TRIATHLON ----Summer series ---
FRIDAY 16TH DECEMBER 2005.
The 16th December is a Public Holiday in South Africa. It used to be called Dingaans Day and is now known as “the Day Of Reconciliation”. This triathlon started at Happy Valley. It was designed to meet the needs of those who did not feel like a long event as well as those who were prepared to be out there for a little longer. The shorter event (sprint distance) was a swim out on the Humewood beach to buoys past the pylons and back (About 500m), then there were three circuits of up La Roche drive and left at Strandfontein road, down second avenue and then back to the transition (each lap is about 6kays). The final part of the triathlon was a run to Summerstrand lifesaving club and back (5kays).
The longer distance (Three-Quarter) consisted of two laps of the swim (1000m), five laps of the cycle (30kays) and a run that went out to the Summerstrand Inn and back (7.5kays).
At the start I saw Achilleans: Davera & Michael; Greg, Bradley, Shane, Lizelle and Pat. I think that they are all entered for next years Ironman. The conditions were perfect this morning. A number of my fellow Achilleans had not started the last Triathlon because of poor conditions. Also at the start were Rob and Jenny Connacher, Warren Collier, Hannes Zeelie and his sons were doing the event as a relay, David (Chokka) Enslin, Rod the pro triathlete now turned pastor from America, Ian (Ultra Ironman) Ross, Rob Ermes, Colin McAll, Paul Wolf and many others. Triathlon in PE seems to have grown in popularity recently. Probably as a result of the Ironman event of 2005.
For myself I really enjoyed the swim. There was a light West wind that flattened the surf and I was able to swim Crawl the whole time. My main problem is that I am so very slow compared to the others. I came out of the water the first time with two or three swimmers behind me but they were doing the sprint distance so I ended up being the very last out of the water. Also I seem to get lost out there and have to adjust every now and then to head back in the right direction. My right arm is stronger than my left so I tend to be heading towards my left-hand side. I am not sure why, but I felt like the water was noisy today. I was aware of every splash of my swim strokes. It was a really great swim. There was a lot of red seaweed on the shore but that did not bother us at all. Most of the athletes use wet suites but the water was warm and unless speed was a concern, there was no real need for a wetsuit. I find that Goggles really help and I think that it is compulsory to wear a swim-cap. By the time I finished the swim there was a lone spectator; Barbara had faithfully waited for me on the beach.
Then there was the cycle. Going up La Roche Drive is a bit of a slog but it is a reasonably short hill and although it was into the wind, the route was fairly sheltered. Strandfontein and Second Avenue were great with the wind mainly behind. The last section along Marine Drive was into the wind. Each time I passed over the Happy Valley Bridge I would glance over to the left and see how the bike area was filling up until the last lap when there was hardly another bike on the road. I knew that I had been last out of the water (Mainly because there was only one bike left in the transition area) and so when I was on my fifth lap I was able to tell the Marshals that they could pack up and go home.
The run started off under the Marine Drive Bridge and up on to Katie’s Walk. There was a whole lot of activity along the walkway including the preparations for the opening of the season festivities on the Saturday Night. At the section near to the Summerstrand Beach a new walkway is in the process of being built and this looks like it is going to be a really popular walkway for those who enjoy the beach walks and runs. At the lifesaving Club we turned right towards Marine Drive and then headed out to the Summerstrand Inn. I had been passing a whole lot of runners (going in the opposite direction) who I know, and envied them on their way home. As I approached the turn I was able to overtake two ladies and realised that with a bit of effort I would be able to catch Brian Saunders (Also a long time Achillean) who has won (if I am correct) the Achilles Marathon when it was still being held at the Big Tree. Brian had heart surgery some years ago and has to watch his heart rate very carefully.
I ended the race with a time of around 2hrs 20. I was quite happy to have been there and completed this event. Triathlons of this distance are like half marathons. A couple of hours of exercise and I was able to be at work a little later. They may be a little fussy because of the preparation and the bicycle but add something different to just running.
Peter Giddy
16 December 2005.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Sunday, December 11, 2005
BLUEWATERBAY 15KAY AND SUMMER SERIES TRIATHLON DECEMBER 2005.
Weekend 10 & 11 December 2005.
Bluewaterbay 15kay and first of the Summer Series Triathlon.
On Friday evening we were due to have a get together at the church to “rehearse” our Nativity Play. The Perks group had asked our group to be part of the play but as it turned out it was only Charles and ourselves who could help. The rehearsal turned out to be a costume selection evening as we assured Robin that we knew our lines and what we were to do. Mike and Barbie were away and we actually had absolutely no idea of what we had to do. It will be interesting to see how the scene progresses next week.
On Saturday morning Tim & I drove to Bluewaterbay and were incredibly lucky with our parking as we so often are. We registered for the run and then did our short warm up run. I was very pleased to have had the time for warming up as my left knee was giving me a bit of trouble. It hurts on the outside especially as I bend the foot inwards and when running downhill. The race started on time at 07.00 and the first section takes us down the Tippers creek hill and I felt the knee. But then got chatting to Rob from East London, Colin Mc Call and others and soon was in a good stride.
I picked up the pace after about 5 or 6 kays as the knee warmed up and after that I did not feel it again. I ran with a variety of people from then and began the second half feeling quite good. The route is first past the old Bluewaterbay suburb next to the Zwartkops River and then wanders through the newer part of the suburb where I had never been before. I was really impressed with the size of the houses. This has become an upmarket area to live it seems. Then we ran back past the Bluewaterbay lifesaving club and then the last kay took us up the Tippers Creek hill and back to the Primary School.
Tim did the race in 1:18 and I finished in 1:22. I was quite satisfied. As usual we had a coke and left. I had to be at work as it was our sales month end and Tim was due to go do stuff with Suzanne.
At work we completed the documentation and finalised the sales month end and I was able to be home by 15.00. Our region had done well and I was keen to see how we fared against the other regions on Monday morning. At Ally’s request we had ourselves a Macaroni Cheese supper. I like to make this dish with grilled porkers as well as vegetables. In this was I am able to get Ally to eat the Veggies.
Tim and I had arranged to meet at Hobie beach for the Triathlon at about 07.00 and despite the fact that the West wind was blowing quite strongly we entered the race. We saw Pat and Ian Thomson there as well as Davera and Mike Magson. It seemed that neither of them was keen to enter the race. The weather had put them off. The swim was a two lap event out past the pier. Right turn, past the Buoys and back to the beach. It was my ambition to not be lapped by the front swimmers and I managed to get out the first time before they had rounded the buoy. As I was swimming the second lap I was convinced that I was last in the water. But I was wrong. I think that there were about 2 or three swimmers behind me. Then it was out on the bike.
Barbara had timed my two laps of swimming. I think that she said that I took about 7mins for the first and 9 mins for the second lap. Plus I took about 3 mins for the transition. The wind was great at first as it pushed us to the “University Turn”. But then it was like riding up Brikkies. I was in the easiest gear and hardly moving forward. Rob Ermes passed me as did the Summies Triathlon lady and one other man. I was able to pass a young lady and so had two ladies behind me when I turned at Noordhoek. Whew! What a relief. The wind was now behind us and we flew back to Flat Rock where we again had the wind in our faces but not to the same extent. In the last Kay I had seen David (Chokka) Emslie pushing his bike. He had a flat tyre and pushed back to the transition.
We ran out towards the Summerstrand Lifesaving club but as the path was under construction, had to cut short. At this stage I saw that Tim was way ahead of me as were Warren Collier and Colin Mc Call. Then we turned back in to the wind again, past the transition and out towards McArthur Baths. I passed Rob and so now had Rob, David and the two ladies behind me. We turned for the last time and ran home. Tim met me for the final stretch and we managed to out sprint David in the final few meters. I think he let me beat him. My time for the 20 kay cycle had been about 53 mins and for the 5 kay run about 25 mins.
I had not seen the last lady on the run so she could not have passed the transition. I decided to go look for her and to help her with the last few kays of running. As I met up with her she said how thirsty she was. I knew that there had been no water left on the run so I fetched my bike water bottle and was able to give her some water as we ran. Another man also joined us. He had a 2 lit Coke and a cup. So between the two of us we made sure that she was well hydrated and that she finished the run with company. As we finished I saw the people gathering together to cheer her on so we allowed her to enjoy the moment.
At the end of an event I normally pack up and go almost immediately, but as I had assisted the last finisher I was still packing the bike away when the lucky Dips were being called and I was the winner of a R100 Guidos meal voucher. Just shows you how when you least expect it, you get rewarded for being nice! So Barbara, Ally and I went home, had a wash and then had lunch at Guidos in Lorraine. What a pleasure as I was starved and we did not have to cook our lunch.
And that was about our weekend. The wind continued to blow for the rest of Sunday and we stayed indoors for most of the afternoon.
Peter Giddy
11. December 2005.
Bluewaterbay 15kay and first of the Summer Series Triathlon.
On Friday evening we were due to have a get together at the church to “rehearse” our Nativity Play. The Perks group had asked our group to be part of the play but as it turned out it was only Charles and ourselves who could help. The rehearsal turned out to be a costume selection evening as we assured Robin that we knew our lines and what we were to do. Mike and Barbie were away and we actually had absolutely no idea of what we had to do. It will be interesting to see how the scene progresses next week.
On Saturday morning Tim & I drove to Bluewaterbay and were incredibly lucky with our parking as we so often are. We registered for the run and then did our short warm up run. I was very pleased to have had the time for warming up as my left knee was giving me a bit of trouble. It hurts on the outside especially as I bend the foot inwards and when running downhill. The race started on time at 07.00 and the first section takes us down the Tippers creek hill and I felt the knee. But then got chatting to Rob from East London, Colin Mc Call and others and soon was in a good stride.
I picked up the pace after about 5 or 6 kays as the knee warmed up and after that I did not feel it again. I ran with a variety of people from then and began the second half feeling quite good. The route is first past the old Bluewaterbay suburb next to the Zwartkops River and then wanders through the newer part of the suburb where I had never been before. I was really impressed with the size of the houses. This has become an upmarket area to live it seems. Then we ran back past the Bluewaterbay lifesaving club and then the last kay took us up the Tippers Creek hill and back to the Primary School.
Tim did the race in 1:18 and I finished in 1:22. I was quite satisfied. As usual we had a coke and left. I had to be at work as it was our sales month end and Tim was due to go do stuff with Suzanne.
At work we completed the documentation and finalised the sales month end and I was able to be home by 15.00. Our region had done well and I was keen to see how we fared against the other regions on Monday morning. At Ally’s request we had ourselves a Macaroni Cheese supper. I like to make this dish with grilled porkers as well as vegetables. In this was I am able to get Ally to eat the Veggies.
Tim and I had arranged to meet at Hobie beach for the Triathlon at about 07.00 and despite the fact that the West wind was blowing quite strongly we entered the race. We saw Pat and Ian Thomson there as well as Davera and Mike Magson. It seemed that neither of them was keen to enter the race. The weather had put them off. The swim was a two lap event out past the pier. Right turn, past the Buoys and back to the beach. It was my ambition to not be lapped by the front swimmers and I managed to get out the first time before they had rounded the buoy. As I was swimming the second lap I was convinced that I was last in the water. But I was wrong. I think that there were about 2 or three swimmers behind me. Then it was out on the bike.
Barbara had timed my two laps of swimming. I think that she said that I took about 7mins for the first and 9 mins for the second lap. Plus I took about 3 mins for the transition. The wind was great at first as it pushed us to the “University Turn”. But then it was like riding up Brikkies. I was in the easiest gear and hardly moving forward. Rob Ermes passed me as did the Summies Triathlon lady and one other man. I was able to pass a young lady and so had two ladies behind me when I turned at Noordhoek. Whew! What a relief. The wind was now behind us and we flew back to Flat Rock where we again had the wind in our faces but not to the same extent. In the last Kay I had seen David (Chokka) Emslie pushing his bike. He had a flat tyre and pushed back to the transition.
We ran out towards the Summerstrand Lifesaving club but as the path was under construction, had to cut short. At this stage I saw that Tim was way ahead of me as were Warren Collier and Colin Mc Call. Then we turned back in to the wind again, past the transition and out towards McArthur Baths. I passed Rob and so now had Rob, David and the two ladies behind me. We turned for the last time and ran home. Tim met me for the final stretch and we managed to out sprint David in the final few meters. I think he let me beat him. My time for the 20 kay cycle had been about 53 mins and for the 5 kay run about 25 mins.
I had not seen the last lady on the run so she could not have passed the transition. I decided to go look for her and to help her with the last few kays of running. As I met up with her she said how thirsty she was. I knew that there had been no water left on the run so I fetched my bike water bottle and was able to give her some water as we ran. Another man also joined us. He had a 2 lit Coke and a cup. So between the two of us we made sure that she was well hydrated and that she finished the run with company. As we finished I saw the people gathering together to cheer her on so we allowed her to enjoy the moment.
At the end of an event I normally pack up and go almost immediately, but as I had assisted the last finisher I was still packing the bike away when the lucky Dips were being called and I was the winner of a R100 Guidos meal voucher. Just shows you how when you least expect it, you get rewarded for being nice! So Barbara, Ally and I went home, had a wash and then had lunch at Guidos in Lorraine. What a pleasure as I was starved and we did not have to cook our lunch.
And that was about our weekend. The wind continued to blow for the rest of Sunday and we stayed indoors for most of the afternoon.
Peter Giddy
11. December 2005.
Sunday, December 4, 2005
SUNDAY 4TH DECEMBER 2005 GIDDY FAMILY
Sunday 4th December 2005.
Last evening we had the Achilles annual Year-end supper and Dance at the Old Cash Store in the Sardinia Bay road. Ally had gone off to Mike & Lene earlier and we collected Tim, Suzanne and Jessica. We dropped Jessica off at a friend with whom she was planning to go to movies later. Then it was off to our party.
We ordered a few drinks including a sherry with Peppers. I said to the bar-lady that we would try it. Big mistake! It was disgusting and so I had to order a second sherry for Barbara. We found ourselves a table that could accommodate ten people and were soon joined by Duane and his wife. But when I asked them to join us they said they were waiting for Casey. So it was the four of us for the evening. We had been told that there were some starters of Pate, soup and salads so as soon as we had waited a polite period we made our way to the eats table. Our table just happened to be the closest to the eats. The starters were excellent. A delicious soup as well as Rooster Brood and Pate.
Shortly after that Geoff made his very short speech. Heidi was back after a nasty encounter with a Boerbul dog that attacked her while jogging and had left her arm and leg scarred. Heidi told us that the left hand had no feeling but that she was now able to move her fingers and joints. Martin had also recently had an accident while cycling.
As soon as the speech was over we again lead the team of hungry Achilleans to the eats table for the main course. There was a huge amount of food on display and the problem was choosing just the right amount of each dish so as to not over fill the plate but also to be able to get a taste of all these delicious looking treats. Back to the table and settled down to devour as much as possible. The band had by now started to play. This was a great pity as up to this stage we had been able to chat but the volume of the band drowned any possibility of conversation. I am sure that this suites some people but not me. I saw a few of the braver Achilleans do some jiving on the dance floor but decided that it was now Pudding time. So again we led the procession of people to the pudding table. There were some delicious tarts, Ice cream and jelly. My favourites! By now we were all quite stuffed but still we managed to drink the compulsory cup of coffee while cracking the Christmas crackers. I saved ours for Ally.
At about this stage I think that the band was becoming quite irritated with us as no one really responded to their efforts to get us to get onto the dance floor en masse. So they turned the volume up a few more decibels. For me that was the signal to look in the direction of the door. I glanced across to Tim, Barbara and Suzanne and saw total agreement. We said our good-byes to Keith who was the main organiser and headed home. Just as we got into the car Jessica phoned us to say the movie was finished and would we fetch her. Talk about perfect timing! So that was the end of the evening for us. We collected Ally and then Jessica, Dropped Tim & Family home and did not last long before we were in dreamland.
I had arranged to meet Tim and Ron for a cycle on Sunday morning so was up at 04.30. I always try to have the bike and kit ready the previous evening. So was ready at 04.45 and met them at 7th avenue at 5.00. We decided to take the Buffelsfontein road, over Mount Pleasant and left at Heron road. The Sardinia Bay road past the restaurant where we had spent the previous evening and the down to Schoenies for the Marine Drive section. We had a short Jube Jube break at Willows and then it was our next little adventure as we passed the university a man in an old Mercedes hooted behind us as we were riding three abreast. Tim saw fit to get into an argument with this man and so there was quite a bit of “Argy Bargy”, no actual hitting with fists but plenty of word wars. After that little incident we headed home. The ride this morning took us about 2.30hours including the interruptions.
