2nd To The TOP

This last weekend saw me head out to Helderberg for the Mountain Challenge, 2 years ago I was in a race against one of my athletes and ended up winning in a time just outside the record, my climb head been good that year...

I was keen to have a good run as I wasn't happy with my last trail mountain run, Jonkershoek 2 weeks ago. From the gun, which wasn't a gun but Sean counting down, some kid in Fivefingers flew down the hill, and had 50m on us as we turned onto the trails and headed for the hills or in this case The Mountains!!!

What lay ahead of us!!!

Yes we were heading to the top, I was doing the 15km race, so it was just up and down... Bernard soon gave chase and only as the hills started did I close the gap, by then Bernard was ahead! It didn't take long to drop the kid and start my chase of Bernard. I thought I was running well and when we left the gravel road of the lower slopes and started the "real" climb... I'm talking about 500m climb in just over 2km it would take me over 25min to summit from there and Bernard would be gone. I climbed well and was dancing over the rocks.
I thought I was moving fast, but the clock doesn't lie, I was slow loosing 3min too Bernard and almost 4 min too my fast summit!!! 3rd place was miles away.

NO I didn't take the pic, but this is the TOP

 I loved the down hill and took to it like an Old Goat, an Old Mountain Goat... I had no problems dancing down the rocky slope... Others were not that lucky!!!

Helicoptor to the rescue...

2 people were air lifted off the top!!!

I was now just running hard and enjoying the way down: Then out the corner of my eye I saw some-one catching me... fast. I held him off on the single track, but the it was down on the gravel road, and he was just to fast. I would have to settle for 3rd, no wait, he was a kid running the 11km loop!

The last stretch home

Finished, Ms 310 called it 14.5km with 880m climb, I was 2nd in a slow time of 92:09, 4:30 behind Bernard and the time I had won the race in 2 years ago, so why when I have been running so well was I so slow?

Well looking at it now the reason is easy to see, but that is a story for another week...