SOUTHERN CROSS DAY 3

After 2 hard days of racing my legs (quads) were shattered, and to help with recovery I headed for the beach for a little swim:

the water was great

But would it help?

Day 3

Another early morning saw us drive down to George and head for the coast, I know this leg was call the beach run, but this was no beach run, it was a coastal run...

ready to go

So where did we go...

very steep down hill

This was the first and only paved / tarred stretch we were to run on the whole weekend and it didn't last long, a couple of 100m then a sharp right hand turn into bush!!! something like the bush on the side of that path... a few pretenders took off down the hill, my toe was still sore from the day before and my legs, well I don't know who I get down that first hill, in fact I wasn't the only one struggling half the field was...

We weaved through the bush and slowly the 3 top teams pushed to the front and hit the farm road together...
Eddie and I were hoping the boys from 'Gauteng trail Speed Stars' would fall to pieces after 2 hard days of running, I knew the other 2 would held it together. (I've run with Will for years and Nic is strong and training for Comrades). But again they slowly pulled ahead and so did 'Batman & Robin'son', leaving us in 3rd.
The running was easy and again Eddie set the pace as we flew through some estate or something, then... Into the bush and jungle!!! There's a marking, down into the dark forest, and there's a marking (the route was marked with neon orange ribbon) but not path!!!!

Do we go up, do we go down, do we go right... Forest / Jungle everywhere and not a path in sight!!! the 4th and 5th teams caught us Nicholas finally said this way guys on off we went 3 teams together (1min lost) 300m further on Nicholas lost to path (OK there wasn't a path to loose!) I then found it and took the lead (another 20-30sec lost). It was exciting but our race for 2nd (or 1st) was left in the forest!!! we were now in a race for 3rd... Slowly I the pace I was setting for the climb though the coast forest was getting to the other teams, Eddie was still with me and we pushed on out of the forest and through a meadow. The cows where far off, but you had to watch your footing!!! Wait for it to enter and exit this meadow we had to climb through a barbed wire fence... That was a laugh a minute as I couldn't bend anymore and was getting hooked up and the longer I stayed bend the more lightly I was going to cramp!!!

We made it through and headed off to the 'cliffs', and a single track through the 'fynbos' at the top started to take us back to the finish. Yes all road lead to Rome, but this was no road and Rome (the finish) had to be reached by foot... I was in the lead and we turn down, yes down... not left or right (I did say we were on a cliff Mr Garmin called it 100m altitude). I was running to fast and couldn't make the turn running into the bush!!! Eddie had time to slow as we made the last turn to the BEACH and wait for it 'Batman & Robin'son' were on the beach just 15 sec ahead of us, The race was on, was there enough of the race left to catch and pass them...

Down the last of the rocks and onto the beach, only one foot, back on the rocks, over a couple of boulders and up. They were gone, but maybe we could catch them on the climb. This was a power walk climb and I was counting down the altitude, or should that read counting up... anyway 100m is what we wanted. Why was there a 'T' junction at the top with no marker? we went left... met a house and turned back (another 60sec wasted).

It wasn't far from the finish across another field through a fence, a short loop through 1 last forest, one last scare, Eddie rolled his ankle... it was OK.

We saw Dawn and that could only mean one thing, the race was almost over and the ladies were there to greet us.

3rd team

It was a great run and we had raced hard and taken 3rd... maybe next year we'll be back to climb higher up the podium...