Barbara was due to sing in the music group at church and Ally did not feel like church so I stayed at home. When Barbara got back we packed up for Nippers and headed down to the beach. It was a perfect PE day. Not extremely hot, little wind and flat seas. We decided to give the U10’s a real lesson in water sports. We started off with the Malibu Boards. A few of the Nippers were confident in the Malibu Boards but many of them had hardly used one before and it was really great to see them quickly develop confidence as we sent them out in small groups. There were enough coaches to give them individual attention as soon as they looked nervous or as a big wave loomed ahead.
It was the first time this season, apart from the Plett Carnival, that the conditions allowed us to give them this training. The next item was the boogey boards. Again we sent the Nippers out in small groups and they were soon able to surf back to the beach on waves that would have scared them earlier. And they were actually asking to be allowed to go out a second, third and fourth time. Finally we swam out and around the buoy before packing it up for the morning. The Nippers seemed quite surprised that Nippers was over but they had been at it from 11.00 to 13.00 and those two hours had flown. We could see that they were becoming quite exhausted. Each one of the Nippers was rewarded with a Chocolate or Chips.
Donald had made a Disc of the photos that he had taken at the Plett weekend. We had seen these at the Awards evening the previous Thursday where Ally was awarded with her Certificate. We all agreed that this was one of the best Nippers sessions that we had had this season. Chris is a very good coach for these youngsters as he gives them a bit of technical training on the beach and then confidently sends them into the water.
We washed and packed away the boards and headed off home. Ally got stuck into watching the photo disk and I washed the car. A little later we went over to the Gendalls for tea. They were polite enough to watch the disc of the Plett Carnival while we bragged about Ally.
On Monday morning Ally starts a Soccer week. It sounds like it should be fun and she is looking forward to the activity. Especially seeing as how she has never played soccer before.
And that just about sums up Sunday the 4th December 2005.
Peter Giddy
4.12.2005.
Last evening we had the Achilles annual Year-end supper and Dance at the Old Cash Store in the Sardinia Bay road. Ally had gone off to Mike & Lene earlier and we collected Tim, Suzanne and Jessica. We dropped Jessica off at a friend with whom she was planning to go to movies later. Then it was off to our party.
We ordered a few drinks including a sherry with Peppers. I said to the bar-lady that we would try it. Big mistake! It was disgusting and so I had to order a second sherry for Barbara. We found ourselves a table that could accommodate ten people and were soon joined by Duane and his wife. But when I asked them to join us they said they were waiting for Casey. So it was the four of us for the evening. We had been told that there were some starters of Pate, soup and salads so as soon as we had waited a polite period we made our way to the eats table. Our table just happened to be the closest to the eats. The starters were excellent. A delicious soup as well as Rooster Brood and Pate.
Shortly after that Geoff made his very short speech. Heidi was back after a nasty encounter with a Boerbul dog that attacked her while jogging and had left her arm and leg scarred. Heidi told us that the left hand had no feeling but that she was now able to move her fingers and joints. Martin had also recently had an accident while cycling.
As soon as the speech was over we again lead the team of hungry Achilleans to the eats table for the main course. There was a huge amount of food on display and the problem was choosing just the right amount of each dish so as to not over fill the plate but also to be able to get a taste of all these delicious looking treats. Back to the table and settled down to devour as much as possible. The band had by now started to play. This was a great pity as up to this stage we had been able to chat but the volume of the band drowned any possibility of conversation. I am sure that this suites some people but not me. I saw a few of the braver Achilleans do some jiving on the dance floor but decided that it was now Pudding time. So again we led the procession of people to the pudding table. There were some delicious tarts, Ice cream and jelly. My favourites! By now we were all quite stuffed but still we managed to drink the compulsory cup of coffee while cracking the Christmas crackers. I saved ours for Ally.
At about this stage I think that the band was becoming quite irritated with us as no one really responded to their efforts to get us to get onto the dance floor en masse. So they turned the volume up a few more decibels. For me that was the signal to look in the direction of the door. I glanced across to Tim, Barbara and Suzanne and saw total agreement. We said our good-byes to Keith who was the main organiser and headed home. Just as we got into the car Jessica phoned us to say the movie was finished and would we fetch her. Talk about perfect timing! So that was the end of the evening for us. We collected Ally and then Jessica, Dropped Tim & Family home and did not last long before we were in dreamland.
I had arranged to meet Tim and Ron for a cycle on Sunday morning so was up at 04.30. I always try to have the bike and kit ready the previous evening. So was ready at 04.45 and met them at 7th avenue at 5.00. We decided to take the Buffelsfontein road, over Mount Pleasant and left at Heron road. The Sardinia Bay road past the restaurant where we had spent the previous evening and the down to Schoenies for the Marine Drive section. We had a short Jube Jube break at Willows and then it was our next little adventure as we passed the university a man in an old Mercedes hooted behind us as we were riding three abreast. Tim saw fit to get into an argument with this man and so there was quite a bit of “Argy Bargy”, no actual hitting with fists but plenty of word wars. After that little incident we headed home. The ride this morning took us about 2.30hours including the interruptions.
Barbara was due to sing in the music group at church and Ally did not feel like church so I stayed at home. When Barbara got back we packed up for Nippers and headed down to the beach. It was a perfect PE day. Not extremely hot, little wind and flat seas. We decided to give the U10’s a real lesson in water sports. We started off with the Malibu Boards. A few of the Nippers were confident in the Malibu Boards but many of them had hardly used one before and it was really great to see them quickly develop confidence as we sent them out in small groups. There were enough coaches to give them individual attention as soon as they looked nervous or as a big wave loomed ahead.
It was the first time this season, apart from the Plett Carnival, that the conditions allowed us to give them this training. The next item was the boogey boards. Again we sent the Nippers out in small groups and they were soon able to surf back to the beach on waves that would have scared them earlier. And they were actually asking to be allowed to go out a second, third and fourth time. Finally we swam out and around the buoy before packing it up for the morning. The Nippers seemed quite surprised that Nippers was over but they had been at it from 11.00 to 13.00 and those two hours had flown. We could see that they were becoming quite exhausted. Each one of the Nippers was rewarded with a Chocolate or Chips.
Donald had made a Disc of the photos that he had taken at the Plett weekend. We had seen these at the Awards evening the previous Thursday where Ally was awarded with her Certificate. We all agreed that this was one of the best Nippers sessions that we had had this season. Chris is a very good coach for these youngsters as he gives them a bit of technical training on the beach and then confidently sends them into the water.
We washed and packed away the boards and headed off home. Ally got stuck into watching the photo disk and I washed the car. A little later we went over to the Gendalls for tea. They were polite enough to watch the disc of the Plett Carnival while we bragged about Ally.
On Monday morning Ally starts a Soccer week. It sounds like it should be fun and she is looking forward to the activity. Especially seeing as how she has never played soccer before.
And that just about sums up Sunday the 4th December 2005.
Peter Giddy
4.12.2005.
PARMALAT 42KAY MARATHON DECEMBER 2005.
PARMALAT 42kay MARATHON
SATURDAY 3 DECEMBER 2005.
I am not quite sure why I decided to run this race. I know that I have not been able to do the required preparation, such as longer runs in the weekend nor the extra that I should have been doing during the week.
I had run a few 10kay events recently and had been able to run them in marginally less than 5mins a kay. Maybe that gave me confidence. I should have known better. There is a huge difference between a ten kay and the Marathon event. I had seen Liz Austin at the 10kay evening run and had observed how well she was running. Also I had finished the 2005 Achilles marathon in January with her, Roger and Tim. So I had confidence in her ability to be a team captain. So when I saw Liz on the morning of the event I asked her if I could try to stick with her. Liz knew what she was doing and had a specific time in mind. For her to achieve two points for the club participation league she had to do less that 4.18. The fact that she knew this target plus the fact that she had her permanent number for the Crusaders Parmalat Marathon added to my confidence in her ability to lead me to a finish today.
So off we walked, to the start of the run. I said 10kays and hour and Liz replied 10kays in 55mins. She was definitely in charge! It was good to see all the Achillean participation at this Crusaders event. And soon after the normal pre-race banter, the gun went off (05.00am) and we trotted along. Just in front of us for quite a long way was the MPRG consisting of Andy, Kobus, his son, Kurt doing his first 42, John also a maiden in the marathon, Cathy, Stuart & Susan. Gerald and Pat were on Bicycles.
I thought that both the MPRG and ourselves, were going too fast as we got the Butterfield turn off (10Kay) in well under 60mins. Liz said that she had a planned walk so as soon as we reached the top of the Butterfield Hill we rewarded ourselves with a brief walk. Liz had a whole lot of theory as to why this was a good idea. For me it was a relief to be able to walk. Then off we plodded again. Over the freeway and past the fire station to the 15kay mark. Here we were greeted with great enthusiasm by the Achilles watering table. Steve, Kosima, Graham, Bill, Milka and others gave us renewed energy as they cheered us on.
From there it is a right turn to the old Cape Road where we turned left for a short while before another left turn down the Draafontiein road. This is a long stretch of gradual uphill to the bridge under the N2 freeway. We turned left now heading back home again but we were only at 21kays and had 6 to go before we would meet up with the Achilles people again. At the 22 kay we treated ourselves to another walk. It was here that Bradley, Warren and their group passed us. Susan had fallen off the MPRG bus and we caught up with her briefly. I was able to introduce Liz to Sue. Susan Burri is the third lady in the world to have achieved 20 X 2 Oceans Marathons. I always feel privileged to be able to introduce this famous athlete.
At the 27kay we were again given a royal welcome at the Achilles table. It really is good to have that kind of encouragement but I was starting to tire. So when we got to the bridge over the N2 I asked for another short walk. Liz agreed and we were to lose Susan. Then it was onto the Butterfield road again and past the 30kay mark. Liz pointed out how well we were doing as we were under the 3-hour mark a that stage (2.53 I think). We saw Earl here and he gave us the encouraging news that the MPRG was not far ahead. But it was here that I really began to tire. I again asked for a walk. I think that Liz may have been getting a little agitated as she still had that 4.18 in sight while I was thinking that if I was to finish in one day I would be quite happy. Also this is where we began to be passed by other athletes in numbers.
So it was a left turn back onto the Kragga Kamma road and we had 10 kay to go. I think that it was beginning to get hot. Heat has an incredible draining effect on runners. On the Kragga Kamma Road it is necessary to run in single file as there is quite a bit of traffic. I let Liz go ahead hoping that she would leave me to my own misery but, being the captain, she insisted on staying with me and ran on the side of the road. This was up to the 8kay to go mark where I took another walk and she finally pressed on. A little further on, I saw that she had caught up to Paulette and then she turned round to see where I was. I put on a burst of real running hoping to catch them but Paulette stayed behind and Liz ran on.
So then, as Paulette was walking, I caught her and we chatted for a little while as she explained that she had an injury and had a planned bail ahead. So off I went again with 6 kays to go. Here it is a right turn into Welcome Avenue and I heard Liz’s voice from behind as she came out of the bushes. Now! Thought I. If I can just keep up the miserable shuffle that I had going, then I could again stick with Liz. No way! Liz soon caught me and passed me as if I was going backwards. As did the Keith and Sue Bayliss steam train a few minutes later.
I determined that I would run from here on. And so I did, until I got to the three kay to go. Around here I met up with Cathy from MPRG. She was almost as stuffed as I was. There was a Crusaders watering station (I overheard one of them comment “Peter seems to have lost his good Humour”) and I took coke and water and walked and walked and walked until I got to the 2kay mark. Okay thought I, I can shuffle in from here. The walking had the effect of cramping my calf muscles up and breaking into that miserable shuffle was harder than I thought but eventually I got to one kay to go. At this stage I thought that I may be able to catch Cathy but it was only with superhuman effort that I maintained a jog to the finish.
In the end I think that I had achieved the 4.18 that Liz had set for us but she had done way better than that with a 4.09 which was about a minute or two better than the Achilles Marathon that we had done in January. I was shattered. But thanks to Liz and the encouragement from other friends and Achilleans, I finished. At the end Paulette handed out “The Achillean” and I read later about Kosima’s thoughts on the Chatterbox on the run. I cannot think when she has run with me but I was certain that it could well be that she was referring to. I think that I do talk-a-lot on the run. Perhaps that is why Liz was so happy to leave me. I also looked up what I should have run for this elusive two points. And while it was 4.18 for Liz it was about 4.09 for me who is 10 years older than Liz. Unfair! I thought.
Peter Giddy
4 December 2005.
SATURDAY 3 DECEMBER 2005.
I am not quite sure why I decided to run this race. I know that I have not been able to do the required preparation, such as longer runs in the weekend nor the extra that I should have been doing during the week.
I had run a few 10kay events recently and had been able to run them in marginally less than 5mins a kay. Maybe that gave me confidence. I should have known better. There is a huge difference between a ten kay and the Marathon event. I had seen Liz Austin at the 10kay evening run and had observed how well she was running. Also I had finished the 2005 Achilles marathon in January with her, Roger and Tim. So I had confidence in her ability to be a team captain. So when I saw Liz on the morning of the event I asked her if I could try to stick with her. Liz knew what she was doing and had a specific time in mind. For her to achieve two points for the club participation league she had to do less that 4.18. The fact that she knew this target plus the fact that she had her permanent number for the Crusaders Parmalat Marathon added to my confidence in her ability to lead me to a finish today.
So off we walked, to the start of the run. I said 10kays and hour and Liz replied 10kays in 55mins. She was definitely in charge! It was good to see all the Achillean participation at this Crusaders event. And soon after the normal pre-race banter, the gun went off (05.00am) and we trotted along. Just in front of us for quite a long way was the MPRG consisting of Andy, Kobus, his son, Kurt doing his first 42, John also a maiden in the marathon, Cathy, Stuart & Susan. Gerald and Pat were on Bicycles.
I thought that both the MPRG and ourselves, were going too fast as we got the Butterfield turn off (10Kay) in well under 60mins. Liz said that she had a planned walk so as soon as we reached the top of the Butterfield Hill we rewarded ourselves with a brief walk. Liz had a whole lot of theory as to why this was a good idea. For me it was a relief to be able to walk. Then off we plodded again. Over the freeway and past the fire station to the 15kay mark. Here we were greeted with great enthusiasm by the Achilles watering table. Steve, Kosima, Graham, Bill, Milka and others gave us renewed energy as they cheered us on.
From there it is a right turn to the old Cape Road where we turned left for a short while before another left turn down the Draafontiein road. This is a long stretch of gradual uphill to the bridge under the N2 freeway. We turned left now heading back home again but we were only at 21kays and had 6 to go before we would meet up with the Achilles people again. At the 22 kay we treated ourselves to another walk. It was here that Bradley, Warren and their group passed us. Susan had fallen off the MPRG bus and we caught up with her briefly. I was able to introduce Liz to Sue. Susan Burri is the third lady in the world to have achieved 20 X 2 Oceans Marathons. I always feel privileged to be able to introduce this famous athlete.
At the 27kay we were again given a royal welcome at the Achilles table. It really is good to have that kind of encouragement but I was starting to tire. So when we got to the bridge over the N2 I asked for another short walk. Liz agreed and we were to lose Susan. Then it was onto the Butterfield road again and past the 30kay mark. Liz pointed out how well we were doing as we were under the 3-hour mark a that stage (2.53 I think). We saw Earl here and he gave us the encouraging news that the MPRG was not far ahead. But it was here that I really began to tire. I again asked for a walk. I think that Liz may have been getting a little agitated as she still had that 4.18 in sight while I was thinking that if I was to finish in one day I would be quite happy. Also this is where we began to be passed by other athletes in numbers.
So it was a left turn back onto the Kragga Kamma road and we had 10 kay to go. I think that it was beginning to get hot. Heat has an incredible draining effect on runners. On the Kragga Kamma Road it is necessary to run in single file as there is quite a bit of traffic. I let Liz go ahead hoping that she would leave me to my own misery but, being the captain, she insisted on staying with me and ran on the side of the road. This was up to the 8kay to go mark where I took another walk and she finally pressed on. A little further on, I saw that she had caught up to Paulette and then she turned round to see where I was. I put on a burst of real running hoping to catch them but Paulette stayed behind and Liz ran on.
So then, as Paulette was walking, I caught her and we chatted for a little while as she explained that she had an injury and had a planned bail ahead. So off I went again with 6 kays to go. Here it is a right turn into Welcome Avenue and I heard Liz’s voice from behind as she came out of the bushes. Now! Thought I. If I can just keep up the miserable shuffle that I had going, then I could again stick with Liz. No way! Liz soon caught me and passed me as if I was going backwards. As did the Keith and Sue Bayliss steam train a few minutes later.
