We
arrived in Cape Town almost a week before the race to do some sightseeing and
soak up the atmosphere. It was absolutely fantastic! We saw wildlife, toured
wineries, and gazed at the end of the continent. I won’t pretend I got much
running in, but I did a lot of walking and early mornings.
Race
day was so exciting! The runners at the start sang popular folk songs and they
took cell phone pictures in the dark. The vast majority of runners were South
African, yet they were just as excited to be there as I was. Finally, they
whole group fell silent before belting out their national anthem. I have been
brought to tears many times at race starts from singing my own national anthem,
(yes, I am a patriotic mush,) but it was no less moving to hear the South
Africans raise their voices in song. If anything, it was more powerful knowing
their own freedom is so recently won!
I
always hang back at the start of a race because warming up is very important with my rheumatoid arthritis. Knowing I would be finishing close to the end of
the time limit, I kept an eye on how many runners were behind me. At first,
there were not many and I was spooked into picking up my pace, but within a
couple of miles I made myself relax and ran the pace I had planned.
The
first 18 miles were kind of a blur. We ran through cities and farms, waving at
spectators, and getting our early miles in at a brisk pace. There was an
occasional slight incline or decline, but no hint of the hills that lie ahead.
One of
the really fun things about this race were the bibs. Each runner had one in the
front and on the back. Along with the number were the runners first name, how
many times they had completed the race before, (half or full), and if they were
over 30, their age group. I don’t think I have ever been in the company of so
many 40 year olds at once, LOL.
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| This was Johns 29th ultra run! |
I did
meet a barefoot runner on the course. He was from Amsterdam and this was his
first time going over 50k barefoot. I was a little worried about him when we
hit a patch of older pavement. He seemed to have a hard time with it, but I saw
him again many times on the course and that seemed to be the only time he
struggled.
The
water packets were a bit of a surprise. When I heard the description of them, I
thought they would be like the ones I have seen in England, but these were much
smaller and simpler. Each one had about 2 ounces of water in it and the bag had
no designated opening. To get the water out, you had to rip into it with your
teeth and hope that, in the process, you did not lose most of the water. I
did not mind getting covered in half a baggie of water when I blew it opening
the bag. I did not even mind all that much when a runner next to me would squirt
half of it on me opening his own bag, or even when someone stepped on a full one and
it sprayed 3 or 4 runners since it was hot and the water was generally cool and
refreshing. The baggies of Powerade were another story. That stuff made
everything it got near sticky!
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| Water baggies |
We dipped down and made our pass along the
Indian Ocean enjoying a cool breeze off the water and watching the beach goers relaxing in the autumn weather. It was lovely and I was enjoying myself while
keeping an eye on my pace. Up to that point I was exactly on track. To finish
the race before the course closed, 7 hours after the gun, I needed to maintain a
12 mpm average across the whole race. Giving myself 11 mpm in the first half
and 13 for the hilly second half was shaping up to be a good plan.
Despite the water shortage,
Chapman’s Peak was absolutely breathtaking! The views of the ocean were
amazing. There were even bands and supporters far up the mountain who had to
have hiked there on their own. One lady was standing in the brush on the side
of the road playing the violin for us! We had lots of time to enjoy the view
since everyone around me was reduced to a walk. No matter, we had made good
time to the hill, we could take our time going up.
After Chapman’s peak we picked up
the pace back down to the Atlantic Ocean. A short bit of flat was a reprieve
before the next climb up Constantia neck. The population of spectators was
really picking up. People were cheering, kids were running along collecting the
foam visors we had been given in our swag bags and they were thrilled when I
stopped for a picture. It was turning into a real party atmosphere just when we
needed it the most. There was lots of music, live and recorded, and drink stops
were coming about one per mile. Constantia neck was much more wooded so we had
wonderful shade to go with the great entertainment. Finally, we crested the top with great
fanfare before heading down. Other than one short uphill bit, it was all downhill
to the finish.
The day after the race we took the
cable car up Table Mountain. It was a gorgeous day and the light hiking around
the top washed away the soreness from the previous day. I felt so calm and
thrilled at the same time. I had a new love for South Africa, its people, its
history, and its great strength. I can’t wait to go back!
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| From the top of Table Mountain with Robben Island in the background |
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| I asked to take her pictures, she said, "Only if you are in it with me," and then hugged me tight :-) |
