worked well: on Monday, we went to the shops and bought the Loxtonia farm’s brand instead of the other generic one, Savannah (which contains a lot of sugar).
Oh, you would have loved these cherries, Yves! Champagne (or cider!) with fruit dipped in dark chocolate – what a great idea! I would use strawberries instead of cherries, though! 🙂
A private race with cider at the finish line? Yes please! I’ve gotten confused by race start times before and have been way too early or just on time – I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before I have a late start.
Haha, that’s what I thought, Birchie! It turned out to be a perfect day!
The more races you do, the more likely a late arrival will happen one day…. another episode to add to your running experiences. 🙂
Oh that’s funny- but it all turned out beautifully! I think I might prefer a peaceful run on that route rather than a race with a lot of other people. I do like cherries, and my mouth is watering at the thought of the “best” cherries Kai has ever tasted!
And there you are, Jenny, hidden in the spam again! I just can’t figure out what my WordPress account doesn’t like about your mail address!
Yes! It turned out to be the perfect day – so peaceful and nice. Even the weather was perfect – it rained a bit towards the end of the run which was a nice way to cool down. You would have loved the cherries!
wow too funny! I have never missed the start of a race but I always worry I will. Way to run your own race LOL Looks like you had tons of fun anyway
We had a great day, Deborah! I am always paranoid about being late so I had a bit of a meltdown moment. I’m glad it turned out so well in the end.
That’s kind of funny that you missed the start! But I’m glad it still worked out! I don’t really like cherries either but the cider sounds delicious!
So you would have been with me at the cider stand, Lisa!
I’m glad it worked out so well in the end – and hopefully, I will learn the lesson of being less anxious. Things usually work out well!
This looks like so much fun! I’m glad you still got to run, even though you arrived late.
I don’t have cider very often, but my mum usually makes her own apple juice from our apples. Delicious!
Oh wow, Kat, that’s awesome!
Homemade apple juice from your OWN apples is definitely the best!
I bet you can’t even buy apple juice in a regular store – it will never match the taste of your mum’s apple juice.
Ach ja, liebe Catrina, warum sollte auch IMMER ALLES perfekt laufen, im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes ?? Erst der Schock, dann ein wundervoll entspannter Lauf zu zweit, alleine hätte ich das dann wohl nicht getan, du ???
Immer wieder schön, die ganz andere Welt bei euch zu sehen, auch das Profil mit dem steinigen Boden bleibt mir nicht verborgen, das sind für mich Untergründe, die ich überhaupt nicht mag, aber man muss da durch !! Herrlich hingegen überall das Obst !
Zu einem Lauf zu spät kommen ? Never – ever !! Das ist mir zum Glück nie passiert, denn meist musste ich zum Geschehen hunderte von Kilometern zurücklegen, und um dann verspätet einzusteigen, das wäre an den Veranstaltungen, an denen ich teilnahm, sicherlich nicht möglich gewesen.
Don’t worry, be happy, war doch alles in allem dann doch für euch ein nettes Erlebnis, das ihr nicht vergessen werdet und das euch mit Sicherheit kein zweites Mal passieren wird – denn bekanntlich wird man ja aus Erfahrung klug oder so…………… 😉
Den Cidre kannst du gerne behalten, ist nicht so ganz mein Geschmack, aber die dunkelroten Kirschen kannst du mir sehr gerne rüberwachsen lassen.
Hier grausig nasses, unangenehmes Wetter, es ist so fast so dunkel wie in der Nacht……..
bleibt gesund !
Genau, liebe Margitta, man muss nicht immer gleich in Panik verfallen, wenn es mal nicht nach Plan läuft. Daran muss ich mich immer wieder erinnern! Alleine hätte ich wohl die 5k gemacht, aber zu zweit war es schön, die längere Tour zu machen.
Der steinige Untergrund mag ich auch nicht – aber es ist ein sehr gutes Training für das Downhillen, dass ich nur schlecht beherrsche. Die Obstbäumen waren eine gute Entschuldigung um eine Fotopause zu machen.
Ah, eine geplante und organisierte Läuferin! Von dir hätte ich auch nichts anderes erwartet. Bei einem solchen Reiseaufwand wäre es auch schade, zu spät zu kommen – und wenn man dann noch den Trainingsaufwand berücksichtigt!
Ich staune immer wieder, an welche interessante Orte uns das Laufen führt und welche Erlebnisse es uns beschert. Und das nächste Mal kontaktiere ich Janneke höchstpersönlich, wenn ich kein Mail bekomme. 🙂
Die Kirschen würde ich dir gerne rüberschicken!
Hoffentlich wird es bald ein bisschen heller bei dir – geniesse deinen menschenleeren Strand!