I determined that I would run from here on. And so I did, until I got to the three kay to go. Around here I met up with Cathy from MPRG. She was almost as stuffed as I was. There was a Crusaders watering station (I overheard one of them comment “Peter seems to have lost his good Humour”) and I took coke and water and walked and walked and walked until I got to the 2kay mark. Okay thought I, I can shuffle in from here. The walking had the effect of cramping my calf muscles up and breaking into that miserable shuffle was harder than I thought but eventually I got to one kay to go. At this stage I thought that I may be able to catch Cathy but it was only with superhuman effort that I maintained a jog to the finish.
In the end I think that I had achieved the 4.18 that Liz had set for us but she had done way better than that with a 4.09 which was about a minute or two better than the Achilles Marathon that we had done in January. I was shattered. But thanks to Liz and the encouragement from other friends and Achilleans, I finished. At the end Paulette handed out “The Achillean” and I read later about Kosima’s thoughts on the Chatterbox on the run. I cannot think when she has run with me but I was certain that it could well be that she was referring to. I think that I do talk-a-lot on the run. Perhaps that is why Liz was so happy to leave me. I also looked up what I should have run for this elusive two points. And while it was 4.18 for Liz it was about 4.09 for me who is 10 years older than Liz. Unfair! I thought.
Peter Giddy
4 December 2005.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
NIPPERS CARNIVAL PLETTENBERGBAY NOVEMBER 2005.
NIPPERS CARNIVAL ---- PLETTENBERGBAY 26 & 27TH NOVEMBER 2005.
The Nippers carnival is a provincial tournament with the clubs competing in a variety of events. “Nippers” is a junior version of lifesaving. Although no actual lifesaving is taught, the youngsters are instructed in beach activities and are able to grow in confidence in the surf.
Barbara, Ally & I had been looking forward to this Carnival for over a year as Ally had joined Nippers while she was still seven years old and was therefor unable to be an official competitor in the carnivals in our first year. Ally had had to undergo a competency test called the “Level Test”. I was away that weekend and was not able to watch her but I heard that she had passed with flying colours. Something that really impressed me this weekend was the fact that Ally had received an invitation to attend the annual Finestone Birthday Party from Emma. And although Ally was very keen to attend this important social function, she upheld her commitment to the Nippers weekend.
After that Ally was able to compete in a local Carnival at Kings Beach. That particular carnival was not entirely satisfactory as the surf had been particularly big as a result of the East Winds that Port Elizabeth had experienced. And by the time the events were underway the West Wind was blowing so hard that the conditions had become unpleasant. A number of the events were either scrapped or cut short.
As we left for Plett on the Saturday morning there was a fairly stiff West wind and as we approached the Tsitsikamma area the rain began to fall and we were apprehensive of the conditions for first day. We had Jacqui with us as she was visiting from the UK. Jacqui was pregnant and feeling the effects of morning sickness. We half hoped that the fresh air might make her feel a little better.
As soon as we arrived in Plett we unpacked and got ourselves ready for an afternoon on the beach. Ena (My mother) was able to come down with us. Ena does not see too well but Ally was thrilled that her Granny would be there to watch her compete. We got down to the beach at about 11.30am and registered Ally as a competitor. Anthony Cocks called a “Team Managers” meeting where he announced the order of events. The first event for the U10s was to be the Taplin, which is a team event of Run, Swim, Body Board and Malibu (a long body board). We had 12 children in our U10 team, 6 Boys (Matthew, Matthew, Christian, Connor, Luke and Philip) and 6 girls (Ally, Tanielle, Kim, Tayla, Natalie and Katlin). Varren had the unenviable task of making up the teams for the U10’s. Firstly he had to decide who was in which team and then had to readjust for each event as the youngsters’ availability for the particular event changed and also which of the Nippers had been able to come to Plett.
During the afternoon each one of these brave children took part in a variety of events including beach sprints, beach relay, Flags, Swim, Body Board and Malibu. The waves were by no means small and the children took quite a dumping on many occasions. Fortunately we had a number of parents and others who were safety officers and who helped the children through the surf. There was a strong rip current from West to East and the organisers wisely made the route of the swims in the direction of the rip.
The competition in the U10s was fierce and although we often managed to pass through to the finals, we could see at an early stage that we were being out run and out swum in many of the events. However we also knew that each individual competing was doing it as a personal challenge and that every time we had a finisher we potentially had points for Summerstrand. The afternoon was overcast and it appeared that some of the children were becoming chilled as the afternoon wore on. They were also extremely tired after all the exercise of the afternoon. The final event was a “March Past”. I did not realise that there were potentially 30 points to be won so I happily suggested that our group go and take part which they did with enthusiasm instead of style and precision. Ah well… Live and learn! Today had been overcast but I still found that I had burnt the top of my head. At the end of the day Chris called a team meeting and told us that there were a mere 12 points separating ourselves from the next team, which I think was Sardinia Bay. He urged that children to have a solid sleep and be fresh for a morning which would certainly be full of exercise.
I know that a number of our group were staying at the Castleton and were meeting for supper but our family agreed that we were only too happy to be able to get into bed as early as possible. And most of us were lights out just after dark. The SA Rugby team were playing France at 22.00 and as Ena does not have Mnet I decided that they would be playing with one less supporter this time. I heard later that we lost something like 21 to 26.
I had planned a short run at 06.00am and met Margie and Warren outside of their accommodation. We ran about 8kays and by the time we were finished the sun was already starting to get hot. During the run Warren & I realised that we had common friends going back years. My cousins, the Spence family, were friends of his from his early years of coming to Plett. Today I anticipated a really warm day and we took out the suntan lotion and hats to try to avoid being too burnt at the end of the day. It is actually not possible to avoid the sun as even if you are sitting in the shade as Jacqui did for most of the day; you will still burn from the reflection of the sun off the sand.
Today was going to be a lot of swimming for me as I assured the Nippers, Ally in particular, that I would always be in the water when they were. I had located a pair of flippers and was happy to use them to assist myself to stay with the youngsters as they ploughed through the surf. It seemed that the wind was coming from a South-Westerly direction and this made the water a little choppier than the previous day. Again Anthony insisted that there should be considerable assistance to the U10s whenever they were in the surf. I think that this helped the Nippers’ confidence and I was surprised and proud of our group each time they had to swim and paddle into the pounding waves that seemed to me to rise up to 5 and 6 feet high. The waves at the Central (Old B.I. beach) do not fold gently onto the beach but rather have a nasty way of dumping the swimmer with quite considerable force.
I saw Donald taking photos and videos of most of the tournament and am keen to see the results of his efforts. The U10 Coaches comprise of Varren (head coach) and his assistants, Roger and myself. We spent considerable time in the water and had the ongoing assistance of Tanielle’s Dad, Chris as well as Matthew’s dad Donald, Katlin's dad, Natalie’s dad Patrick and Tayla's dad Andrew. Without the assistance of the dad’s we could never have had as many competitors from our group. I think that this may be a sign of how future coaching should go. Chris made the point, as we finished, that we should not be scared, on a Sunday, to swim past the waves. Nor to use the body boards in big surf, as we would have to do so at the tournaments and that there was never a guarantee of calm seas on the day of the carnival.
The Sunday started with Run swim Run and ended with a long run (U10s 800meters). In between there were the Beach sprint relays where we had two U10 teams, the Flags finals where Luke was our sole U10 survivor to the finals and he finished a credible 5th place There was also Body boards, Malibu boards, swimming and running to keep us all very busy. One of the most amazing things on a beach like this with hundreds of parents, Nippers, and coaches is the communication. We all had to stay focussed on what was going on to know what we should be ready for and then the gathering of the Nippers was no easy task for us Coaches.
After the final event we had a short photo session, a team-talk and Anthony announced the results of the Carnival. Summerstrand had come first in the U14, U12 and third in the U10 events. The overall Carnival winner was also Summerstrand. This is potentially a warning to Summerstrand: The U10 of today is the U12 and U14 of tomorrow and unless we are not concentrating on the coaching of these young nippers we will find the club coming second to Sardinia Bay and Plett in future years.
We assisted with the carrying and packing of boards and packed up and left. Unfortunately Jacqui’s health had not improved and we decided to make our way home as soon as we could. Next Thursday is a Nippers evening at the Summerstrand Clubhouse and I am sure that there will be a great deal of analysis of the weekend success and failures. I personally cannot think of any individual failure. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned. For example the finals of the flags events could be held at one time for all three age-categories as this is a time consuming event. Overall the Plett Nippers Club can be thanked and complimented for the way that the event was held and the spirit of fun that permeated the two days.
]
At the year-end function for the nippers on Thursday 1 December 2005, Donald, Lee and Brian had an awards ceremony for the Nippers who had taken part in the Plett Carnival. We had Jessica’s Nativity Play to attend at Jacqui’s Children’s world pre-school so were a little late. But when we got to the Summerstrand lifesavers club, Donald made a point of calling Ally up to the front to receive her certificate. She had achieved the following places in the events:
Surf Swim 8th
Body Board 9th
Run Swim Run 7th
Body Board Relay 6th
Taplin Relay 3rd
Beach Relay 7th
These were the recognised times but in addition to this she had also taken part in the Beach Sprints & Flags. To put the positions into perspective: there were 6 teams participating: Bluewater Bay, Sardinia Bay, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay and Seagulls and Summerstrand. We had 12 nippers in our U10 team and while some of the teams may have has fewer members, there were others with even more than ourselves. SO these were really impressive results. The other point to note is while some of the events separated the boys from the girls many of them were mixed events.
After the awards, Donald ran through a series of photos that he had taken on the beach. Amoung them were many of Ally where the size of the surf could be seen as well as the effort that she put into the events. He has promised that he will let us have a copy of the disc to forward to the London family. Ally had her friend Laura O with her. The two of them had a Boerewors roll and then spent the rest of the evening on the beach. The spotlights were shining onto the beach and there was this wonderful vibe as the youngsters played on the sand. The adults had steaks and salad as we got to know each a little better. Barbara had been knitting madly to try to get some presents ready for the London family before Jacqui left on the Wednesday and so had not slept well and was feeling tired and sore from dry lips. So at 21.30 we were on our way home.
Peter Giddy
27th November 2005.
The Nippers carnival is a provincial tournament with the clubs competing in a variety of events. “Nippers” is a junior version of lifesaving. Although no actual lifesaving is taught, the youngsters are instructed in beach activities and are able to grow in confidence in the surf.
Barbara, Ally & I had been looking forward to this Carnival for over a year as Ally had joined Nippers while she was still seven years old and was therefor unable to be an official competitor in the carnivals in our first year. Ally had had to undergo a competency test called the “Level Test”. I was away that weekend and was not able to watch her but I heard that she had passed with flying colours. Something that really impressed me this weekend was the fact that Ally had received an invitation to attend the annual Finestone Birthday Party from Emma. And although Ally was very keen to attend this important social function, she upheld her commitment to the Nippers weekend.
After that Ally was able to compete in a local Carnival at Kings Beach. That particular carnival was not entirely satisfactory as the surf had been particularly big as a result of the East Winds that Port Elizabeth had experienced. And by the time the events were underway the West Wind was blowing so hard that the conditions had become unpleasant. A number of the events were either scrapped or cut short.
As we left for Plett on the Saturday morning there was a fairly stiff West wind and as we approached the Tsitsikamma area the rain began to fall and we were apprehensive of the conditions for first day. We had Jacqui with us as she was visiting from the UK. Jacqui was pregnant and feeling the effects of morning sickness. We half hoped that the fresh air might make her feel a little better.
As soon as we arrived in Plett we unpacked and got ourselves ready for an afternoon on the beach. Ena (My mother) was able to come down with us. Ena does not see too well but Ally was thrilled that her Granny would be there to watch her compete. We got down to the beach at about 11.30am and registered Ally as a competitor. Anthony Cocks called a “Team Managers” meeting where he announced the order of events. The first event for the U10s was to be the Taplin, which is a team event of Run, Swim, Body Board and Malibu (a long body board). We had 12 children in our U10 team, 6 Boys (Matthew, Matthew, Christian, Connor, Luke and Philip) and 6 girls (Ally, Tanielle, Kim, Tayla, Natalie and Katlin). Varren had the unenviable task of making up the teams for the U10’s. Firstly he had to decide who was in which team and then had to readjust for each event as the youngsters’ availability for the particular event changed and also which of the Nippers had been able to come to Plett.
During the afternoon each one of these brave children took part in a variety of events including beach sprints, beach relay, Flags, Swim, Body Board and Malibu. The waves were by no means small and the children took quite a dumping on many occasions. Fortunately we had a number of parents and others who were safety officers and who helped the children through the surf. There was a strong rip current from West to East and the organisers wisely made the route of the swims in the direction of the rip.
The competition in the U10s was fierce and although we often managed to pass through to the finals, we could see at an early stage that we were being out run and out swum in many of the events. However we also knew that each individual competing was doing it as a personal challenge and that every time we had a finisher we potentially had points for Summerstrand. The afternoon was overcast and it appeared that some of the children were becoming chilled as the afternoon wore on. They were also extremely tired after all the exercise of the afternoon. The final event was a “March Past”. I did not realise that there were potentially 30 points to be won so I happily suggested that our group go and take part which they did with enthusiasm instead of style and precision. Ah well… Live and learn! Today had been overcast but I still found that I had burnt the top of my head. At the end of the day Chris called a team meeting and told us that there were a mere 12 points separating ourselves from the next team, which I think was Sardinia Bay. He urged that children to have a solid sleep and be fresh for a morning which would certainly be full of exercise.
I know that a number of our group were staying at the Castleton and were meeting for supper but our family agreed that we were only too happy to be able to get into bed as early as possible. And most of us were lights out just after dark. The SA Rugby team were playing France at 22.00 and as Ena does not have Mnet I decided that they would be playing with one less supporter this time. I heard later that we lost something like 21 to 26.
I had planned a short run at 06.00am and met Margie and Warren outside of their accommodation. We ran about 8kays and by the time we were finished the sun was already starting to get hot. During the run Warren & I realised that we had common friends going back years. My cousins, the Spence family, were friends of his from his early years of coming to Plett. Today I anticipated a really warm day and we took out the suntan lotion and hats to try to avoid being too burnt at the end of the day. It is actually not possible to avoid the sun as even if you are sitting in the shade as Jacqui did for most of the day; you will still burn from the reflection of the sun off the sand.
Today was going to be a lot of swimming for me as I assured the Nippers, Ally in particular, that I would always be in the water when they were. I had located a pair of flippers and was happy to use them to assist myself to stay with the youngsters as they ploughed through the surf. It seemed that the wind was coming from a South-Westerly direction and this made the water a little choppier than the previous day. Again Anthony insisted that there should be considerable assistance to the U10s whenever they were in the surf. I think that this helped the Nippers’ confidence and I was surprised and proud of our group each time they had to swim and paddle into the pounding waves that seemed to me to rise up to 5 and 6 feet high. The waves at the Central (Old B.I. beach) do not fold gently onto the beach but rather have a nasty way of dumping the swimmer with quite considerable force.
I saw Donald taking photos and videos of most of the tournament and am keen to see the results of his efforts. The U10 Coaches comprise of Varren (head coach) and his assistants, Roger and myself. We spent considerable time in the water and had the ongoing assistance of Tanielle’s Dad, Chris as well as Matthew’s dad Donald, Katlin's dad, Natalie’s dad Patrick and Tayla's dad Andrew. Without the assistance of the dad’s we could never have had as many competitors from our group. I think that this may be a sign of how future coaching should go. Chris made the point, as we finished, that we should not be scared, on a Sunday, to swim past the waves. Nor to use the body boards in big surf, as we would have to do so at the tournaments and that there was never a guarantee of calm seas on the day of the carnival.
The Sunday started with Run swim Run and ended with a long run (U10s 800meters). In between there were the Beach sprint relays where we had two U10 teams, the Flags finals where Luke was our sole U10 survivor to the finals and he finished a credible 5th place There was also Body boards, Malibu boards, swimming and running to keep us all very busy. One of the most amazing things on a beach like this with hundreds of parents, Nippers, and coaches is the communication. We all had to stay focussed on what was going on to know what we should be ready for and then the gathering of the Nippers was no easy task for us Coaches.
After the final event we had a short photo session, a team-talk and Anthony announced the results of the Carnival. Summerstrand had come first in the U14, U12 and third in the U10 events. The overall Carnival winner was also Summerstrand. This is potentially a warning to Summerstrand: The U10 of today is the U12 and U14 of tomorrow and unless we are not concentrating on the coaching of these young nippers we will find the club coming second to Sardinia Bay and Plett in future years.
