It was three days before the inaugural Southern Storm Duathlon event held in the Garden Route area. There was an electric silence before the storm. I was sad not to be going to participate, but you can't do all the events you want to... or so I thought... That was until Alec told me that he was still injured and has not found anyone to take over his entry. He was looking for anyone to do the event in his place.
I did say it was three days before the event.. but with an offer like that and no running training for months... (been paddling instead :-) .. I would be crazy to do it and but even more crazy not to.. Knowing how much I love the Garden route, Thursia told me to go for it, make it happen.. so after chatting with Lauren (Lobbs) and Jacques
(Mummy) to get some of the logistic plans... I found myself in the plane.. checking out the stunning vistas as we were coming into land at George airport. I met a few MTB'rs like Bennie Bester from Singletrack Cycle shop and some other MTB'rs all on their way to participate in the Karoo2Coast Mtb event. Interesting I noted was they didn't use bike boxes, they simply aligned the handle bars with the bike and slightly deflated their tyres and handed their R30k+ bikes to the packing crew... and all bikes appeared to still be in working order on the otherside... apparently the reasoning is that if they see it is a bike then they take care not to damage it... interesting approach.... although apparently not all airlines support this method.
Magnetic South are world class event organisers!!! How else would a person be able to plug in to the 6-day event on the fly with out any hassles. They arranged for a shuttle from the airport and in the bus I hooked up with Louis van der Wald who would become my tent buddy for the event. Tania, Ingo, David Labuschagne and his partner were all chatting about how amazing the area is. Coming from a GP winter.. you really appreciate all the greenery and you try not to let your jaw drop when looking at the mountains... and talk about rubber necking when the road passes next to the ocean.. WOW this is Adventure heaven. We also met the Wettons from JHB, they heard about this event after trying some Donkey pass trail run that they rated as an extreme experiece... hmm I never got to ask for a comparison after the storm, but they all finished strongly.
Day 1
Check In and 4km TimeTrial
We pulled into the Natures Valley “De Vasselot” campsite and were greeted by the calls of fish eagles in the distance. There was quite a buzz, but the registration process was efficiently co-ordinated. Register, collect goody bag. Get assigned to one of the four NOMAD Overlanders, get photo taken and go pick your tent (home for the next few nights).
The NOMAD overlander crew setup the tents and got meals going. This was a new experience for them to cater for athletes but it really worked very well. The campsites were in between the tranquil trees and birds called from
all around at the buzz.. they could sense the adrenalin as the Storm had arrived.
The 4km timetrial started on the main beach at natures valley. You could start at anytime especially because of the interesting timing system. Dibbers.. a small electronic token was used to log your time at different (dibbing) check points (CP) along the routes. There would be a few of these CP's on the route to ensure that the intended route was used to complete each leg.
So after a chat with organiser John Collins at the start, we dibbed and started off on the four kilometer timetrial route... first there was about 200m along the beach and then we were routed into the dune forest on a trail that just seem to climb and climb and climb... my lungs... not used to all the fresh air, started weezing and I walked
quite a bit... Lobbs and I ran together and it was fun recalling the old team Kreature.co.za days.
We eventually reached the top and descended into the Salt River Valley.. stunning..the tide was coming in so we got our shoes wet before we scuttled up the next bank.. spotted mummy and he was
cooking. The last kilometer, heading back along the hectic rocky shoreline got interesting, waves breaking and marshals giving you the go ahead so you should not get soaking dunked while scurrying across the rocks.
The route was awesome and was a great sample of what the next days otter trail marathon would be like.
I finished the time trial in just over 27minutes which placed me about 100th of 200 for the seeding. So Mummy and I and another chap Alec from PE went for a beer at the local shop.
That night we rested well to the serenade of owls and night creatures.
Day 2 The African Otter Trail Run.
