Hakeem Smith & Lovemo Nyaude | Trail Taxi Trail Heroes 

Short Documentary for Cape Town Trail Marathon

Running and hiking in the mountains is a privilege. Utilising these natural spaces represents a true luxury. Despite the outdoors being ostensibly accessible to all, there still exist significant barriers to entry. Factors such as having the necessary time, means of transportation, and resources are all pivotal in enabling individuals to relish the great outdoors.

Hakeem and Lovemo are a part of Trail Taxi initiative, where they work as Trail Heros to help increase accessibility to the mountains and outdoor spaces for children in under-serviced and peri-urban areas.

They share their story of finding their way to the start-line of trail racing – walking us through the hurdles they overcame and mountains they climbed to arrive where they are today. Their journey to their race-start-lines serves to inspire the kids that they mentor through the Trail Taxi program.

The bond between Hakeem and Lovemo is unique, forged through their shared determination to overcome personal hardships, their achievements in trail racing, and their profound love for the sport.

As Trail Heroes, Hakeem and Lovemo are “using the power of natural spaces to uplift and empower the youth,” and their efforts serve as testament to their actions in this short documentary. 

Trail Taxi was started in 2021 as a collaboration between Helderberg Trail Running Crew and Toni McCann. Supported by Faces.