Haha! So glad Janneke was so accommodating and you guys had a brilliant time in the end 🙂 I’m like Kai – LOVE cherries! I have been late for a race… it was the last race before the pandemic. Silly thing is we came on time, in fact, I think we were the first ones there. But there wasn’t much action going on. So we strolled around, went to the bathroom, came back and sat in the car. Little did we know at that in between us strolling around and getting back to the car, the race had started! When we went to enquire, we were shocked to learn people had already set off! Luckily we were allowed to start and overtook some people on the way, so it ended well! LOL.
Oh my goodness, Shathiso, your experience is even more hilarious!! HAHA! Being on time and then missing the start after all!
It’s so good that you could start after all and then even overtake some people. Actually, a race is way more fun that way!
At my last two races, I was overtaken by runners who were obviously elite runners (wearing the green shirts of the omnipresent sponsor, Nedbank). I wondered where they came from until I realized that they must have missed the start. So it happens even to the best of us! 😉
By the way, I thought of you today: I discovered a MrPrice Sports shop not too far from our apartment. I remembered that you had mentioned it once. It’s a really good store and the prices are very competitive. I’ll be back there, for sure!
Very competitive prices!! And I like they have fun tops with sayings. Their leggings are not always the best for long distances but I keep going back for their fun and colourful tops!
Running through an orchard sounds like so much fun, and it must have been so serene getting the route all to yourselves! Congratulations! I’m not really a cherry eater either, but I love cider!
That makes two of us, Janelle! In fact, I’m drinking a cider that we bought there right now (it’s evening in Cape Town 🙂
The orchard was a lovely experience – I’d love to run there more often!
Trails are always great and interesting, that’s why I love to run them and because after them you can always taste something delicious
Exactly, Andrii! Trails are much more interesting than road races, but also more challenging. Getting something delicious at the end is the cherry on the top! 🙂
Oh, that’s hilarious! I’m so glad it all worked out. I like cider, but I love cherries. I would be down for this any time.
Amazing how it worked out in the end, Jenny! You would have loved the cherries!
You manage to find fun races!! Nope, never been late to a race. I am glad Janneke was very helpful.
This race was unexpectedly nice, Zenaida. Janneke was our race angel! 🙂
Oh my gosh, that is too funny! I’m glad you still got to run and enjoy cider! It looks like a lovely place. The only race I was late too was the doomed Hot Chocolate race where traffic was so jammed up getting to the venue they delayed the whole race, so I didn’t miss the start after all.
Oh wow, that must have been a giant traffic jam, Coco! How fortunate that it affected EVERYBODY, then at least you weren’t the only one.
I hope the race directors did a better job for the next Hot Chocolate race 🙂
Sounds like a fun event! i’m always anxious about getting to a race late. I don’t drink cider often but a good one can be appreciated!
It’s awful to be late for a race, especially if you trained for months for it! Fortunately, it worked out well at this small fun event.
Cider is great, especially in warm weather! 😀
Such fun, Catrina. Great of the very alert cherry lady. It would have been wonderful to run the course in a relaxed fashion like that. The fruit trees look so amazing. I do love cherries. They do grow in the southern part of Canada. I buy the sour ones and freeze them for my smoothies throughout the year. I do drink the fresh apple cider that is non alcoholic. I am one who is usually way early for a race. Always love the social aspect and mingling with other runners. 🙂
You would have enjoyed running with us through that orchard, Carl!
What a good idea to freeze the cherries to have them all year round. Do you also add blueberries? I have heard they are super-healthy with all the anti-oxidants.
They had non-alcoholic cider as well, but strangely, at the finish line, we were given the alcoholic version. While it was delicious, I would have appreciated water more than an alcoholic drink. 🙂
Yes! Mingling with other runners is always a plus of being early at a race!
Dear Catrina,
while I probably would have freaked out being there – just reading about this, is very funny. I imagine all the other cider-slurping runners that must have looked at you like aliens showing up after the race!
The course looks very pretty, so glad you got to run it. I love cherries, cider isn’t really my thing – but glad you got both.
So far I have not been too late to a race *fingers crossed*!
Haha, Roni! I think the cider-slurping runners had a good laugh!
We would have complemented each other nicely – cherries for you, cider for me!
And I hope you will never be late for a race – it would be a shame, especially if you travel far!
I’ve never been late to a race but arrived via shuttle to the Zion Half just as the runners were taking off.
I’m not much for cider but I do like cherries and the race looked beautiful.
Oh wow, Denise, that was a close one at the Zion Half! I bet you were nervous sitting in that shuttle.
We’d be the perfect match: you eat the cherries, I’ll drink the cider! 😉
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