The four Overlanders pulled into Storms river mouth just 30 or so minutes before the start of the first ever marathon on the most iconic and legendary coastline trail of the country. Knowing the privilege of
what we were about to embark on.. you could just sense the awe and anticipation in the crowd. We took some pics and then in batches of four runners were started in 20 second intervals.. and just like that
we began.. a short 200m bit of road before we got onto the trail and your mind gets blown by the absolute beauty. Huge waves pounding the rocks to your left would become your companion for the day and single
track through lush green trees just part of the magical diet, feeding your soul.
I started off at an easy pace, not sure how to really pace the day.. especially since not having run much.. then we hit some technical rocky bits and that was just what I needed.. takes your mind off everything else and gets you to focus on the now... I love technical bits like these and as I danced, skipped and leaped from one rock to
another I noticed that a lot of other folk were taking it a lot easier on the rocks. I say howzit to Doc (Eugene) who was wiggling between rocks with his hiking poles. He said the poles really helped him a lot especially on the steep hill climbs.
Darting through the most amazing footpaths I was amazed to see the first hiking hut in 40mins and the trail seemed to just fly past with such beauty all around that your mind never really got to think about getting tired. There was only a few parts were I caught up to groups and passed people but for the rest, I was often alone on the trail. My mind in a zone of absolute appreciation, awe and enjoyment. I was listening carefully to my body on when to ease up or open up the pace.
Some of the climbs were really steep and there was often no choice for me but to hike them out. I arrived at hiking hut 2 just behind Tatum of McCains fame. I knew this was odd as she is normally way ahead of folks like me.. but it apparently she was nursing a previous injury which would later cause her to withdraw from the event. There were some stunning river crossings and eventually I waded across the rocky Lottering river and got to the Munchie GU point and while sitting there munching on an awesome muffin, I saw MTB endurance legend Hanlie Booyens arrive and then just zoot on.. hmm .. then I knew I had probably gone too hard the first bit.. and would pay for it
later.. it was still gonna be a long day.. and along that long 14km slog towards the infamous Bloukrans river crossing I had to pass through a tough mental storm... first my dodgey ankle started complaining... then my ITB tendons on both knees were feeling very tendor... so much for that only increase you running mileage by 10% a
week.. For the next hour, things were pretty tough, however as we have all learned from adventure racing.. everyone goes through a tough stage on a race.. just hang in there and keep moving..(this is the part where
you stop listening to your body) and eventually you pass through the storm and feel good again. And just in time to descend into the Bloukrans valley for the river crossing. I did not hesitate and dove
into the water. The Swim was rejuvenating and there was this happy feeling that the worst was over and that it gets easier from here. I noticed Jan Heenop (Eden Challenge) on the run and thought its great
to see other AR organisers participating in events. Saw some of the D4 production camera folks popping out of the most remote spots.. man I can't wait to see the film production. It is going so be so amazing.
After the steep climb up from last hiking hut I stopped to munch some crisps and thought that now it would get easier as the trail flattens out a bit. Almost home.. but the fuel light had been on for some time and I battled more on the flats than on the rest of the trail. One of the chaps laughed and said all that and we will probably walk the last 5km.. he also got my mind off things by pointing out a whale veryclose by. You look down these amazing 100m cliffs dropping right into the ocean and there is this huge whale, so close that you can hear his blowing... jaw dropper .. wow moment. That was part of the thing about the trail, no matter how tired you get, there is always mind blowing beauty around you to keep your spirit soaring.
After some shuffling and walking I get passed by loads of runners but atlast we drop down onto the stunning beach at natures valley.. I check my running time.. 6hrs46.. I can still make it under 7 hours.. a marshall directs us for another 2,5km down a jeep track on the east side of the huge lagoon and then the trail drops off into the water..
what now? I say as I wade waste deep.. run across the pontoon.. they say.. the pontoon is made of wooden pallets that barely float.. which I discovered as I stood on one and sank right down to my waste again... “You got to run fast to make it across!” they yelled... you wanna WHAAAT? .. so with the end insight and a cheering crowd I give
it one last blast and make it to the island... then the second section of the pontoon was just too long for me so I took a swim next to it... crawled out the lagoon and dibbed in at 6:59:56... totally thrilled and trashed....that is got to be the best knackered feeling I have ever felt.