We assisted with the carrying and packing of boards and packed up and left. Unfortunately Jacqui’s health had not improved and we decided to make our way home as soon as we could. Next Thursday is a Nippers evening at the Summerstrand Clubhouse and I am sure that there will be a great deal of analysis of the weekend success and failures. I personally cannot think of any individual failure. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned. For example the finals of the flags events could be held at one time for all three age-categories as this is a time consuming event. Overall the Plett Nippers Club can be thanked and complimented for the way that the event was held and the spirit of fun that permeated the two days.
]
At the year-end function for the nippers on Thursday 1 December 2005, Donald, Lee and Brian had an awards ceremony for the Nippers who had taken part in the Plett Carnival. We had Jessica’s Nativity Play to attend at Jacqui’s Children’s world pre-school so were a little late. But when we got to the Summerstrand lifesavers club, Donald made a point of calling Ally up to the front to receive her certificate. She had achieved the following places in the events:
Surf Swim 8th
Body Board 9th
Run Swim Run 7th
Body Board Relay 6th
Taplin Relay 3rd
Beach Relay 7th
These were the recognised times but in addition to this she had also taken part in the Beach Sprints & Flags. To put the positions into perspective: there were 6 teams participating: Bluewater Bay, Sardinia Bay, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay and Seagulls and Summerstrand. We had 12 nippers in our U10 team and while some of the teams may have has fewer members, there were others with even more than ourselves. SO these were really impressive results. The other point to note is while some of the events separated the boys from the girls many of them were mixed events.
After the awards, Donald ran through a series of photos that he had taken on the beach. Amoung them were many of Ally where the size of the surf could be seen as well as the effort that she put into the events. He has promised that he will let us have a copy of the disc to forward to the London family. Ally had her friend Laura O with her. The two of them had a Boerewors roll and then spent the rest of the evening on the beach. The spotlights were shining onto the beach and there was this wonderful vibe as the youngsters played on the sand. The adults had steaks and salad as we got to know each a little better. Barbara had been knitting madly to try to get some presents ready for the London family before Jacqui left on the Wednesday and so had not slept well and was feeling tired and sore from dry lips. So at 21.30 we were on our way home.
Peter Giddy
27th November 2005.
Sunday, November 6, 2005
ENERGADE TRIATHLON NOVEMBER 2005.
ENERGADE TRIATHLON. 6th NOVEMBER 2005.
Tim & I had entered on-line during October and so on Saturday afternoon we went down to the Summerstrand Lifesaving Club to register and collect the Chip, a T-shirt and water bottle. There were a number of Achilleans and Crusaders there as can be seen by the results below. Tim & I had run a ten-kay race on Saturday morning in a time that I was quite satisfied with, as it was under 5 mins a kay. Then I looked at some of last year’s times and saw that we had been about 5 mins quicker over the same distance. Ally had swum in a Gala on the Friday and Saturday and had, to our great delight, won two bronze medals.
The Energade event is a 600m swim, 20kay cycle and 5 Kay run. Normally it has started from the Hobie beach but this year had been the Hobie 16 championships at Hobie and I assumed that this was why it was being held at Summerstrand this year. I packed my gear the night before and on Sunday morning cycled down to the start. I thought that I was reasonably early but when I got to Summerstrand there were crowds of people. It seems that the number of entries was almost double that of the previous year. I put this down to Ironman fever in Port Elizabeth. It had rained on Saturday evening and rain was predicted again for this morning. The water had been measured at 17degrees Centigrade and so Wetsuits were permitted. I do not own a wetsuit but was not worried as a short swim like this is invigorating and it is not long enough to chill the body.
I had forgotten my goggles at home and was a little worried as there had been a light Easterly blowing and this had made the sea choppy with large swells. But to my surprise and delight, just before the race was due to start, my daughters, Cathy & Ally presented me with goggles. They had realised that I had left them at home and had walked down the beach to find me. We stood at the start in the light drizzle as nervous runners normally do just before the start of any event. We tried to position ourselves as far to the East as possible as we realised that the swell would carry us back towards the beach. The race started at 09.00 for the ladies individuals and ten minutes later for the men. The teams were to start five minutes after the men had left. The organisers placed the start on the East side of the lifesaving club and this meant that only the swim out to the first Buoy was going to be tough as we would have to swim through the waves, then it would be a matter of following the swell. I battled to get past the huge waves and swells and I think that this contributed to a much slower time than last year. It could also be due to extreme lack of training in the sea. I was one of the last swimmers to pass the first buoy and soon after that the team swimmers came charging past me. As I had thought, once past the first buoy the swell carried us in the general direction of the beach. Overall I had a good if slow swim and was soon out on the beach again and ran past Barbara, Suzanne and my other cheering fans.
I take a little stool to sit on to change into the cycle shoes and so washed my feet, put on socks and the cycling shoes. I had obtained a new bike from my niece, Tracy whose husband; Mark is a good cyclist. I think that Tracy had though that she would join him but after a cycle of about 50 kays decided that this was not for her and abandoned the bike. They have now emigrated to Canada and left the bike in our care to pay for if and when we can. So I felt good as I mounted the bike and started the ride out to Noordhoek. I enjoy having the gear levers on the handlebars as it makes changing gears a lot smoother. Overall the bike was a lot classier than the old one that has served me so faithfully.
Most Triathlons do not allow drafting but in the Energade series this is allowed and I took full advantage as I followed one person after another to the turn. The route back from Noordhoek would be mainly against the breeze and I was able to hook up with a few other chaps as we took turns in the lead. By now there was a bit of rain but nothing would upset me as I was having fun this morning. The only problem that we experienced was the traffic as the cyclists were going in both directions and motorists were becoming visibly agitated.
Back to the transition and on with the takkies. The run was to McArthur Baths and back. I always find that the first few Kays of any run are tough as the legs loosen up. After the cycle this is particularly noticeable and it was only after the half way turn that I settled into a good stride. I had seen many fellow runners heading home as I plodded on the way outward. Now there were only a few people still on the path and I realised that I would be one of the last runners home. On the way towards Hobie beach the cameraman on the motor Bike had filmed and chatted to me. By then I was feeling great and was really enjoying the mornings exercise.
I got back to the transition area just in time before most of the spectators headed home, as the rain was becoming stronger and they must have been getting quite wet and miserable. I am not sure of my time but it must have been slower than last year. I looked in the records to see that Tim & I had done a 1.24 (Position 235 out of 313 competitors and 39 out of 53 Vet Males) last year and today had about a 1.35. In Triathlons you become a Vet at the age of 40. I think that they really never expected people older than that to take on the sport. I think that the choppy seas may have had an influence on the times of today. But I had a terrific morning and felt great about the event.
Just one point that I would have like to make to the organisers: is that the road between the Summerstrand Inn and Noordhoek should be closed to motor vehicles. There were so many cyclists going in both directions that an accident is almost inevitable if stricter control is not enforced.
Some of the Results of people who we know:
Garreth Jacobson last year 1.02 & this year 1.12
George Scott last year 1.29 & this year 1.35
Tim Gendall Last Year 1.24 & this year 1.22
Peter Giddy Last Year 1.24 & this year 1.34
Davera Magson Last year 1.21 this year 1.18
Chris Gedye this year 1.14
Sharon Wilson last year 1.44 & Jill Dunlop Last year 1.20
Roger Oakley this year 1.09
Baron Naude this year 1.17
Jonti Daniel this year 1.17
Paula Wilson this year 1.18
Tracey Brink this year 1.21
Mike Kinston this year 1.21
Pat Thomson this year 1.24
Cathy Thomas this year 1.26
Dion Millson this year 1.29
Roger Vogel this year 1.31
Bobby Bulock This year 1.39
Trevor Hawkins This Year 1.49
This year 377 Finishers in the individual, while last year there were 313 finishers in the individual event. This year 109 Teams finished and last year they had 84 team finishers.
Peter Giddy
6th November 2005.
Tim & I had entered on-line during October and so on Saturday afternoon we went down to the Summerstrand Lifesaving Club to register and collect the Chip, a T-shirt and water bottle. There were a number of Achilleans and Crusaders there as can be seen by the results below. Tim & I had run a ten-kay race on Saturday morning in a time that I was quite satisfied with, as it was under 5 mins a kay. Then I looked at some of last year’s times and saw that we had been about 5 mins quicker over the same distance. Ally had swum in a Gala on the Friday and Saturday and had, to our great delight, won two bronze medals.
The Energade event is a 600m swim, 20kay cycle and 5 Kay run. Normally it has started from the Hobie beach but this year had been the Hobie 16 championships at Hobie and I assumed that this was why it was being held at Summerstrand this year. I packed my gear the night before and on Sunday morning cycled down to the start. I thought that I was reasonably early but when I got to Summerstrand there were crowds of people. It seems that the number of entries was almost double that of the previous year. I put this down to Ironman fever in Port Elizabeth. It had rained on Saturday evening and rain was predicted again for this morning. The water had been measured at 17degrees Centigrade and so Wetsuits were permitted. I do not own a wetsuit but was not worried as a short swim like this is invigorating and it is not long enough to chill the body.
I had forgotten my goggles at home and was a little worried as there had been a light Easterly blowing and this had made the sea choppy with large swells. But to my surprise and delight, just before the race was due to start, my daughters, Cathy & Ally presented me with goggles. They had realised that I had left them at home and had walked down the beach to find me. We stood at the start in the light drizzle as nervous runners normally do just before the start of any event. We tried to position ourselves as far to the East as possible as we realised that the swell would carry us back towards the beach. The race started at 09.00 for the ladies individuals and ten minutes later for the men. The teams were to start five minutes after the men had left. The organisers placed the start on the East side of the lifesaving club and this meant that only the swim out to the first Buoy was going to be tough as we would have to swim through the waves, then it would be a matter of following the swell. I battled to get past the huge waves and swells and I think that this contributed to a much slower time than last year. It could also be due to extreme lack of training in the sea. I was one of the last swimmers to pass the first buoy and soon after that the team swimmers came charging past me. As I had thought, once past the first buoy the swell carried us in the general direction of the beach. Overall I had a good if slow swim and was soon out on the beach again and ran past Barbara, Suzanne and my other cheering fans.
I take a little stool to sit on to change into the cycle shoes and so washed my feet, put on socks and the cycling shoes. I had obtained a new bike from my niece, Tracy whose husband; Mark is a good cyclist. I think that Tracy had though that she would join him but after a cycle of about 50 kays decided that this was not for her and abandoned the bike. They have now emigrated to Canada and left the bike in our care to pay for if and when we can. So I felt good as I mounted the bike and started the ride out to Noordhoek. I enjoy having the gear levers on the handlebars as it makes changing gears a lot smoother. Overall the bike was a lot classier than the old one that has served me so faithfully.
Most Triathlons do not allow drafting but in the Energade series this is allowed and I took full advantage as I followed one person after another to the turn. The route back from Noordhoek would be mainly against the breeze and I was able to hook up with a few other chaps as we took turns in the lead. By now there was a bit of rain but nothing would upset me as I was having fun this morning. The only problem that we experienced was the traffic as the cyclists were going in both directions and motorists were becoming visibly agitated.
Back to the transition and on with the takkies. The run was to McArthur Baths and back. I always find that the first few Kays of any run are tough as the legs loosen up. After the cycle this is particularly noticeable and it was only after the half way turn that I settled into a good stride. I had seen many fellow runners heading home as I plodded on the way outward. Now there were only a few people still on the path and I realised that I would be one of the last runners home. On the way towards Hobie beach the cameraman on the motor Bike had filmed and chatted to me. By then I was feeling great and was really enjoying the mornings exercise.
I got back to the transition area just in time before most of the spectators headed home, as the rain was becoming stronger and they must have been getting quite wet and miserable. I am not sure of my time but it must have been slower than last year. I looked in the records to see that Tim & I had done a 1.24 (Position 235 out of 313 competitors and 39 out of 53 Vet Males) last year and today had about a 1.35. In Triathlons you become a Vet at the age of 40. I think that they really never expected people older than that to take on the sport. I think that the choppy seas may have had an influence on the times of today. But I had a terrific morning and felt great about the event.
Just one point that I would have like to make to the organisers: is that the road between the Summerstrand Inn and Noordhoek should be closed to motor vehicles. There were so many cyclists going in both directions that an accident is almost inevitable if stricter control is not enforced.
Some of the Results of people who we know:
Garreth Jacobson last year 1.02 & this year 1.12
George Scott last year 1.29 & this year 1.35
Tim Gendall Last Year 1.24 & this year 1.22
Peter Giddy Last Year 1.24 & this year 1.34
Davera Magson Last year 1.21 this year 1.18
Chris Gedye this year 1.14
Sharon Wilson last year 1.44 & Jill Dunlop Last year 1.20
Roger Oakley this year 1.09
Baron Naude this year 1.17
Jonti Daniel this year 1.17
Paula Wilson this year 1.18
Tracey Brink this year 1.21
Mike Kinston this year 1.21
Pat Thomson this year 1.24
Cathy Thomas this year 1.26
Dion Millson this year 1.29
Roger Vogel this year 1.31
Bobby Bulock This year 1.39
Trevor Hawkins This Year 1.49
This year 377 Finishers in the individual, while last year there were 313 finishers in the individual event. This year 109 Teams finished and last year they had 84 team finishers.
Peter Giddy
6th November 2005.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
AMATOLA 100KAY TRAIL RUN BAFER OCTOBER 2005
AMATOLA 100KAY TRAIL RUN (ALSO KNOWN AS THE BAFER) 21 – 23 OCTOBER 2005.
For me this run started over a year ago when I first heard of the event. Tim & I were marshalling for the Achilles adventure run and had got there early for a bit of a training-run. We came across Tony Boardman who was running with a backpack. It was here that he told us about this event and at that time I decided that I would like to give it a go. I also found out that Davera Magson had completed the event a few years ago.
Well the year went on and I spoke to a number of people about the event with most saying, in the nicest possible way, “Are you crazy?” I looked for something on the web for BAFER and found an entry form and started speaking to Tim about making a commitment by entering. I knew that I still had plenty of time, as the cut off for entries was still a long way off. Eventually I decided to enter the event and realised that I could not use the entry form, as it was not compatible and phoned Dave. To my horror he told me that entries had closed as there was a limited number and they had already far exceeded that number but he said, send the entry form plus R160 entry fee; but you are the very last! I was relieved and immediately did the necessary and entered Tim & myself.
Now that the decision was made I realised that I would need a backpack with a Bladder. Chatting on the run one morning, Adele said that she had just the thing for me. So the next morning she brought it along and I was able to train with the pack and with a full Bladder. Adrienne, at one stage also mentioned that she had one of these packs that she had brought back from Canada so I borrowed this for Tim. And then the evening before we were due to leave for the event, I was at our cell group at Dale & Tracy and as I had once run with Dale and he had such a pack I asked if I may see it again. And as it turned out this was exactly what was required as it had a bit of storage space for a few items of clothing and food for the day.
About a week before the event Tim & I met up with Tony. Here he was able to provide us with plenty of information as to what to expect and what we should be taking along. The run starts near to Kingwilliamstown at the Maden Dam and ends at Hogsback. The problem would be once we had completed the run how to retrieve our car. It would be a long drive once we had completed the run, to go back to the Dam and I knew that we would be keen to be on our way home as soon as possible after the event. So I was very happy when Ron agreed to come along as a second and driver.
On Friday 21st October 2005, we finally set off at around midday. Kingwilliamstown is a Two and a half hour drive from PE and I had to visit the Morkels shop that afternoon. Once we were in King’ I concluded the bit of work that I had and we filled the car and set off for the dam. The turn off for the Maden Dam is about ten kays from King’ and then there is a further ten kays to the Dam. Once we reached the Dam we were introduced to and warmly greeted by Dave, Peter, Patrick and Chel.
We found, what we believed to be a suitable spot for the tent and in a few minutes had the tent, the stretchers and our various goods set up for the evening. As we were setting up camp, Ron made the comment that this place looked like a convention of the “mountain goats of South Africa”. There were all these lithe looking people with a variety of packs and looking like they knew what they were doing up here in the mountains. Next to our tent we had Rambo set up his pup tent. This man really looked the part with Khaki kit and Spartan gear. Later, after registration, we found a fire and grid and were able to grill our sausages, which we had with rolls and a pasta salad. Then we made our hot chocolate and “hit the sack”.
