On Saturday I did a very interesting run – there and back again through the Huguenot service tunnel. Of a 20km run, just less than half was in the pitch black tunnel.
We ran on tar, dirt roads, single-track, drainage canals, and of course through the tunnel.
It was a most excellent adventure!
At the entrance to the tunnel
Running under the N1 freeway
Exiting the tunnel
The Muizenberg mountain with one of the small rivers in the foreground, shot from somewhere in Kirstenhof on a morning run.
Here are two pictures of St James beach. The first when the air was completely still, and the second just before the rain.
In the sun
In the rain
The Grape run will be on October 18.. It is an amazing but tough 21km trail run, and a rare opportunity to run through the Constantia Vineyards (there is also a milder 14k and 5k race). I have completed the past 2 runs, but I will miss this year because I will be on holiday in Greece, which I think is a pretty good excuse!
The view from the top
If you are a runner it is an amazing run to do. Groot Constantia (the oldest wine farm in South Africa) even have wine at the water tables!
Me and my friend Steve having a refreshment at the “water” table – trail running is hard work
Firstly don’t forget about the giveaway – a free signed Beatles print worth over R280 to a randomly selected commenter.
A few days ago I posted about the Persona Art Project, creating interesting art from bathroom signs.
They kindly offered to create me my own persona, so I sent them a few pictures of me finishing a marathon, and they did! Have a look at what they created. I am surprised at how good the caricature of me is, even down to the artwork of my dragon tattoo, and the iPod shuffle that I was listening to. Ok so the race number is different, but that is the number that I was wearing on another of the pictures. Here is the source pic for comparison.
Anyway, they now have a Kickstarter campaign running, including some cool stuff for participating, including
Check it out and please support it if you can (I have bought one of the packs myself). I think that anything so creative and original deserves some backing.
And don’t forget to leave a comment to maybe win the print.
I did a crazy race last Sunday. It was (in theory) an easy 16k run, but in practise it was mad. We climbed to the very top of Cape Point vineyards – a climb of over 200m in just 2km. Then we ran on tar, gravel, fields and soft sand. The only thing we didn’t do to make it a real adventure was a river crossing!
Climbing the hill
Anyway despite the climb, it was good training and an awesome run. The view from the top of Cape Point vineyards was amazing.
View from the top
This is what trail running is all about in Cape Town; this was shot on this afternoon’s run on the contour path just past Skeleton Gorge (Window Gorge?).
Today was the Annual Slave run in Cape Town. Like many old cities, we have a sad history of many slaves that were a large part of building our city, but who are seldom remembered. To commemorate this, there is an annual run and walk through the city centre which passes many historical building remembering slavery. The route started with the firing of cannon from the castle, a run through the castle and past the old slave lodge (which is now a museum).
I ran the 10km run (there is also a 21km run, a 10km walk, and a 5km walk, so something for everyone), and I finished in a very respectable time of 1h03.
I took that shot of my medal at the finish line, with the Cape Town City Hall in the background (it really is a single shot, not multiple shots merged later).
I have now completed three trail runs over the past month. The last one was the Helderberg Mountain Challenge yesterday. Trail running is far more crazy than road running. Sometimes you run on a gravel road, sometimes on a thin mountain path, and quite often you are climbing up a river bed, looking for the next contour.
A 10km run usually takes me just over an hour, but on this trail it took 1:40; it is a much more difficult route. You have to take all your own water with you, and on the longer runs you need to carry space blankets and first aid kits. In total we went up 600m, and of course down another 600m.
I didn’t take my camera with me, but I did have my trusty phone, this shot is a panorama shot of the Somerset West vineyards, heading towards the Strand on the right.
Until I started trail running, I thought I was pretty fit (I can run a 21km half marathon without too much difficulty), but after going on two trail runs, I have realised that I am going to need a whole different level of fitness to keep this up.
The group that I have joined start running every Saturday morning around 7am. It means getting up really early on the weekends, but the views on the mountain make it so worth the early start.
On my weekend run, I even tried to fly, but alas did not manage to miss the ground, so a couple of bruised knees and sore left ankle later I completed the 15km route. Note that this was 15km up and down a mountain, not 15km on the level.
I took my happy snappy camera on the last run, so here is just a taste of the experience.
Lion’s Head (left) and Signal Hill (right). Notice how it looks like a lion lying on the ground, hence the name.
Running along Table Mountain, yes those little dots are us
Running towards the Cable Car. The building on the bottom is the lower cable station, and you can see the cable car in the middle. Lion’s head is in the distance.
Cable Cars. Although it was a lovely day, it was still quite misty, here you can see the cables going up into the mist on the top of the mountain. If you come to Cape Town, you must take a trip to the top of the mountain, it is truly magnificent.
So am I hooked on Trail Running? Absolutely, see you on the mountain.
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