After downing loads of GU juice I zoot off to the feed zone and tried my best to replace calories. After about 3 huge boeries later I was almost feeling human again... my soul has been branded with an absolute sense of contentment and awe.
At Prizegiving we were told that Ian Don-Wachupe had won the Otter Trail Run in 4:59:02 and John Collins came in 5:01:38 Wow amazing talent. Even the legendary Nick Bester who came in 5:33:04 said, of all the marathons he has run including international events, that was the toughest.
The ladies category was won by Sue Don-Wachuppe in a brilliant time of 5:58:07
Day 3 – 8,5km Trail Run (Robberg) and 50km Cycle to Diepwalle Forest station
We said goodbye to all the folks that came just for the Otter Trail run and the Southern Storm athletes got up the next morning for Day 3. The AR shuffle was evident throughout the camp. But what do youexpect.. how is this for a comparison elavation gain for the tough Sabie 101km Classic Mtb was 2300m.... The elevation gain for the 42km Otter Trail Run was 2100m. Eish bru.. Everyone that participated are now legends in their own right, these are the stories you can proudly tell for a long time... but the story for us stormers was not over....
Mark Collins told us later that as he watched us all painfully hobbling around in the start, while we assembled our bikes, he had to try and put on a brave face. No one has hosted a multi day Duathlon event before...He was thinking that there was just no way this was going to work. We bunched in behind the start banners and as the gun went off, and he was thoroughly relieved to see everyone bolt out of there like no tomorrow.. and then he knew, this was definitely going to WORK. I hung onto the leading bunch for a while, ok so maybe 500m... :-) thinking
keep this easy till the legs warm up.. we scuttled down stairs and across some very soft sand as the trail led you across the Robberg point nature reserve. Louis came past me here looking as fresh as the breeze. Beautiful smooth seas at Plettenberg.. My pace slowed down a lot, the aches and pains were not going away..There was some grunting and funny noises which I was happy to confess was not me but rather the families of seals on the rocks below. There was a rather off smell too, which I am also happy to confess was not me, as it also belonged
to the seals. I shuffled and kept telling myself, its only 8,5km... We reach the outer point (300degrees of glorius ocean view) and I was shocked to see the only remains of the fisherman hut that was washed away by a huge wave. (Thursia and I have had the privilege of spending a new years there with turbo dwarf and super G a few years ago).. what was once a real cosy hut which stood for decades was now just a small
pile of rocks. Apparently the area has twice this past year, experienced waves bigger than ever recorded in the last 70 years. Anyway around the point, some tourists just smile and wave at us crazies.. there was a nice fresh sea breeze blowing to cool the engines. Some steep climbs and eventually a flat section along a
beach... folks were passing me easily but I didn't care too much.. bring on the bikes...
Wow.. what a feeling of freedom to the legs.. I felt good and decided it was payback time and cruised through the Harkerville forest trails.. I was able to pass quite a few riders while chasing another rider in blue and white who just seem to manage to keep about 200m ahead of me..it was only after about 25km that I passed him on a technical climb... there was a nice but short singletrack leading you under a bridge (N2) and then out the other side past some farms, it was back into some of the most beautiful forest I have ever ridden in. The trail was wide with a smooth gentle climb and while you cranked the pedals you could scout the vegetation for signs of legend
“Oupoot”. It was unbelievable and dense. We popped out onto a main dirt road leading up to Diepwalle forest station.. it was about 7km of climbing and although I was giving it everything, yet my friend, the
rider in blue and white behind me that just keep getting closer and closer.. He passed me just as we came towards the end and as the road looped back for the finish I shocked him by getting out of the seat for a sprint finish.. he was not amused but laughed a lot about it later. He beat me to the finish and it turns out it was Pieter de
Bruyn from P.E. (nickname Pieterman) He actually came for a D&D ride way back in 2005.. hehehe he felt bad as he confessed I had borrowed him lights which he had not returned :-) What a small world hey. Some clouds moved in and turned it into a misty, wet world... Now this is why I think this Dualthlon stuff is far easier and mellow
vs Adventure Racing... you could guzzle down mega food, shower, freshen up, catch a nap, relax and wait till tomorrow for the next leg.. The cold rain against the tents hushed everyone of into dreams
of wild oceans and forests.