Only later in the evening did we realise why we had found such a good campsite, right on the edge of the dam. The camp had a spotlight that is left on all night and we were then only tent there where we were in the direct path on this light that made our tent lit the whole night. To add to the light, the moon was almost full and that shone into the tent from the side of the dam. At about two or three in the morning I heard Ron get up and open the flap of the tent but was reluctant to open my eyes to see what was going on. I soon heard him chatting away to Tim while I tried to get as much sleep as I could.
The start was 06.00 and we were up an hour earlier. We tried to do some packing so as to not leave too much for Ron but I still managed to be scratching around for my stuff just as the race briefing was about to start. I will advise anyone doing this kind of event to plan and pack well in advance. It is not like road running where shorts and vest are all you wear. Dave gave us some instructions of which I could remember little and we set off.
DAY ONE:
At first the path is narrow and full of roots and the runner must be careful to watch footing at all times. After about a half hour of running and walking with Mike and Bernadette from Krugersdorp I had my first mishap as I hit my head on a branch that crossed the path. To me it sounded like a pistol shot and I was lying on the ground a little dazed. Fortunately I have always been known to be hard headed and the damage was not too severe. I later found out that Mike Webb from King’ had done exactly the same thing but he had suffered with a headache the whole day. We turned off the path up through the forest and at this stage met up with a group from East London, Dillon, Helen, Brian, Russell and Grant. Brian had completed the event before and the rest seemed to know what they were doing so I was very happy for the company and the experience.
The event is divided into three stages each day. The three stages are separated by the huts of the Hiking Trail. This first stage was about 15kays. My memory of the stage is not that good but I remember that we had to clamber over rocks and do some steep climbs. I thought about doing this with a full back pack loaded with provisions for 6 days. Too tough for me. We reached the Gwili hut (about 14 Kays) in about 3.5 hours. Just as we got to the Gwili Hut we came across some people who were cutting down the Black Wattle and making charcoal in a huge furnace. At the Hut we had to take out our tickets and write our time. This had to be placed under a stone in the hut so that Ian Ross (the sweeper) could check to see that everyone had passed the checkpoint.
At each hut we would have a short break, fill up our water bottles and Bladders and perhaps have a snack. So after ten minutes we set off again. I had not realised that the distance to the next hut was closer to 19kays and struggled with this section. I had one of my “GU’s” which perked me up and I was able to do some running but my problem was water. I had under estimated the quantity that I was drinking from the pack. Dillon asked me if I had emptied my bladder. At this stage I realised that one should be careful of the terminology “bladder” because I replied that I had taken a “leak” but what he was referring to was the bladder in the pack. But yes, my bladder was empty and so was my 500mil bottle. This section took us about 4 hours and in that time I had drunk over two liters of water. I was a bit worried as we approached the hut, as I did not know the distance that we still had to cover and was afraid of dehydrating. But as it turned out we soon reached the Donsta Hut and were able to fill our bladders and bottles. We had met up with Sean who was doing his second Bafer and was trying for an improved time. It seems that Sean had no intention to do any running at all but his walk was ultimately faster than our walk/run. A bit later we met up with Mike from Krugersdorp. He was lost at the time but soon pressed on and made good time that afternoon. We got “lost” a number of times but would backtrack and once we found the Yellow Footprints would set off with confidence again. Overall the trail is very well marked. Just on a few occasions we muttered about where on earth were we?
At Donsta Hut I was able to phone Barbara. She was at the Biathlon where Ally (8 year old) was taking part as an EP representative. Barbara told me that she had come 6th out of 15 in the 800-meter run and had done well in her swim as well. This made me a very proud father and I promptly bored all my walking companions with details of how we had been training and how well she had done. Ally had come 6th out of 12 overall out of the under 9’s. Today was the Birthday of my grandson Christian. Nicci and Stefan live in the UK and Nicci was home for a visit so I had missed Christian’s birthday. As we got to Donsta Hut I saw Helen taping up her feet. This was a stroke of luck for me as my lower back was chaffing from the backpack and she gave me some plaster that I used on my back.
The final section for the day was to be the toughest of the whole trail for Tim & I. We set out at 13.30 and had hoped to finish between 17.30 to 18.00. Initially we made good time doing some running and fast walking. The group that we were with had set a good pace but fortunately for me, Russell was struggling to keep up and so I was also able to have an occasional rest. At one stage we reached a beautiful waterfall. We could see the sun shining through the water as it sprayed over the top of the fall and so we all filled our bottles with the clearest water imaginable. Waterfalls generally mean that there is climbing to be done and this was no exception. The irony of this was that after quite a long climb we reached the plateau where it looked like the source of the waterfall would have been. And here we saw cattle grazing. So it seems that however high you may be there are always going to be animals above you. And these cattle would be stomping around in the water that you think is so pure and clear.
Eventually Tim and I were ahead of the group and reached the forest road where we were able to run a considerable distance before reaching a sign that said shortcut to the Cata Hut. There was a tape across the road and a sign to the left so we followed the Yellow Footprints as we had done all day. We had a quick look at the map and saw that we had a mere 3kays to go and so estimated a little under an hour. What we did not know is that this part of the hike is known as the Waterfall Forest. Normally, on a hike, a waterfall is a beautiful area where the hiker can take a break and enjoy the beauty. Not so here, we had to press on as fast as we were able with the conditions becoming ever tougher and no apparent end in sight. The light was fading and I had visions of us hauling out our torches and trying to find our way through the forest by torchlight. At this stage Tim really lost any sense of humour that might have been left and I think that I was also a little grouchy as, when we came across another couple who were as disoriented as we were, I think that I probably snapped at them when they enquired as to our whereabouts. These uphills I found to be very tough. I was already exhausted as my climbing ability is not that good, my breathing becomes increasingly laboured as I puff and pant my way to the top.
Tim mentioned something about a heart attack while I was already thinking that my heart was about to jump out of my chest. Our spirits were at a very low point when eventually we heard a voice and some clapping. It was Ron. He had walked to the edge of the cliff and was waiting for us. As we reached the top it was a short distance to the hut and it was 18.30. Probably about 15 minutes before dark. Tim phoned Suzanne to say that we had finally reached the overnight hut. I tried to phone but reception was poor and I was simply too tired to try again. Dave Gassner was waiting to greet each of the participants by name and to take a photo as they came in. There is a big round stone that has to be touched. He then gave me a cooldrink and, fortunately for me, Tony was also there. He showed me to the tent with the mattresses where I lay down, took off my damp and cold shirt and, with Ron’s help, put on a tracksuit. At this stage I was a wreck: Hypothermic, shivering and cramping. But all I wanted to do was to lie down and to recover. Dave some into the tent a couple of times and seemed quite concerned about me as he asked if I had eaten or needed anything more to drink. I heard the following day that more than one person had commented that it was unlikely that I would start the next day. Fortunately for me I had advice from people like Tony and Ian who had told me that whatever I felt like: I should start the second day.
Thanks to Ron who was there to help relieve the cramps, fetch supper and generally be a friend. I learned that Peter had driven back to the Donsta Hut to collect someone who had decided enough was enough. We also heard the applause for Ian as he came in with the last group. I am sure that they had taken the road over the final few kays to the hut. By now I was in my sleeping bag and after a supper of Chicken-a-la-King was soon fast asleep. During the night the wind howled and I was so glad that we did not have our little tent, as it would surely have blown off the side of the mountain. Mark had advised me to have water nearby for the night. Despite having drunk water all day I was still dehydrated and needed to drink in the night.
DAY TWO
I had woken a few times during the night but snuggled back into the sleeping bag each time. It is quite amazing the recovery power of a good night’s sleep! I recall the advice that had been given to us by Tony and by Ian: “Whatever you do you must start the second day’s walk”. I never had any doubt in my mind that I would in fact start. At about 04.00am Peter (the tall doctor) came into the tent and woke us up. I was surprisingly fit. No after effects of the previous day. I was able to get dressed and was soon ready for the day, which was due to start at 05.00am. Tim had showered the previous evening but I had not been able to summons the strength for a shower so had to rely on deodorant and the fact that everyone up there must be in the same boat.
I had brought a change of clothing so was feeling quite fresh for the day ahead. The shirts that we wore were the “dry-fit” kind that does not retain the moisture; we wore shorts with pockets on the advice of Tony. Pockets are very useful for keeping the map and a packet of sweets. Both Tim & I had normal running shoes but I know that if I was to do an event like this again I would purchase a pair of trail shoes with a stronger sole. Our feet were quite bruised and sore from the rough terrain. Neither Tim nor I had blisters although Tim had taped up his feet before starting the morning.
Sunday 23rd, this morning started with a climb to the neck of the mountain located just behind the Hut. We had hoped to walk with the East London group again but I seemed to be a bit too slow and Russell had decided to not start the second day. I was pretty much at the back of the pack, following the yellow footprints that had been painted on the rock to indicate the route. We saw some people ahead of us going, in what we believed to be, the wrong way. What they were doing was taking the longer route. For the life of me I cannot imagine why anyone would want to increase the distance or make the route tougher than it already was.
At this stage we had Mark as our guide and he showed us the best path. He took us over the neck but all the time we followed the yellow footprints that Dave, Patrick and others had so dutifully painted on the rocks, trees and any other available place. As we began to descend on the West side of the hill a fast group, who had taken the longer route, came loping past us. It seems that they had the ability to run without having to watch their every foot placement. And within a few minutes they were out of sight. Mark seemed to have a spurt of energy and followed them but he too could not maintain the pace that they were going at. From here we only saw Mark in the distance a few times after that.
It was about this time that we met up with John. John had blown the fish horn to start the race this morning. We later learned that he was called John Michael Tawse and knew Carel and Milka Boschoff from Queenstown and asked us to send greetings. John is the man who we saw at the Maden dam the night before the run started and whom we had labeled as Rambo. Tim, John and I more or less stuck together to the end of the day’s hike. The route after the first hill took a sharp down hill to the river valley below, then wound up and down and across the river up to the Mnyameni Hut where we put our tickets to show Ian that we had been past this point. The name Mnyameni is the Xhosa name that is used for Alexandra. This section had taken us about 3.15 hours and was tough not so much from the initial climb but more from the criss-crossing the river.
When we put our tickets under the rock we would also put the time that we reached the hut. I realised later that Dave gathered all this information and used it to produce results. From this hut there was again a long climb to a contour path, which was also mainly uphill. In the section just before the hut we had done a little jogging but mainly a good fast walk. But after the first hut of the day we did not really do any jogging at all. This contour path seemed to go on forever and we could see what we thought was Mark in the distance and across the valleys. Once over this ridge the path runs down another river valley passing many beautiful waterfalls and pools. I would have loved to have taken off my shoes and had a swim or at least bathed my weary feet for a few minutes but for us there was to be no sitting around. We filled water bottles and pressed on. I remember thinking of Mike Perks and our Kloofing trip. Mike would have loved these rivers as he could happily abseil down cliffs and leap into pools from rocks above.
The Dillon, Helen, Brian and Grant group came past us at one of these streams. It was about this time that I slipped and banged my knee on a rock. Tim helped me up and I decided to press on even faster. I was worried that if I slowed down that the knee would seize up. In fact from about Monday to Wednesday the next week the knee was quite swollen and sore. A while later we came across Patrick and Grant. Patrick was the sweeper for the Little Bafer or the 35kay event, which had started earlier that morning. Patrick was behind the two ladies who were bringing up the rear of the 35kay event. We passed them and then followed the road for a short while before going back into the forest for the last 4 kays to the second hut of the day.
This was to be a really long 4 kays and seemed to take forever. Firstly there was some contouring to be done again, then there was a really sharp descent where we had to clamber down rocks and very steep pathways then the worst of all was the long trek though the forest, which seemed to go on forever. But of course we finally reached the Zingcuka Hut where we faithfully put our tickets under the rock. The English translation of the Xhosa word Zingcuka, is Hyena. This section of the hike was long and tiring and had taken us about 5 hours. My advice to any hiker or trail runner: When you think that you should be reaching the checkpoint within a certain time --- just add an additional 15 to 30 minutes to avoid frustration and disappointment. I thought to myself: in this time of high technology, timing chips, GPS strapped to arms, heart rate monitors and cell phones that the piece of paper placed under a rock was still the most effective way of measuring who had passed that spot and at what time.
On our way to this hut John had said that he was not going over the “Hog”. We knew that we had to make the cut off point by 14.00 and were confident that we would do so but during the long slog to the second hut I finally blurted out to Tim: “I am also going to take the short cut”. I had all kinds of justification for this decision; I had to be on an early flight in the morning for Johannesburg; Ron would be waiting for us until late; we might become lost in the dark; there was still a long drive home and I could picture myself laying in the back of the car cramping. None of these excuses were really valid but after the last section that we had just gone through and remembering how tired we were the previous evening I simply could not face another two hour climb and then a couple more hours before we got to the finish, probably after 18.00 to 18.30. Today I had not put my Energy bar or my GU in my shorts pocket. This makes a difference, as I was too weary to take the pack off and to dig in for the stuff. I think that if I had the GU readily available I would have been able to get the boost that GU gives and would probably have felt a lot chirpier. Another piece of advice that I would like to give a potential Bafer Novice like myself is to use the Buff that we received at Rhodes. I wore the Buff around my neck and so was not at all sunburned. But the Buff can also be used as a balaclava if necessary.
When John, Patrick, Grant and the ladies joined us at the hut we all agreed to take the road home. Patrick said that he had to go over the Hog as he was the sweeper and when we got to where Peter was waiting for us he turned into the forest and we carried on along the road. John was taking the most strain as he had terrible blisters. John had asked me if I had heard of the Sky Run. I said yes and that I had also heard of lunatic asylums. The Sky Run takes the runner over the mountains from Lady Grey to the Ski resort of Tiffendale. I believe it to be about 140kays over two days. Well, said John, “I was the founder of the Sky Run” I then realised that I was in the company of a dedicated extremist. He went on to tell us that he had completed all but one, of the seven times that the Bafer had been run and that he and JP were the front runners at one time. JP it seems was the inventor of the Puffer which is a run that starts at the Cape Point, goes over the mountains including Table Mountain and finishes at the Waterfront this being a distance of about 80 kays.
We also learned that John was in fact correctly dubbed Rambo as he is employed by the American Department of Defence in Iraq to protect the personnel in the engineering projects. We had some really interesting chats as it turned out that he is also a Christian and attended the same school as I did in Grahamstown (St Andrews) and we were in the same Boarding house (Espin): and that only ten years separated us.
Having decided to take the “escape route” we now had only about two hours of walking left. I phoned: home to let Barbara know our position, my Mother as she had tried to get hold of me to make sure that I was still alive and Tracey & Stuart as they had both been supportive of our trip with calls & SMS’s of good wishes. This final section was an easy walk and we could soon see Hobbiton in the distance. We walked in together to the delight of Ron who had expected to see us much later. Dave was there again to welcome us home and take pictures.
As Dave said in a newsletter later: Each athlete should decide for himself if it was okay to take the short cut. This is not a race against others but is there for your own experience and enjoyment. We were only too happy just to have finished. We realised that the Dillon Group had also taken the short cut. I think that Tony may have been a little disappointed in me but in my mind we had had two really good days of exercise. After a shower, plate of Curry and rice and farewells to the supporting teams, we set off for the drive home.
Ron drove and we reached home at about 20.00. Tired, satisfied and ready for whatever life has to offer is how I felt that evening as I unpacked and stuck everything into the washing.
From the information that I have it seems that there were 59 entrants, 8 did not start, 4 did not complete the first day and a further 4 did not start the second day. Of the four who did not complete the first day, three people started and completed the second day. So overall 46 people walked and ran across the final finish line. It seems that Tim and I had also taken a short cut on the first day by not going to Doornkop but we did not know how this was possible as we had been walking with the Dillon Group for most of the day and had been faithfully following the yellow footprints. Tony Boardman did the event (including the Hog) in 21.5 hours and it took Tim & myself 23 hours. Tim has said never again. I am not so certain but I would like to have done the Hog as well. To do this I will have to stay over at Hobbiton after the event and so take the Monday as a day off so that I am not pressed for time on the Sunday. To me this event has very little to do with time or running. To use Tony’s words: This is a fast hike where you are able to break into a jog on occasions. To complete an event like this you will need to be fit, not necessarily a runner but have basic walking and running aerobic fitness as well as a strong mind and will to finish.
And just in case you are interested;
Dave is busy setting up another trail event: the Wild Coast 265kays from Port St Johns to East London over five days from Monday 13th February 2006 to Saturday 18th February 2006. This event (cost about R500) will end with the Surfers Marathon. And next years Amatola 100kay will be on Saturday 21st October 2006. I understand that Oxford Striders have agreed to take over the organisation of the event from Dave. There will still be a limited number of entries. This is not the kind of event that I will do on my own. I will need someone who is willing to stay at my pace throughout the distance. So if you are keen to experience something completely different, please let me know and we can talk about 2006. By the way I am also planning an Orange River Canoe Trail around the week after Two Oceans. This is during school holidays and will be a six-day event with a cost, excluding travel, of about R2000.
