SURFERS MARATHON EAST LONDON 13 FEBRUARY 2010

SURFERS 18KAY MARATHON
EAST LONDON
SATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2010


I had to be home in Port Elizabeth by 09.30 as we were leaving for East London to run the Surfer's Marathon. Tommy Satchwell and two young ladies that I had met on a MPRG run came along: Megan Knipe who did the Iron Man in East London recently and Liezl Saunders. We left at 09.30 and had an easy drive to Kingwilliamstown where we stopped for a toilet and eats break. In East London, more by luck than anything else we found the parking area at the end of the run. Nahoon Beach. Look out for the Palm Cell Phone Tower and you are on the correct road.

Maria, work colleague, collected us and drove us out to Khwelera River Mouth. Here we met up with Dave Gassner and his merry team of men and women who had run from Port St Johns since Monday. This six day, 270kay event had started off with two very hot days of 50kays each then a 40kay and lastly two thirty kay days with the last day being a morning of 30kays and ending upw with a Grueling 18kay Surfers Marathon. This year the tide was particularly high and all of us took a lot of strain.

Ian Ross was there. He loves the adventure runs. At the start we realise that we have not done the correct Registration thing. We should have visited Mr Price Sports to collect a Chip. We should have written our race numbers with a Koki Pen on our arms and we should be wearing the Chip around our ankles. But despite all of these problems the offical lady assists us and it appears that we are going to be "registered runners"

There were very few people from PE who ran this race today. Tommy and I went to the front of the group to have a reasonably easy start. The first couple of hundred meters are narrow and the two thousand runners tend to bunch and bottle neck. We were soon having to run on rocks, boulders, soft sand and wet beaches. There was no way that we were going to have a fast or easy run today. The weather is reasonably kind to us. There is a West Wind blowing into our faces and the sky is overcast.

This is a particularly well supported run in East London. There are huge numbers of spectators both along the beach, cheering on their friends and family as well as in the village of Gonubie. The first section of the run is the hardest. There are no easy pathways and we were forced, on a number of occasions, into a single file walk. As we run over the rocky area's we hear the sound of feet falling onto the rocks. This is a particular sound that is then complimented by the sound of the Waves rolling the rocks up and then back down.

Unfortunately we are not able to look up as to do so would mean certain tripping and a fall now would not be pleasant. So on we trod watching, not the wonderful scenery, but our own ugly takkies and the beach just one meter ahead of us. As one of the "Jong Bokkies" pass us we are not able to focus on their form but have to keep our eyes oinned on the beach, rocks and boulders which is the only way we maintain our balance. By the way, when you reach my age, most of the women I meet fall into the categorie of "Jong Bokkie".

After about 45 to 60 minutes, I dont wear a watch and there are no distance marker boards on this run, we reach the Gonubie River. This afternoon the tide was pushing in and, despite the ropes and the many lifesavers, there were a number of distress call of: "please can you help me?". For myself, and I heard later, from all of our little PE group, this was a relief for us. The swim cooled us off and gave our legs a break. I swam at an easy stroke, allowing the tide to push me upstream but steadily making my way accross to the other side of the river.

Immediately after this crossing we ran into the village of Gonubie. There was a little up hill and then a down back to where the run used to enter Gonubie. I hear that the reason for this was that the authorities did not want the runners to use the boardwalk leading from the beach to Gonubie. As we ran past the Gonubie Hotel we were greeted by many people cheering and encouraging the runners. Abe CIllers (work Colleague) was there.

It was clear that there was no Water Restrictions in EL. Everywhere we ran there were hoses cooling off the runners. There was even a slippery slide which Megan and Liezl said that they used. The atmosphere is very festive. If you are trying too hard you may miss the cameraderie and enthusiasm from the crowds. I was not trying too hard at all. I was merely trying to get to the finish. My legs were extremely tired. I was feeling empty and nauseous as a result of the early moring and the tragic news that we had received from Cape Town.

The run along the tar roads of Gonubie was quite exhausting. I had worn my very oldest and most worn out takkies. This did not help as I ran through the village. I did some walking and a little jogging and finally made it to the exit out of the village and back onto the beach. Now the going is relatively easy. The beach is a little firmer and flatter. But the end seems forever. Inevitably there is mist around where the finish is located. We seem to see some cars parked but no sign of the finish. People all around are tossing their shoes away. They are fed up and complaining of weariness. One step forward is a meter closer to the finish says one may as I pass him.

The runners do not wear their Club Colours. There are no Licence numbers. Infact very little formalities. So all kinds of clothing is thrown away as the wet T-shirts become a burden and as heavy shoes, filled with water and sand, are too akward to carry on weary legs.

Finally we reach the second river crossing. As I approach the river I see that most people are walking accross pulling on the support rope. For me this is another chance to swim. I dive in and enjoy the change of activity. The lovely swim is short and we are soon back on the soft sand beach. I know that the finish banner is in site but for me to no walk takes superhuman effort. I jog my way to the finish where I am greeted by the lady who assisted me at the start. She records my name and time.

Tommy greets me and informs me that he was in about 15 minutes before me. I collect my T-shirt and make my way to the drinks tent. These T-shirts are collectors items, especially in East London. As we drove through to EL earlier on we had been talking about how we would give Tshirts away. Later on I heard Liezl saying that this was one T-Shirt that she would wear with pride.

Tommy has gone for a cool off swim. Finally Megan and Liezl arrive and I am able to go off to purchase a Boerrie Roll. The cold Drinks have run out but Tommy arrives with a cold beer. It does not even touch sides. I see Dave and Chel Gassner, Patrick who was my running partner at the wild coast event a number of years ago and Siegfried who also ran with me and who is one of the very few who have run all four of these events. There were about 23 finshers at the Wild Coast Ultra this year. They stayed in Hotels and that is one of the reasons that the first two days were so long and tough.

A friend of Megan's joins us. He ran a second place and tells us that he won the Cape Town Surfers Challenge and that he was sponsored to come to EL. Young and fit looking man. We have now recovered our composure and walk back up to the car. The car is a little further than we had thought but we are athletes and can walk an extra 50 meters! I have developed a chaffing on my legs which is quite painful. We change out of the wet stuff and head for Kingwilliamstown where we fuel up the car and buy ourselves a Wimpy Coffee which really settles us down. There are a couple of snacks, sandwiches and muffins which make the trip home more pleasant. The ride home is easy with the excitement of seeing a number of Warthog Families grazing on the side of the road just after crossing the Fish River.

We had left the finish at around 6pm, taken about 30 minutes to work through the traffic and then with the Refuelling stop in King we arrived home at around 21.30. I receive this SMS: "Hi Peter, there were 868 in front of you and you have missed out on 2.21.45 of Beer Drinking time" Probably the most original SMS'd race time I have ever received. As we had travelled home we had swapped stories of the run, I had related the story of Graham Richards and the Coomb's Arsonists. Amid all of this Liezl and Megan had been setting up their social evening activity while poor Tommy had still to attend a 21st Birthday Party. I was going to be in bed as soon as possible. I had a bike ride planned for the morning.

I later discover that I am position 870 / 1874 finishers with a time of 2;21. It appears that they have a cut off of around 3;30. The results show about another 50 non finishers.


.