Day 4 - 6.8km Elephant trail run 60Km Bike.
It had stopped raining, but was still overcast and cool. There was a sombre vibe around until we started. Some of the big differences about having trained or not is recovery time.. now 2 days after the Otter, my legs were trashed.. the Elephant trailrun started with about a 1km long downhill, the tearing pain in my quads and calves was just too intense and I was forced to walk. Some old grey bali.. didn't get his name had some comical chirps as his bunch came past me.. eventually I was right at the back.. the pain was nauseating.. you know the saying that cowboys don't cry.. well what happens deep in those forests, stays in the forest... that is until those camera men pop out from behind those giant ferns you have to quickly put that cowboy hat back
on :-) The uphills were a little easier.. and at some river crossing I really thought I might see that little girl with long untidy blonde hair pop out of the bushes with that bloke shouting “MEISIEKIND!”
As I hobbled into transition, there were not a lot of bikes left..... 60km is not really a big enough cycle to make much of a difference.. but after been woken up by that painful unglamorous shuffle.. the
tiger in me was very awake.. and he was hungry... Screeched down some wicked twisty downhills with tight zooting bends and then the climbs began.. it was time to get it of and I held nothing back... Although not having anyone to pace with, it is very inspiring and good for the mind to be passing people the whole day. I rode with Ina and Deon (Sterling) and bit and met up with mummy who had been pacing himself nicely. We did some wicked loose high speed downhills that got your adrenalin pumping.. and then there was a nice climb out of the Knysna valley. Right at the top I met Doc just before the water table. He was going to ride with me but decide to hold
back.. We went close to the top of some amazing mountains and the views of green forests, ocean, blue skies and nature were so inspiring. I found the route fairly tough, and looking at the surrounding mountains, they could have certainly made it tougher if they wanted to. Mark later said that it is one thing to host an event referred to as
the Toughest, but that was not their goal, they wanted us to see the beauty of the Nature Parks in the area and they were showing us the cream of the crop. I really felt they had got the recipe right to
achieve this. There was an amazing single track section where we rocketed down through the indigenous Homtini forests at mean speeds.. I did hope that no wildlife stepped out into the path cos that woulda been
….whhham... but luckily all I had to watch was the branches and trees we zooted past. Took a daring glance at my speed, 51km/h.. then swung left and ducked for a low branch. While crossing some really bumpy farmers field a met up with Louis and the finish was right there at the amazing Portland Manor lodge. Beers were drunk at the legendary pub and some folks traded their tents in for some of the upmarket rooms.
Day 5 - 65km MTB to Buffalo bay and 4,2km dune run.
The start of the MTB leg had a prelude of an 8km neutral zone as we headed into the forestry road. And then it was go, go, go... into a hair raising adrenalin pumping downhill where there were great fears for a group wipe out but luckily none.. a nice long steep climb out the other side really split up the group nicely. I was definitely not as strong as the day before, but I was not going down without a fight.. we entered some forestry areas where there were specific no cycling boards up that once again reminded me of the privilege to participate in this event. I chased down some riders ahead of me and in some cases we really tested our breaks and handling on some of the sharp corners on the downhills. I was still ok on the climbs and gave it some stick as this was gonna be a short day.. I got onto the 8km tar road sections and with the wind blasting from the front, I was not happy that I was alone.. the next riders where about 500m ahead... I cranked on as hard as I could.. the wind was relentless and I was burning a lot of amps... and then whoosh this 4 rider bunch passes me, I give it stick and hop on.. Tim Deane cranking a pace in front, with Alec from PE and another bloke all taking brief turns to work in front. I took a turn but could not hold the pace for longer than about 2 minutes. At last we got off the dirt road, there was a water table. I greeted and thanked the guys as they stopped and I carried on past... rode a bit with Louis and we got to some character testing soft sandy sections that really sucked your wheel and energy up... we tried all sorts of options and eventually resorted to pushing...on a downhill section it felt like the sand has made my chain very dry and I stop to lube. Louis and Tim carry on with only about 15km left.. As I get going again and get some momentum, I run through the gears and thats when I heard that fear filling sound just before a rear derailur hooks into the spokes.... it jams the back wheel and I make a 10m skid before the bike stops... now I have been trying to improve my vocabulary to more delightful words that the Neanderthal four letter type.. but as I looked at the mess of my rear derailur ripped off and twisted in the spokes... Oh !*#@ was the most direct and fitting summary of the
situation.