Peter Giddy
pgiddy@hinet.co.za
peterg@jdg.co.za
082 550 3174
31 October 2005.
email from Ian Ross....
so you enjoyed it ? you were doing very well as I didnt
see you at all during the race .... so well done ...
just a point about the Hog , the cut off at 2pm is there
so give you enough time to go over and finish before dark ...
and normally you will get caught by the sweeper ( unless
there has been some crisis with someone behind you ( it has
happened )) .....
this year I set off from Cata about 20 minutes after everyone else
caught the tail enders half way up Geju ( before the short cut ) ,
stayed with them till Mnyameni , left the back two and the next two
on that contour path above Mnyameni , passed the next four
in the upper reaches of the Wolf river valley , found Siegfreid
lying in the path about 5k from Zinguka , and walked him down to
the hut very slowly , still got to the doc at about 2:15pm .....
and left him at 2:30pm
so if you'd gone the whole hog I would have kept you company !!!
I caught the last two people to go over the hog way down in the
forest on the other side , about 5km from the finish ( that was
Jane Bain and Julie )
I'd rate the effort involved in doing the whole thing as like
doing back to back Comrades .... but as its not as repetitve
as road running you dont get the same muscle soreness , just
very tired . So I'd say if you're slightly less than Comrades
fit you can do this .
The bit about walking the whole thing is very deceptive , quite
a few people have tried and failed miserably , Sean is an
exception as he walks at a hell of a rate and I beleive he
doesnt stop at the huts . You basically have to run somewhere .
and the point of it all is to do the whole thing - no short cuts....
whats the point of entering a 100km race and only doing 80 ?
and didnt you think it was stunningly beautiful ? it was exceptionally
clear this year , I've done it in appalling weather before ( hope
you had your waterproofs/ space blanket etc ) , so dont get complacent
next year !!
Cheers
Ian
For me this run started over a year ago when I first heard of the event. Tim & I were marshalling for the Achilles adventure run and had got there early for a bit of a training-run. We came across Tony Boardman who was running with a backpack. It was here that he told us about this event and at that time I decided that I would like to give it a go. I also found out that Davera Magson had completed the event a few years ago.
Well the year went on and I spoke to a number of people about the event with most saying, in the nicest possible way, “Are you crazy?” I looked for something on the web for BAFER and found an entry form and started speaking to Tim about making a commitment by entering. I knew that I still had plenty of time, as the cut off for entries was still a long way off. Eventually I decided to enter the event and realised that I could not use the entry form, as it was not compatible and phoned Dave. To my horror he told me that entries had closed as there was a limited number and they had already far exceeded that number but he said, send the entry form plus R160 entry fee; but you are the very last! I was relieved and immediately did the necessary and entered Tim & myself.
Now that the decision was made I realised that I would need a backpack with a Bladder. Chatting on the run one morning, Adele said that she had just the thing for me. So the next morning she brought it along and I was able to train with the pack and with a full Bladder. Adrienne, at one stage also mentioned that she had one of these packs that she had brought back from Canada so I borrowed this for Tim. And then the evening before we were due to leave for the event, I was at our cell group at Dale & Tracy and as I had once run with Dale and he had such a pack I asked if I may see it again. And as it turned out this was exactly what was required as it had a bit of storage space for a few items of clothing and food for the day.
About a week before the event Tim & I met up with Tony. Here he was able to provide us with plenty of information as to what to expect and what we should be taking along. The run starts near to Kingwilliamstown at the Maden Dam and ends at Hogsback. The problem would be once we had completed the run how to retrieve our car. It would be a long drive once we had completed the run, to go back to the Dam and I knew that we would be keen to be on our way home as soon as possible after the event. So I was very happy when Ron agreed to come along as a second and driver.
On Friday 21st October 2005, we finally set off at around midday. Kingwilliamstown is a Two and a half hour drive from PE and I had to visit the Morkels shop that afternoon. Once we were in King’ I concluded the bit of work that I had and we filled the car and set off for the dam. The turn off for the Maden Dam is about ten kays from King’ and then there is a further ten kays to the Dam. Once we reached the Dam we were introduced to and warmly greeted by Dave, Peter, Patrick and Chel.
We found, what we believed to be a suitable spot for the tent and in a few minutes had the tent, the stretchers and our various goods set up for the evening. As we were setting up camp, Ron made the comment that this place looked like a convention of the “mountain goats of South Africa”. There were all these lithe looking people with a variety of packs and looking like they knew what they were doing up here in the mountains. Next to our tent we had Rambo set up his pup tent. This man really looked the part with Khaki kit and Spartan gear. Later, after registration, we found a fire and grid and were able to grill our sausages, which we had with rolls and a pasta salad. Then we made our hot chocolate and “hit the sack”.
Only later in the evening did we realise why we had found such a good campsite, right on the edge of the dam. The camp had a spotlight that is left on all night and we were then only tent there where we were in the direct path on this light that made our tent lit the whole night. To add to the light, the moon was almost full and that shone into the tent from the side of the dam. At about two or three in the morning I heard Ron get up and open the flap of the tent but was reluctant to open my eyes to see what was going on. I soon heard him chatting away to Tim while I tried to get as much sleep as I could.
The start was 06.00 and we were up an hour earlier. We tried to do some packing so as to not leave too much for Ron but I still managed to be scratching around for my stuff just as the race briefing was about to start. I will advise anyone doing this kind of event to plan and pack well in advance. It is not like road running where shorts and vest are all you wear. Dave gave us some instructions of which I could remember little and we set off.
DAY ONE:
At first the path is narrow and full of roots and the runner must be careful to watch footing at all times. After about a half hour of running and walking with Mike and Bernadette from Krugersdorp I had my first mishap as I hit my head on a branch that crossed the path. To me it sounded like a pistol shot and I was lying on the ground a little dazed. Fortunately I have always been known to be hard headed and the damage was not too severe. I later found out that Mike Webb from King’ had done exactly the same thing but he had suffered with a headache the whole day. We turned off the path up through the forest and at this stage met up with a group from East London, Dillon, Helen, Brian, Russell and Grant. Brian had completed the event before and the rest seemed to know what they were doing so I was very happy for the company and the experience.
The event is divided into three stages each day. The three stages are separated by the huts of the Hiking Trail. This first stage was about 15kays. My memory of the stage is not that good but I remember that we had to clamber over rocks and do some steep climbs. I thought about doing this with a full back pack loaded with provisions for 6 days. Too tough for me. We reached the Gwili hut (about 14 Kays) in about 3.5 hours. Just as we got to the Gwili Hut we came across some people who were cutting down the Black Wattle and making charcoal in a huge furnace. At the Hut we had to take out our tickets and write our time. This had to be placed under a stone in the hut so that Ian Ross (the sweeper) could check to see that everyone had passed the checkpoint.
At each hut we would have a short break, fill up our water bottles and Bladders and perhaps have a snack. So after ten minutes we set off again. I had not realised that the distance to the next hut was closer to 19kays and struggled with this section. I had one of my “GU’s” which perked me up and I was able to do some running but my problem was water. I had under estimated the quantity that I was drinking from the pack. Dillon asked me if I had emptied my bladder. At this stage I realised that one should be careful of the terminology “bladder” because I replied that I had taken a “leak” but what he was referring to was the bladder in the pack. But yes, my bladder was empty and so was my 500mil bottle. This section took us about 4 hours and in that time I had drunk over two liters of water. I was a bit worried as we approached the hut, as I did not know the distance that we still had to cover and was afraid of dehydrating. But as it turned out we soon reached the Donsta Hut and were able to fill our bladders and bottles. We had met up with Sean who was doing his second Bafer and was trying for an improved time. It seems that Sean had no intention to do any running at all but his walk was ultimately faster than our walk/run. A bit later we met up with Mike from Krugersdorp. He was lost at the time but soon pressed on and made good time that afternoon. We got “lost” a number of times but would backtrack and once we found the Yellow Footprints would set off with confidence again. Overall the trail is very well marked. Just on a few occasions we muttered about where on earth were we?
At Donsta Hut I was able to phone Barbara. She was at the Biathlon where Ally (8 year old) was taking part as an EP representative. Barbara told me that she had come 6th out of 15 in the 800-meter run and had done well in her swim as well. This made me a very proud father and I promptly bored all my walking companions with details of how we had been training and how well she had done. Ally had come 6th out of 12 overall out of the under 9’s. Today was the Birthday of my grandson Christian. Nicci and Stefan live in the UK and Nicci was home for a visit so I had missed Christian’s birthday. As we got to Donsta Hut I saw Helen taping up her feet. This was a stroke of luck for me as my lower back was chaffing from the backpack and she gave me some plaster that I used on my back.
The final section for the day was to be the toughest of the whole trail for Tim & I. We set out at 13.30 and had hoped to finish between 17.30 to 18.00. Initially we made good time doing some running and fast walking. The group that we were with had set a good pace but fortunately for me, Russell was struggling to keep up and so I was also able to have an occasional rest. At one stage we reached a beautiful waterfall. We could see the sun shining through the water as it sprayed over the top of the fall and so we all filled our bottles with the clearest water imaginable. Waterfalls generally mean that there is climbing to be done and this was no exception. The irony of this was that after quite a long climb we reached the plateau where it looked like the source of the waterfall would have been. And here we saw cattle grazing. So it seems that however high you may be there are always going to be animals above you. And these cattle would be stomping around in the water that you think is so pure and clear.
Eventually Tim and I were ahead of the group and reached the forest road where we were able to run a considerable distance before reaching a sign that said shortcut to the Cata Hut. There was a tape across the road and a sign to the left so we followed the Yellow Footprints as we had done all day. We had a quick look at the map and saw that we had a mere 3kays to go and so estimated a little under an hour. What we did not know is that this part of the hike is known as the Waterfall Forest. Normally, on a hike, a waterfall is a beautiful area where the hiker can take a break and enjoy the beauty. Not so here, we had to press on as fast as we were able with the conditions becoming ever tougher and no apparent end in sight. The light was fading and I had visions of us hauling out our torches and trying to find our way through the forest by torchlight. At this stage Tim really lost any sense of humour that might have been left and I think that I was also a little grouchy as, when we came across another couple who were as disoriented as we were, I think that I probably snapped at them when they enquired as to our whereabouts. These uphills I found to be very tough. I was already exhausted as my climbing ability is not that good, my breathing becomes increasingly laboured as I puff and pant my way to the top.
Tim mentioned something about a heart attack while I was already thinking that my heart was about to jump out of my chest. Our spirits were at a very low point when eventually we heard a voice and some clapping. It was Ron. He had walked to the edge of the cliff and was waiting for us. As we reached the top it was a short distance to the hut and it was 18.30. Probably about 15 minutes before dark. Tim phoned Suzanne to say that we had finally reached the overnight hut. I tried to phone but reception was poor and I was simply too tired to try again. Dave Gassner was waiting to greet each of the participants by name and to take a photo as they came in. There is a big round stone that has to be touched. He then gave me a cooldrink and, fortunately for me, Tony was also there. He showed me to the tent with the mattresses where I lay down, took off my damp and cold shirt and, with Ron’s help, put on a tracksuit. At this stage I was a wreck: Hypothermic, shivering and cramping. But all I wanted to do was to lie down and to recover. Dave some into the tent a couple of times and seemed quite concerned about me as he asked if I had eaten or needed anything more to drink. I heard the following day that more than one person had commented that it was unlikely that I would start the next day. Fortunately for me I had advice from people like Tony and Ian who had told me that whatever I felt like: I should start the second day.
Thanks to Ron who was there to help relieve the cramps, fetch supper and generally be a friend. I learned that Peter had driven back to the Donsta Hut to collect someone who had decided enough was enough. We also heard the applause for Ian as he came in with the last group. I am sure that they had taken the road over the final few kays to the hut. By now I was in my sleeping bag and after a supper of Chicken-a-la-King was soon fast asleep. During the night the wind howled and I was so glad that we did not have our little tent, as it would surely have blown off the side of the mountain. Mark had advised me to have water nearby for the night. Despite having drunk water all day I was still dehydrated and needed to drink in the night.
DAY TWO
I had woken a few times during the night but snuggled back into the sleeping bag each time. It is quite amazing the recovery power of a good night’s sleep! I recall the advice that had been given to us by Tony and by Ian: “Whatever you do you must start the second day’s walk”. I never had any doubt in my mind that I would in fact start. At about 04.00am Peter (the tall doctor) came into the tent and woke us up. I was surprisingly fit. No after effects of the previous day. I was able to get dressed and was soon ready for the day, which was due to start at 05.00am. Tim had showered the previous evening but I had not been able to summons the strength for a shower so had to rely on deodorant and the fact that everyone up there must be in the same boat.
I had brought a change of clothing so was feeling quite fresh for the day ahead. The shirts that we wore were the “dry-fit” kind that does not retain the moisture; we wore shorts with pockets on the advice of Tony. Pockets are very useful for keeping the map and a packet of sweets. Both Tim & I had normal running shoes but I know that if I was to do an event like this again I would purchase a pair of trail shoes with a stronger sole. Our feet were quite bruised and sore from the rough terrain. Neither Tim nor I had blisters although Tim had taped up his feet before starting the morning.
Sunday 23rd, this morning started with a climb to the neck of the mountain located just behind the Hut. We had hoped to walk with the East London group again but I seemed to be a bit too slow and Russell had decided to not start the second day. I was pretty much at the back of the pack, following the yellow footprints that had been painted on the rock to indicate the route. We saw some people ahead of us going, in what we believed to be, the wrong way. What they were doing was taking the longer route. For the life of me I cannot imagine why anyone would want to increase the distance or make the route tougher than it already was.
At this stage we had Mark as our guide and he showed us the best path. He took us over the neck but all the time we followed the yellow footprints that Dave, Patrick and others had so dutifully painted on the rocks, trees and any other available place. As we began to descend on the West side of the hill a fast group, who had taken the longer route, came loping past us. It seems that they had the ability to run without having to watch their every foot placement. And within a few minutes they were out of sight. Mark seemed to have a spurt of energy and followed them but he too could not maintain the pace that they were going at. From here we only saw Mark in the distance a few times after that.
It was about this time that we met up with John. John had blown the fish horn to start the race this morning. We later learned that he was called John Michael Tawse and knew Carel and Milka Boschoff from Queenstown and asked us to send greetings. John is the man who we saw at the Maden dam the night before the run started and whom we had labeled as Rambo. Tim, John and I more or less stuck together to the end of the day’s hike. The route after the first hill took a sharp down hill to the river valley below, then wound up and down and across the river up to the Mnyameni Hut where we put our tickets to show Ian that we had been past this point. The name Mnyameni is the Xhosa name that is used for Alexandra. This section had taken us about 3.15 hours and was tough not so much from the initial climb but more from the criss-crossing the river.
When we put our tickets under the rock we would also put the time that we reached the hut. I realised later that Dave gathered all this information and used it to produce results. From this hut there was again a long climb to a contour path, which was also mainly uphill. In the section just before the hut we had done a little jogging but mainly a good fast walk. But after the first hut of the day we did not really do any jogging at all. This contour path seemed to go on forever and we could see what we thought was Mark in the distance and across the valleys. Once over this ridge the path runs down another river valley passing many beautiful waterfalls and pools. I would have loved to have taken off my shoes and had a swim or at least bathed my weary feet for a few minutes but for us there was to be no sitting around. We filled water bottles and pressed on. I remember thinking of Mike Perks and our Kloofing trip. Mike would have loved these rivers as he could happily abseil down cliffs and leap into pools from rocks above.
The Dillon, Helen, Brian and Grant group came past us at one of these streams. It was about this time that I slipped and banged my knee on a rock. Tim helped me up and I decided to press on even faster. I was worried that if I slowed down that the knee would seize up. In fact from about Monday to Wednesday the next week the knee was quite swollen and sore. A while later we came across Patrick and Grant. Patrick was the sweeper for the Little Bafer or the 35kay event, which had started earlier that morning. Patrick was behind the two ladies who were bringing up the rear of the 35kay event. We passed them and then followed the road for a short while before going back into the forest for the last 4 kays to the second hut of the day.
