Just one visit to the Ferney La Vallée in Mauritius will remind you how good you feel in nature. Run the Ferney Trail and your life could be changed forever.

There’s something about being in a natural environment at sunrise that can be quite transformational.

If you’re a serious trailer – the kind who puts in the hard slog over longer, more challenging distances – you’ll be at the start of the 12th CIEL Ferney Trail at the Ferney La Vallée on 7 September with your headlamp switched on.

The 50km route has been reduced to 37km but the ‘signature’ first part of the track up Lion Mountain at dawn is still on.

The routes offer breathtaking views of the valley and the sea in this 200ha sanctuary for endangered fauna and flora located in the southeast of Mauritius.

If you’re slightly less fit or competitive, there’s the Bank One 20km, which has a later start time.

Views along the CEIL Ferney Trail
Views along the CIEL Ferney Trail

Just-For-Fun Runs

The just-for-fun runs are the Nando’s 10km, which is timed, and the new Nando’s 8km race, which is designed for the majority of participants who want to enjoy the tracks at their own pace.

It’s all about family in this race. The Sun Kids 4km is also well supported and it’s not unusual to find parents and teenagers running the 10km together, followed by their younger siblings.

The event is a sports celebration that encourages fitness, a sense of community and the need to promote and protect the Mauritian biodiversity.

It also raises awareness on the inclusion of people suffering from intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The CEIL Ferney Trail is a family affair
The CIEL Ferney Trail is a family affair

Guided By Volunteers

All proceeds go to Inclusion Mauritius (50%) and the Vallée de Ferney Conservation Trust (50%).

Beneficiaries of Inclusion Mauritius can be seen on the trail, being guided by volunteers, and this year will see a seven-year-old with myopathy being carried around the track in a specially designed chair.

This is rare at trail-running events and the sense of community visible around this group each year is something special to see.

For more information and to register by 7 August 2019, visit www.ferney.mu

Words by Debbie Hathway

 

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