After a further assessment the score was 1 broken spoke, a few bent spokes. 1 ripped hanger. 1 twisted derailur, 1 twisted chain... So with my trusty chain breaker and 2 spare gold links I got to work.. there were many concerned riders passing all looking very worried thinking I had crashed out... removed derailur, broke out twisted links of chain....and after sometime I had morphed into the singlespeed category... eish boeta.. it is not worth all the hype the blokes make it out to be.. so I crank my way along the remainder of the route... we had an interesting portage section over a disused railway bridge which crossed over some river.. eventually got on the tar road leading towards buffalo bay.. the relentless headwind still on.. two riders pass me and the one says hop into our slip.. I try to keep up, legs spinning like a hummingbird... and then we hit a short climb.. they gear down and I am forced to stand.. “you quite strong on the climbs” the one guy notes as I end up passing them.. “yeah well, I don't really have a choice..” They dropped me on the last flats into buffalo bay.. I reckoned well.. may have had some bad luck, but I am not going down without a fight (this is good to keep the focus up!)... as I pull into the transition I park my bike and clock out, scoring the fastest transition time for the day (16 seconds) hehehe and run the trail in full cycling kit... I took off my shoes along the 2km or so beach and as the trail headed off into the dune forests I was
fortunate that it was barefoot friendly (for my doekvoeta).. I had those two guys that had past me towards the end of the cycle right on my heals which kept me pushing to stay ahead of them all the way..it was a nice yet twisty trail.. hehehe must have looked funny me running with my helmet on and shoes in my hand :-) .. boy was I happy to get
to the finish banner along the beach.
I show Mark my single speed conversion and inquire about the last days MTB leg... “It's only 45km and the profile shows a lot of downhill.” I smile and Mark's smile disappears too quickly... he recommends I get it fixed if I want to enjoy the last day. I chat to Pieterman and it looks like he also had a rough day. He had taken a highspeed crash and the cameramen were getting him to flash his raw hip and elbow... eina man, that looked so sore.
Trevor from Action Cycles was the race Bike Mechanic.. I show him my limping metal steed and see him go into contemplation about what could be done to save her. He didn't have a Mongoose hanger and so he said he would take my bike with him that night to his shop and see for one there. He promised to have my bike at the start of the next days MTB leg. I looked at all the other bikes there that they were busy with and thought bliksem. I will really be impressed if he is able to get to my bike and get any sleep.
The campsite at Buffalo bay is stunning, overlooking the beach...except for the days relentless galeforce wind... luckily our rugged tents were strong enough to withstand it.
Day 6
Run 13km Goukamma reserve,
Bike 35km – run 6,5km Dune Mole rat – bike 12km Run 4,5km Pied
Kingfisher -FINISH
We slept well that night, the wind eventually died down and left only the sound of the waves breaking on the rocks right next to the campsite. The sun emerged there were the ocean met the sky and inspired the start for what was to be the last day of this amazing journey through the garden route.
There was quite a lot on the agenda for this final day of the 6day event. This was going to be a make or break day and it was interesting the amount of shuffling would occur in the close midfield positions.