This was to be a really long 4 kays and seemed to take forever. Firstly there was some contouring to be done again, then there was a really sharp descent where we had to clamber down rocks and very steep pathways then the worst of all was the long trek though the forest, which seemed to go on forever. But of course we finally reached the Zingcuka Hut where we faithfully put our tickets under the rock. The English translation of the Xhosa word Zingcuka, is Hyena. This section of the hike was long and tiring and had taken us about 5 hours. My advice to any hiker or trail runner: When you think that you should be reaching the checkpoint within a certain time --- just add an additional 15 to 30 minutes to avoid frustration and disappointment. I thought to myself: in this time of high technology, timing chips, GPS strapped to arms, heart rate monitors and cell phones that the piece of paper placed under a rock was still the most effective way of measuring who had passed that spot and at what time.
On our way to this hut John had said that he was not going over the “Hog”. We knew that we had to make the cut off point by 14.00 and were confident that we would do so but during the long slog to the second hut I finally blurted out to Tim: “I am also going to take the short cut”. I had all kinds of justification for this decision; I had to be on an early flight in the morning for Johannesburg; Ron would be waiting for us until late; we might become lost in the dark; there was still a long drive home and I could picture myself laying in the back of the car cramping. None of these excuses were really valid but after the last section that we had just gone through and remembering how tired we were the previous evening I simply could not face another two hour climb and then a couple more hours before we got to the finish, probably after 18.00 to 18.30. Today I had not put my Energy bar or my GU in my shorts pocket. This makes a difference, as I was too weary to take the pack off and to dig in for the stuff. I think that if I had the GU readily available I would have been able to get the boost that GU gives and would probably have felt a lot chirpier. Another piece of advice that I would like to give a potential Bafer Novice like myself is to use the Buff that we received at Rhodes. I wore the Buff around my neck and so was not at all sunburned. But the Buff can also be used as a balaclava if necessary.
When John, Patrick, Grant and the ladies joined us at the hut we all agreed to take the road home. Patrick said that he had to go over the Hog as he was the sweeper and when we got to where Peter was waiting for us he turned into the forest and we carried on along the road. John was taking the most strain as he had terrible blisters. John had asked me if I had heard of the Sky Run. I said yes and that I had also heard of lunatic asylums. The Sky Run takes the runner over the mountains from Lady Grey to the Ski resort of Tiffendale. I believe it to be about 140kays over two days. Well, said John, “I was the founder of the Sky Run” I then realised that I was in the company of a dedicated extremist. He went on to tell us that he had completed all but one, of the seven times that the Bafer had been run and that he and JP were the front runners at one time. JP it seems was the inventor of the Puffer which is a run that starts at the Cape Point, goes over the mountains including Table Mountain and finishes at the Waterfront this being a distance of about 80 kays.
We also learned that John was in fact correctly dubbed Rambo as he is employed by the American Department of Defence in Iraq to protect the personnel in the engineering projects. We had some really interesting chats as it turned out that he is also a Christian and attended the same school as I did in Grahamstown (St Andrews) and we were in the same Boarding house (Espin): and that only ten years separated us.
Having decided to take the “escape route” we now had only about two hours of walking left. I phoned: home to let Barbara know our position, my Mother as she had tried to get hold of me to make sure that I was still alive and Tracey & Stuart as they had both been supportive of our trip with calls & SMS’s of good wishes. This final section was an easy walk and we could soon see Hobbiton in the distance. We walked in together to the delight of Ron who had expected to see us much later. Dave was there again to welcome us home and take pictures.
As Dave said in a newsletter later: Each athlete should decide for himself if it was okay to take the short cut. This is not a race against others but is there for your own experience and enjoyment. We were only too happy just to have finished. We realised that the Dillon Group had also taken the short cut. I think that Tony may have been a little disappointed in me but in my mind we had had two really good days of exercise. After a shower, plate of Curry and rice and farewells to the supporting teams, we set off for the drive home.
Ron drove and we reached home at about 20.00. Tired, satisfied and ready for whatever life has to offer is how I felt that evening as I unpacked and stuck everything into the washing.
From the information that I have it seems that there were 59 entrants, 8 did not start, 4 did not complete the first day and a further 4 did not start the second day. Of the four who did not complete the first day, three people started and completed the second day. So overall 46 people walked and ran across the final finish line. It seems that Tim and I had also taken a short cut on the first day by not going to Doornkop but we did not know how this was possible as we had been walking with the Dillon Group for most of the day and had been faithfully following the yellow footprints. Tony Boardman did the event (including the Hog) in 21.5 hours and it took Tim & myself 23 hours. Tim has said never again. I am not so certain but I would like to have done the Hog as well. To do this I will have to stay over at Hobbiton after the event and so take the Monday as a day off so that I am not pressed for time on the Sunday. To me this event has very little to do with time or running. To use Tony’s words: This is a fast hike where you are able to break into a jog on occasions. To complete an event like this you will need to be fit, not necessarily a runner but have basic walking and running aerobic fitness as well as a strong mind and will to finish.
And just in case you are interested;
Dave is busy setting up another trail event: the Wild Coast 265kays from Port St Johns to East London over five days from Monday 13th February 2006 to Saturday 18th February 2006. This event (cost about R500) will end with the Surfers Marathon. And next years Amatola 100kay will be on Saturday 21st October 2006. I understand that Oxford Striders have agreed to take over the organisation of the event from Dave. There will still be a limited number of entries. This is not the kind of event that I will do on my own. I will need someone who is willing to stay at my pace throughout the distance. So if you are keen to experience something completely different, please let me know and we can talk about 2006. By the way I am also planning an Orange River Canoe Trail around the week after Two Oceans. This is during school holidays and will be a six-day event with a cost, excluding travel, of about R2000.
Peter Giddy
pgiddy@hinet.co.za
peterg@jdg.co.za
082 550 3174
31 October 2005.
email from Ian Ross....
so you enjoyed it ? you were doing very well as I didnt
see you at all during the race .... so well done ...
just a point about the Hog , the cut off at 2pm is there
so give you enough time to go over and finish before dark ...
and normally you will get caught by the sweeper ( unless
there has been some crisis with someone behind you ( it has
happened )) .....
this year I set off from Cata about 20 minutes after everyone else
caught the tail enders half way up Geju ( before the short cut ) ,
stayed with them till Mnyameni , left the back two and the next two
on that contour path above Mnyameni , passed the next four
in the upper reaches of the Wolf river valley , found Siegfreid
lying in the path about 5k from Zinguka , and walked him down to
the hut very slowly , still got to the doc at about 2:15pm .....
and left him at 2:30pm
so if you'd gone the whole hog I would have kept you company !!!
I caught the last two people to go over the hog way down in the
forest on the other side , about 5km from the finish ( that was
Jane Bain and Julie )
I'd rate the effort involved in doing the whole thing as like
doing back to back Comrades .... but as its not as repetitve
as road running you dont get the same muscle soreness , just
very tired . So I'd say if you're slightly less than Comrades
fit you can do this .
The bit about walking the whole thing is very deceptive , quite
a few people have tried and failed miserably , Sean is an
exception as he walks at a hell of a rate and I beleive he
doesnt stop at the huts . You basically have to run somewhere .
and the point of it all is to do the whole thing - no short cuts....
whats the point of entering a 100km race and only doing 80 ?
and didnt you think it was stunningly beautiful ? it was exceptionally
clear this year , I've done it in appalling weather before ( hope
you had your waterproofs/ space blanket etc ) , so dont get complacent
next year !!
Cheers
Ian
Saturday, October 1, 2005
URGENT / IMPORTANT NEIL LANGNER OCTOBER 2005.
URGENT NOT URGENT
IMPORTANT Quadrant I Activities
• Crises
• Pressing problems
• Deadline driven projects
Leads to:
1. Stress
2. Burnout
3. Crises Management
4. Fire Fighting
Feeling helpless as you await the next catastrophe to strike.
Always feeling and acting like a VICTIM of circumstances Quadrant II Activities
• Relationship Building
• Planning
• Giving Thanks/Recognition
• Rest & Recreation
Leads to:
1. Vision
2. Balance
3. Discipline
4. Priorities
• God
• Spouse
• Children
• Self
• Community
• Workplace
Knowing that GOD is in control.
Being fully reliant on HIM.
Knowing that whatever your circumstances, it will bring glory to GOD.
NOT IMPORTANT Quadrant II Activities
• Interruptions
• Phone Calls & e-mail
• Watching TV
Leads to:
1. Short term focus
2. Concern about reputation
3. Seeing goals as worthless
4. Severe feelings of victimization Quadrant IV Activities
• Trivia
• Time Wasting
• Loitering
• Feeding Self only
Leads to:
1. Irresponsibility
2. Missing appointments
3. Dependence on others for basics
4. Loss of job/responsibilities
5. Divorce
6. Vagrancy
No one lives exclusively in only one quadrant.
Successful people however manage to prioritize Quadrant II activities into their life routine. These activities are non-negotiable. You can move all the other things or cancel them, but not these. This is the things that really matter to your GOD and to you. When you do them, other activities will take on the correct priority.
Remember, we see things not as they are, but as we are! (From our frame of reference)
To say that you cannot teach an old dog a new trick, is an insult to old dogs.
We are creatures of habit. Good habits and bad habits(also called addictions).
Good Habits Bad Habits (Addictions)
Daily quiet time
Healthy living
Positivity
Commitment
Savoring Life
Watching TV all day
Laziness
Negativity
Disinterest
Being Bored
Etc…
But new habits can be learnt and bad habits can be changed!
There are 4 levels of awareness:
1. UNconscious INcompetence
We do not know that what we are doing is a bad habit that has negative consequences.
Example: We do not brush our teeth before going to bed at night, resulting in a foul breath and tooth decay.
Then someone lovingly helps us see the negative impact of this on self and others and we become Consciously Incompetent.
2. CONscious INcompetence
We now know that not brushing your teeth before going to bed at night is wrong and makes it unpleasant for others who share the house and causes tooth decay.
To make brushing teeth before bed a new habit, you need to initially have a REMINDER every night to brush your teeth. This can be in the form of a note on you pillow, gentle reminder from a spouse, brother, sister or child. (Others who already have this good habit).
This makes one become Consciously Competent!
3. CONscious COMpetence
Time and repetition will make this activity become an involuntary action. Something you will do without having to be reminded. Like driving a car. Do you still need reminding how this is done or is it automatic and natural?
Once you have achieved this, you will become Unconsciously Competent.
4. UNconscious COMpetence
You do the right things naturally, it is part of you, like breathing. In the first 7 years of a childs life, most habits are implanted by their parents. To create new ones and break bad ones will require more effort, but can be achieved by understanding the 4 levels of consciousness.
IMPORTANT Quadrant I Activities
• Crises
• Pressing problems
• Deadline driven projects
Leads to:
1. Stress
2. Burnout
3. Crises Management
4. Fire Fighting
Feeling helpless as you await the next catastrophe to strike.
Always feeling and acting like a VICTIM of circumstances Quadrant II Activities
• Relationship Building
• Planning
• Giving Thanks/Recognition
• Rest & Recreation
Leads to:
1. Vision
2. Balance
3. Discipline
4. Priorities
• God
• Spouse
• Children
• Self
• Community
• Workplace
Knowing that GOD is in control.
Being fully reliant on HIM.
Knowing that whatever your circumstances, it will bring glory to GOD.
NOT IMPORTANT Quadrant II Activities
• Interruptions
• Phone Calls & e-mail
• Watching TV
Leads to:
1. Short term focus
2. Concern about reputation
3. Seeing goals as worthless
4. Severe feelings of victimization Quadrant IV Activities
• Trivia
• Time Wasting
• Loitering
• Feeding Self only
Leads to:
1. Irresponsibility
2. Missing appointments
3. Dependence on others for basics
4. Loss of job/responsibilities
5. Divorce
6. Vagrancy
No one lives exclusively in only one quadrant.
Successful people however manage to prioritize Quadrant II activities into their life routine. These activities are non-negotiable. You can move all the other things or cancel them, but not these. This is the things that really matter to your GOD and to you. When you do them, other activities will take on the correct priority.
Remember, we see things not as they are, but as we are! (From our frame of reference)
To say that you cannot teach an old dog a new trick, is an insult to old dogs.
We are creatures of habit. Good habits and bad habits(also called addictions).
Good Habits Bad Habits (Addictions)
Daily quiet time
Healthy living
Positivity
Commitment
Savoring Life
Watching TV all day
Laziness
Negativity
Disinterest
Being Bored
Etc…
But new habits can be learnt and bad habits can be changed!
There are 4 levels of awareness:
1. UNconscious INcompetence
We do not know that what we are doing is a bad habit that has negative consequences.
Example: We do not brush our teeth before going to bed at night, resulting in a foul breath and tooth decay.
Then someone lovingly helps us see the negative impact of this on self and others and we become Consciously Incompetent.
2. CONscious INcompetence
We now know that not brushing your teeth before going to bed at night is wrong and makes it unpleasant for others who share the house and causes tooth decay.
To make brushing teeth before bed a new habit, you need to initially have a REMINDER every night to brush your teeth. This can be in the form of a note on you pillow, gentle reminder from a spouse, brother, sister or child. (Others who already have this good habit).
This makes one become Consciously Competent!
3. CONscious COMpetence
Time and repetition will make this activity become an involuntary action. Something you will do without having to be reminded. Like driving a car. Do you still need reminding how this is done or is it automatic and natural?
Once you have achieved this, you will become Unconsciously Competent.
4. UNconscious COMpetence
You do the right things naturally, it is part of you, like breathing. In the first 7 years of a childs life, most habits are implanted by their parents. To create new ones and break bad ones will require more effort, but can be achieved by understanding the 4 levels of consciousness.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
A COOL WEEKEND IN AUGUST 2005.
A COOL WEEKEND IN AUGUST 2005.
What was so special about this weekend? Nothing really, except we took full advantage of the time and enjoyed every minute. Both the weather and the activity of the weekend were cool! The weekend started off on Friday morning I was invited to a breakfast talk by a Standard Bank Investment Manager. It was really interesting listening to his thoughts on how to maximise investment opportunity. Tim had recently been told that his contract as a consultant with Spar would end at the end of September. He was in the process of discussions regarding the purchase of a distribution business and although this was not directly related, it was nevertheless pertinent to where his life was at that time. Tim and I did not stay for the breakfast part, as time had run out and we were both due back at work.
Work was work and Friday evening I dropped Ally off at Snoops (Church Guild for children). Then Saturday morning I joined the MPRG for our normal Saturday run to Hobie Pier and back. At the run this morning was: Andy, Kobus, Adel, Neil, John, Mike, Cathy, Gerald, Adrienne, Margie, Susanne and maybe others I cannot recall right now. This morning I really struggled with the run and was quite exhausted at the end. I then had a wash and dressed for Mini-Hockey, which Ally attends and I try to assist with the coaching. There were three coaches for the under 8’s, Greg and Leslie and myself. So with about 30 children we took groups of ten each and were able to handle the groups quite well. I like to give them a bit of a warm up, then a bit of pushing and hitting to one another; then there is a bit of dribbling followed by some goal hitting practice. Some of them enjoy this but others find that by now they have become tired or bored. So the drinks break is welcomed. After drinks we play “sticks” which is really a small game of hockey. During this period we may also play some “stuck in the mud” or a similar running game. This takes us to an hour and a half, which is about all they can take.
After the Hockey I spent an hour and a half at work. Here (on a Saturday) I sometimes make a routine appearance where I will handle any problems that staff may have encountered particularly with customers or decision-making on credit granting. This morning was quiet and so at 11.30am I left to pick up Barbara and we went to Tim and Suzanne to watch SA play Australia in Perth. It turned out to be a really tense game. Our history of games against Australia at this stage was that we had won the last two games in SA but it’s a long time since we beat them in Australia. The scoreboard at this stage was we had lost 14 games, won 13 games and drawn one game. The game was to be a really tense affair with the score opening with an opportunistic try by winger Bryan Habanna. Percy Montgommery was not on form and missed a potential of 3 penalties, one drop-goal and one conversion. To his credit he slotted a well-planned drop goal just before half time. The score swung against us at one stage but a second opportunistic try by Bryan Habanna put us in the lead and we did not concede a further point. This gave us: a win against Australia and New Zealand in SA and now a win against Australia in Perth. Next weekend we play NZ (in Dunedin I think) and a win or a draw will mean that we retain the Tri-Nations cup.
After Rugby Barbara and I went to Hannes Zeelie to collect Ally who was playing with Amber but they had made plans to go to Amber’s grandparents so we went shopping for T-shirts for our September hike. We were fortunate to find suitable shirts in Mr. Price. After this we stopped off at the new Checkers in 6th avenue where we did a bit of grocery shopping as well as finding a present for Ally’s Birthday party the next day. The rest of the afternoon we spent watching SA play cricket in an Afro Vs Asia one-day series. This was the second match of the series and we had won the first almost by default in the final over. This time we were not so lucky and lost too many wickets in our chase for 268 runs that the Asians had scored. I then spoke to Barbara about the Addo 15kay trail run which I had thought about running and so when she said that she was prepared to come along I phoned Gerald and Pat who also said they were keen. Tim had planned to do the triathlon.
