DOWN TO THE WIRE

Sunday saw the running of the 4th race in the Cape Summer Trail Series... With 3 races down most of the series winners were know, as with only 3 to count they had run well enough to make their mark. I had a 2nd and 2 1st, giving me 4 points, Johnny was close behind with a win and 2 2nd's... a win for Johnny today would put us even on points and it would be down to time...

I wanted the win... I didn't want to be waiting round for the organizes to add up the times from all 4 races, I don't take stress!

The start of the race was fast, too fast for a fat, slow, old, man like me and the boys flew down the gravel road.

Not our start, but the 25km start...

OK Kane was flying with 2 guys chasing hard, 1 of them was Johnny, (my 40+ competition) So I had to throw caution to the wind and and put the hammer down... Now I'm not a racing machine anymore, so I can't go out hurting from the gun! The early km were flat and easy by trail standards and the gap to Johnny and 3rd (or 1st 40+) grow till we crossed the dam at 3km.

No that's not me over striding

I took a split and was about 45sec behind, but with a couple of hills over the next 6km I had to up my game if I was to catch him.

Roger had been following my every move, but I hit the single tracks with purpose (these single tracks are on mountain bike routes on the farm Oak Valley that we were running on). Back to the race, running like a rally car using the banks to take the turns I weaved through the forest and up the little hills. 30 sec the gap was closing.

With more than 1 race on the go we were catching the 25km guys who had started a hour earlier... and the back of their field were easy pickings as I chased Johnny up the hill. 9km down and he crossed a fence and headed down 20sec I now had too see what I could do all all my hard work would be worth nothing... 3:25 and 3:27 the next 2 km were the quickest of the race. Johnny's orange vest was easy to see, but now as I was passing more and more 25km runners more and more of them had orange vests on...

Between 11km and 12km there was a short steep hill and I had no time to slow, so push I had to push. I was killing myself hammering the downs and hammering the ups, flying round the corners and through the bush to pass the 25km runners... Yes I coulds see Johnny, but I just couldn't catch him.

33sec, did Johnny have a big enough gap to take the title...

No the title was mine :) I had beaten Johnny by enough in the hills of Tygerberg. It had been a hard fought battle, but fun, don't tell anyone, but I do like racing!