So for the first day since the Otter trail run, I was feeling good enough to actually run... The first leg was about 13km through the incredible Goukamma reserve. We started with about 2km along the beach, the huge chopper flying over and disappearing in the sea spray mist ahead was such an amazing sight as we ran next to the waters edge. This morning I had the privilege of running alongside endurance sport legend Nic Bester for a while.. his smooth and strong pace as we cruised along very inspiring, of course when the sand got soft as we
headed inland, he continued with his strong smooth pace while the rest of us fell back. Along the trails in the Goukamma reserve we headed up and down amazing dunes and one had to keep ones eyes open. Not only us tall folks for low trees, but everyone was cautioned about the presence of many puff adders in the area and that conditions were such that we could expect to encounter some. Luckily there were none spotted, although a certain stick lying in a precarious way had me jolt with a sudden boost of enthusiasm. Ran a bit with Graham Bird (tweet from McCains) and Deon du Preez (Sterling) We contoured along the top of one of the high dunes, amazing view over the misty ocean on the left (some folks even saw whales again) and on the right, more densely vegetated dunes. In fact, one monster of a dune that we all knew we would be summiting. It took me 1,5 hours to complete the 13km route and after everyone had finished the run we all hopped in the Overlanders, they truly showed their overlanding abilities going 4x4 on a rather rugged road with some real soft sand patches. Had the pleasure of meeting Paul Wolff, the guy the hosts the SA's Ironman event. Inspiring to hear what had begun as an idea over a few beers with a mate, now was a quite a business with a number of permanent jobs created.
We got to the top, or so we thought, of some mountain and got our bikes ready for the last stages of the Southern Storm. Trevor handed me my bike. He did not have my particular dropout, so they made one for me. How unbelievable was that. He also fixed up a number of other things on the bike to the point where he had my bike in better shape than it was when I started the race. WOW man, You guys are UNREAL, that is the BEST Bike service and dedication I have ever gotton from a bike shop... and believe me, living in Centurion where there are more that six bike shops within a six km radius of our house, I have tried quite a few.
So we were promised that there weren't many uphills... except for the first 2km from the start.. but man, after so many days of racing, the muscle fatigue weighs you down like lead. Every slope feels like a monster climb.. the wind made flats feel like uphills. The Mummy who had been holding back and pacing himself passes me on a climb and pulls away looking very fresh... We get to the 6km mole rat run.. although very flat and stunning through reeds next to the lakes, felt like it would just never end. Up a short climb there was a little bench for hikers.. I am sure I was not the only one to take a breather there. Doc catches up and passes me on the downhill. He had to hurry otherwise he was going to miss his plane. I kept going as much as I could, but was pretty moeg. Back on the bikes for the 12km to Ebb and Flow and once again into a hectic headwind, I was 400m behind Doc and them and could not rope them in. In the last transition we had some spectators asking if we were moeg and if we would do it
again...Definitely yes for both questions... that last 4,5km Pied Kingfisher run was extremely tough for me, it was flat, started on railway lines which really messed with your tired mind then off into the grassy sections next to the lakes again. I just couldn't anymore and found myself walking a lot. Comon, the end is so close. I could see the valley in those green hills getting closer, that is where the end is. A fish eagle called and some Loeries in the trees.
“Just try run for five more minutes.” I heard the voice in my head say... the tank was beyond empty.. I dug deep and shuffled in to the cheering finish absolutely knackered and deeply satisfied having survived the storm.
It was awesome to see all our old and new friends finishing this event and have such a deep sense of awe and accomplishment for all the wonder we were so lucky to experience. Ian DonWauchope won the event in an overall time of 19h05m and his wife Sue won the ladies category in an overall time of 22h11m. I completed the event for a mid-field result in 25h48. At prize giving, many thanks were given to all the Sponsers and Landowners and the Magnetic South Team that put together such a fantastic, soul inspiring event. I have to say, even looking back now, that it was truly an honour to be able to participate in the event and to go and play in the most amazing and beautiful part of the country. To everyone, organisers, sponsors and racers.
Thank You it was a truly a memorable and unique experience.
