Coach Dion: HBTC 2014

So it was Hout Bay this weekend and I found myself on the start line... Now I know I should really have spent the morning in bed, but...

Was a little injury and a cold... going to do to stop me!!! (being unfit and fat was the least of my problems)

That said I wasn't racing and as we started I found myself setting off with one of the ladies!!!

A rose among the thorns

Leg 1: I would have loved to run the whole race with her, but after the first short-cut, once we were back on the road, I pulled away up the mountain. After about 1.5km you leave the roads and hit the trails. Last year I was setting the pace this year I just sat behind a group of guys watching my HR I didn't want it to go over 160 on that first leg. (It did, but when I saw it I slowed.)

The climb up isn't a clearly marked trail with lots of little paths leading to nowhere so one can lose time if you take a wrong turn. We didn't take the best route but walking the steep bits were good for me. At the top we do a little out and back loop to check point 1 and it was good to see the leaders fighting it out, I was in about 15th place.

On the way down I kepted having to step aside the let the guys pass me. Candyce was the only lady to catch me and she was in a relay team so my ego wasn't taking to much of a beating! I was very slow climbing down the mountain, but better safe than sorry, as I heard later that one guy wasn't safe and did his ankle in and had to call it a day! I closed up to Candyce again as we climbed the 2nd bump of leg 1... We finish leg 1 in 87 min her team shot off while I had to wash mud, from the bushes, out of my eyes. I had run the last km with one eye close.

Kane, the race winner climbing up Llandudno corner!

Leg 2 started with the loop round Suikerbossie before the climb up Llandudno corner. I have a split I time up there and while I was walking most of the up I was walking faster than the guys ahead of me... I must have past 7-10 people on that climb!!! One of them was Derrick, my friend and competition for the 40+ guys! Taking my time at the top I noted that I had made good time!

With the climb behind us it's along the 12 Apostle (back table) to the turning at the dams. I just set an easy pace and slowly closed in on another couple of guys. Nic was having problems and that moved me into 1st 40+ what a bonus!!!

I could talk about the weather but it wasn't that bad it was holding. Yes the paths were wet but nothing like last year, and the rain was holding off. I caught Damian and went past... he then caught me on a little down hill. Oh to be young and injury free! We yo-yoed with me pulling ahead on the ups and Damian catching me on the downs.

When we hit the dams and ran the service road together till the single track to Nursery, I tried to drop him on the climb, but it wasn't all climb!!! I could only watch as he danced down the rocks while I clambered over them like an old man (wait I am an old man!) Another guy past me and I watched as they hit the service road down and off the mountain. I took a 70 sec time split as they turned taking the short cut on the single track. I stayed on the road and pulled back 5 sec instead of loosing time!

1h59:23 for leg 2. Dawn was at the Nek to meet me. With 3h27 of running done I had one leg to go.

Leg 3: I've never run this leg well and with only 4 weeks of run easy under the belt Vlakenberg was going to bite. Even with my long stop to chat to Dawn I caught Damian on the first climb. Not wanting to let him back into our little contest I pushed on, but running (if you can call what we were doing running) the short flat didn't work! My left ADDUCTOR cramped a bit! Lucky it was only a bit and I could walk it out. I would have to be careful!

The single track kicked up again and I was power walking with the best of them over the top.

DOWN

oh dear this wasn't good for me and with the adductors still thinking about cramp I wasn't going to be a hero!

Now only the climb up the Constantiaberg and the manganese mines lay ahead. It wasn't going to be easy as the Cape of Storms was now living up to her name as the heavens opened and the rain joined the wind I had been fighting for the last 4 hours!

As much as I love running on the mountain it was getting a bit much and Damian past me leaving me to eat chocolates and soldier on alone.

It felt like the turn of Mother Earth was against me and I was running on a giant treadmill getting nowhere! Finally the climb down started and with the fort on Chappies now in sight leg 3 was mine for the beating! It was nice to saw Dawn in the car cheering me on as I clipped the last check point and headed for the beach.

stopping to say Hi the Dawn, who was in the car out of the rain!

Not a day for swimming!

5h00:00 I was finished in more ways than one 38.4km with 2000m climb had been hard work for this sick, injured, fat, old man... but I had come home in 10th place claiming the first 40+ prise!!!