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?).
This is one of the things that I love about loving in Cape Town. You can goto Tokai forst, and find runners, cyclists and horse riders all sharing the same area (and genrerally getting on with each other).
Today I found all three on the same day.
Horse riders
Runners
Mountain biker
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.
Today was the Two Oceans Marathon, a 56m race around the Cape Peninsula. It has been running since 1970 (when there were only 26 entries), and now there are just under 11000 entries.
Now, while I am crazy enough to race around Cape Town on my bicycle, I am not crazy enough to run the marathon*. However, I was more than happy to take some photos.
Meditation
Happy to see you too
Keeping the stride
The Sangoma
* Update (2015) – yes I apparently am crazy enough to run around the peninsula
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