On Sunday morning I was up early to wash and make some toasted cheese and egg sandwiches as well as some hotdogs. I also took some coffee and juice with us. Gerald was at our house at 05.45 as arranged and I put Ally into the back seat with a pillow and blanket and before long she was fast asleep again. The run was at the recently formed part of Addo near to Colchester and was the first of these races. We had an easy half-hour drive to the start of the run and were lucky to register, as there was a 100 limit to the number of entrants. Pat and Gerald were 99 and 100. At the start I saw that Tony Boardman, Ian Ross, Mark and others who were planning to run the Amatola 100 kay trail run (two days) in October were also there. I was pleased that I could make the contacts, as I needed to train with them when they started to do some longer trail runs. Gerald Bouwer, Mof, Rodney and Leslie of Achilles were also there.
The organisers had a “cattle truck” to take us to the start which was simply 15kays up the dirt road. Today we did not see any animals but I am not certain that this part of the Addo park has any game yet or indeed if it is open to the public. Of course it was cold as we rode on the back of the truck to the start but I had wisely decided that I would not need a second top. At the start point I saw Chanelle (Vanessa’s sister) who I had met the previous weekend at Baviaans Kloof. Also Scott Rollo who had provided us with interesting information at Baviaans.
Once at the start, the run was set off and the first 1500 meters is uphill but thereafter there are few ups and mainly downhill and flats. I met up with Sharon (PEB print) and she described to me her job at Ford in the safety and security division and that she also ran her own consultancy business in the same line. Sharon told me that she had studied law and had practiced as a public prosecutor before becoming totally disillusioned with the justice system. Her husband was also running a little behind us. She has a 5-year-old called Joshua who was being looked after by the grandparents. Sharon has been running for 12 to 13 years firstly for Crusaders and more recently for PEB. Only in the last two years has she started running marathons and Ultras including two Comrades. She tells me that she now has Iron man in her sights for 2006.
The weather was cool. The sky was cloudy and there was a slight Easterly wind blowing. Ideal running conditions. Plenty of chatting and enjoying the beauty of Gods creation took us past three watering stations and before we knew it we were looking down at the finish area. I personally had a really easy run of 82 minutes. I was very happy to feel this good after the run as the previous day’s run had me worried. I had predicted 85 mins. This type of run has the added interest that the participant predicts the finishing time and is not allowed to carry a watch nor are there distance marker boards. So the winner is not the first home but the closest to their predicted time.
Back at the car Barbara was patiently waiting for me. Ally had slept solidly the whole time, not waking once since we left home. Barbara pointed out two men who had been watching the event at the finish. These two men had opened beers just after we left at about 07.00am and from then to now had been steadily drinking one after another. As they finished one they would walk back to the car and fish out another two beers and flip them open and so the process went on. What amazed us were the time of day and the volume of consumption. Their wives arrived soon afterwards and immediately lit up cigarettes. People are really interesting! Thanks to ADT running club, Brian in particular, for setting up the event. I phoned Tim to see how he had got on with the Triathlon. It seemed that the weather in PE was not suitable for a triathlon with the East wind creating too much chop in the water and the rain added to this had just dampened (excuse the pun) the whole morning. What a pleasure it is to be able to run a trail event within a half-hour drive from home.
We did not stay for the prize giving, as we had to get Ally to her birthday party. It was Niel and Vanessa’s child; Wiebke’s 9th birthday. Gerald phoned me later to say that they had won a “lucky dip” of an emergency torch, a coffee mug and a cap. Barbara & I got ourselves ready and drove out along the KraggaKamma road turning left at Welcome Ave, then right at Landman to a place called Bushwhackers. This is a party venue for children where there are all kinds of adventure events for the children. It was quite cool by now and it had been raining earlier so we dropped Ally off and planned to go home as we had a number of things to do. On the way we stopped off for tea at Stuart and Rianna. They had just put coffee on and were most kind and welcoming. Coffee led to biscuits. We were introduced by Stuart to some interesting history of the early SA tribes and settlers. He had taken out a book from the library written by a man in 1860. Interestingly the writer states that he had to make alterations to the content of the book due to the “turmoil and changes that had recently taken place”. We decided to stay for the start of the Istanbul (Turkey) Grand Prix. Stuart meanwhile had lit the Braai fire but we insisted that we were not staying for lunch. Rianna brought out tea and Chelsea buns. Once the race had started Rianna brought out the Pasta dish that she had been saving. This was delicious. We must have been looking quite hungry because we ended that coffee visit with cake and custard. We watched the Grand Prix to the end. For me it was quite an experience to watch the race with someone who knows the sport like Stuart does. I normally enjoy the start of the Grand Prix but tend to “nod off” during the middle section of the event. Kimi Raikonnen (Mercedes Benz) won the race. It was almost a one, two for McLaren but Montoya lost control on the last lap and that allowed Alonso (Renault) to sneak into second place.
By now we had told Niel that we would collect Ally at their house and so as it was about 4pm we decided that we may just have over stayed our welcome. At Niel’s house Vanessa asked us to stay for coffee. I cannot imagine that we still looked hungry but as the children looked like they were enjoying their games we stayed. Of course there was leftover party cake. So when we finally got home we were quite stuffed. I had to wash the car, as it was still dirty from the Addo dust and the Miggies from my trip to Kingwilliamstown during the week. Ally insisted that she was still hungry and I must make her a hamburger. Barbara and I finished the evening off with a glass of wine. And that was our August weekend. Full of visiting, activities and food. Really enjoyable. I feel that we are so blessed to live in this city, to have good friends and good health!
What was so special about this weekend? Nothing really, except we took full advantage of the time and enjoyed every minute. Both the weather and the activity of the weekend were cool! The weekend started off on Friday morning I was invited to a breakfast talk by a Standard Bank Investment Manager. It was really interesting listening to his thoughts on how to maximise investment opportunity. Tim had recently been told that his contract as a consultant with Spar would end at the end of September. He was in the process of discussions regarding the purchase of a distribution business and although this was not directly related, it was nevertheless pertinent to where his life was at that time. Tim and I did not stay for the breakfast part, as time had run out and we were both due back at work.
Work was work and Friday evening I dropped Ally off at Snoops (Church Guild for children). Then Saturday morning I joined the MPRG for our normal Saturday run to Hobie Pier and back. At the run this morning was: Andy, Kobus, Adel, Neil, John, Mike, Cathy, Gerald, Adrienne, Margie, Susanne and maybe others I cannot recall right now. This morning I really struggled with the run and was quite exhausted at the end. I then had a wash and dressed for Mini-Hockey, which Ally attends and I try to assist with the coaching. There were three coaches for the under 8’s, Greg and Leslie and myself. So with about 30 children we took groups of ten each and were able to handle the groups quite well. I like to give them a bit of a warm up, then a bit of pushing and hitting to one another; then there is a bit of dribbling followed by some goal hitting practice. Some of them enjoy this but others find that by now they have become tired or bored. So the drinks break is welcomed. After drinks we play “sticks” which is really a small game of hockey. During this period we may also play some “stuck in the mud” or a similar running game. This takes us to an hour and a half, which is about all they can take.
After the Hockey I spent an hour and a half at work. Here (on a Saturday) I sometimes make a routine appearance where I will handle any problems that staff may have encountered particularly with customers or decision-making on credit granting. This morning was quiet and so at 11.30am I left to pick up Barbara and we went to Tim and Suzanne to watch SA play Australia in Perth. It turned out to be a really tense game. Our history of games against Australia at this stage was that we had won the last two games in SA but it’s a long time since we beat them in Australia. The scoreboard at this stage was we had lost 14 games, won 13 games and drawn one game. The game was to be a really tense affair with the score opening with an opportunistic try by winger Bryan Habanna. Percy Montgommery was not on form and missed a potential of 3 penalties, one drop-goal and one conversion. To his credit he slotted a well-planned drop goal just before half time. The score swung against us at one stage but a second opportunistic try by Bryan Habanna put us in the lead and we did not concede a further point. This gave us: a win against Australia and New Zealand in SA and now a win against Australia in Perth. Next weekend we play NZ (in Dunedin I think) and a win or a draw will mean that we retain the Tri-Nations cup.
After Rugby Barbara and I went to Hannes Zeelie to collect Ally who was playing with Amber but they had made plans to go to Amber’s grandparents so we went shopping for T-shirts for our September hike. We were fortunate to find suitable shirts in Mr. Price. After this we stopped off at the new Checkers in 6th avenue where we did a bit of grocery shopping as well as finding a present for Ally’s Birthday party the next day. The rest of the afternoon we spent watching SA play cricket in an Afro Vs Asia one-day series. This was the second match of the series and we had won the first almost by default in the final over. This time we were not so lucky and lost too many wickets in our chase for 268 runs that the Asians had scored. I then spoke to Barbara about the Addo 15kay trail run which I had thought about running and so when she said that she was prepared to come along I phoned Gerald and Pat who also said they were keen. Tim had planned to do the triathlon.
On Sunday morning I was up early to wash and make some toasted cheese and egg sandwiches as well as some hotdogs. I also took some coffee and juice with us. Gerald was at our house at 05.45 as arranged and I put Ally into the back seat with a pillow and blanket and before long she was fast asleep again. The run was at the recently formed part of Addo near to Colchester and was the first of these races. We had an easy half-hour drive to the start of the run and were lucky to register, as there was a 100 limit to the number of entrants. Pat and Gerald were 99 and 100. At the start I saw that Tony Boardman, Ian Ross, Mark and others who were planning to run the Amatola 100 kay trail run (two days) in October were also there. I was pleased that I could make the contacts, as I needed to train with them when they started to do some longer trail runs. Gerald Bouwer, Mof, Rodney and Leslie of Achilles were also there.
The organisers had a “cattle truck” to take us to the start which was simply 15kays up the dirt road. Today we did not see any animals but I am not certain that this part of the Addo park has any game yet or indeed if it is open to the public. Of course it was cold as we rode on the back of the truck to the start but I had wisely decided that I would not need a second top. At the start point I saw Chanelle (Vanessa’s sister) who I had met the previous weekend at Baviaans Kloof. Also Scott Rollo who had provided us with interesting information at Baviaans.
Once at the start, the run was set off and the first 1500 meters is uphill but thereafter there are few ups and mainly downhill and flats. I met up with Sharon (PEB print) and she described to me her job at Ford in the safety and security division and that she also ran her own consultancy business in the same line. Sharon told me that she had studied law and had practiced as a public prosecutor before becoming totally disillusioned with the justice system. Her husband was also running a little behind us. She has a 5-year-old called Joshua who was being looked after by the grandparents. Sharon has been running for 12 to 13 years firstly for Crusaders and more recently for PEB. Only in the last two years has she started running marathons and Ultras including two Comrades. She tells me that she now has Iron man in her sights for 2006.
The weather was cool. The sky was cloudy and there was a slight Easterly wind blowing. Ideal running conditions. Plenty of chatting and enjoying the beauty of Gods creation took us past three watering stations and before we knew it we were looking down at the finish area. I personally had a really easy run of 82 minutes. I was very happy to feel this good after the run as the previous day’s run had me worried. I had predicted 85 mins. This type of run has the added interest that the participant predicts the finishing time and is not allowed to carry a watch nor are there distance marker boards. So the winner is not the first home but the closest to their predicted time.
Back at the car Barbara was patiently waiting for me. Ally had slept solidly the whole time, not waking once since we left home. Barbara pointed out two men who had been watching the event at the finish. These two men had opened beers just after we left at about 07.00am and from then to now had been steadily drinking one after another. As they finished one they would walk back to the car and fish out another two beers and flip them open and so the process went on. What amazed us were the time of day and the volume of consumption. Their wives arrived soon afterwards and immediately lit up cigarettes. People are really interesting! Thanks to ADT running club, Brian in particular, for setting up the event. I phoned Tim to see how he had got on with the Triathlon. It seemed that the weather in PE was not suitable for a triathlon with the East wind creating too much chop in the water and the rain added to this had just dampened (excuse the pun) the whole morning. What a pleasure it is to be able to run a trail event within a half-hour drive from home.
We did not stay for the prize giving, as we had to get Ally to her birthday party. It was Niel and Vanessa’s child; Wiebke’s 9th birthday. Gerald phoned me later to say that they had won a “lucky dip” of an emergency torch, a coffee mug and a cap. Barbara & I got ourselves ready and drove out along the KraggaKamma road turning left at Welcome Ave, then right at Landman to a place called Bushwhackers. This is a party venue for children where there are all kinds of adventure events for the children. It was quite cool by now and it had been raining earlier so we dropped Ally off and planned to go home as we had a number of things to do. On the way we stopped off for tea at Stuart and Rianna. They had just put coffee on and were most kind and welcoming. Coffee led to biscuits. We were introduced by Stuart to some interesting history of the early SA tribes and settlers. He had taken out a book from the library written by a man in 1860. Interestingly the writer states that he had to make alterations to the content of the book due to the “turmoil and changes that had recently taken place”. We decided to stay for the start of the Istanbul (Turkey) Grand Prix. Stuart meanwhile had lit the Braai fire but we insisted that we were not staying for lunch. Rianna brought out tea and Chelsea buns. Once the race had started Rianna brought out the Pasta dish that she had been saving. This was delicious. We must have been looking quite hungry because we ended that coffee visit with cake and custard. We watched the Grand Prix to the end. For me it was quite an experience to watch the race with someone who knows the sport like Stuart does. I normally enjoy the start of the Grand Prix but tend to “nod off” during the middle section of the event. Kimi Raikonnen (Mercedes Benz) won the race. It was almost a one, two for McLaren but Montoya lost control on the last lap and that allowed Alonso (Renault) to sneak into second place.
By now we had told Niel that we would collect Ally at their house and so as it was about 4pm we decided that we may just have over stayed our welcome. At Niel’s house Vanessa asked us to stay for coffee. I cannot imagine that we still looked hungry but as the children looked like they were enjoying their games we stayed. Of course there was leftover party cake. So when we finally got home we were quite stuffed. I had to wash the car, as it was still dirty from the Addo dust and the Miggies from my trip to Kingwilliamstown during the week. Ally insisted that she was still hungry and I must make her a hamburger. Barbara and I finished the evening off with a glass of wine. And that was our August weekend. Full of visiting, activities and food. Really enjoyable. I feel that we are so blessed to live in this city, to have good friends and good health!
Monday, August 15, 2005
BAVIAANS KLOOF BERG PLAAS AUGUST 2005
BAVIAANS KLOOF. BERG PLAAS. 13 AND 14 AUGUST 2005
The week before this weekend had been a really busy one for us. Barbara and Cathy had driven to Cape Town on Wednesday as Cathy was trying to set up a branch of Stefan’s Photo and Video business in London. Cathy had contracted a cold, which she had passed on to Barbara. Barbara had missed her flight back to PE on the Thursday and when she finally got back on Friday was not feeling at all good. Meanwhile I had had people from our Head Office staying in PE for the whole week. Fortunately we have some good friends who helped me cope with Ally’s afternoons. Our friend, Tim, was in Botswana for a work assignment where he was trying to assist the owners of a dying bakery to survive. Another running friend of ours, Andy Bolton, was in Egypt and on the Red Sea for a scuba diving trip. His daughter, Caroline is an instructor in Port Elizabeth and was part of the expedition.
This is weekend had been planned by Niel and Vanessa (Wiebke and Silke) for some time. Herman, Tracey, Leah and Kim were also part of our group. So were Charles and Ian. Ingrid felt that she would be better at home alone for the weekend. We also met Vanessa’s sister, Chanelle, Ian and friends Bruce and Jenna. The weekend started with Herman and Tracey collecting us in an Isuzu double cab with canopy at just after 08.00am on the Saturday morning. We traveled in convoy to Humansdorp where we took the Hankey turnoff. But about 10kays into this road we encountered an accident where a big truck had gone off the road. And there were three big breakdown vans trying to pull the truck back onto the road. We heard that it could take as long as two hours to remove the obstacle and so turned around and went back to the Gamtoos River where we took the road to Loerie. From there we headed on to Hankey and Patensie. In Hankey we stopped off for a short break, coffee and sweets. And then we drove on to the kloof.
One of the interesting features of this part of the drive is driving through what must have been a riverbed many millions of years ago. The road cuts through a mountain of river stone that is about ten meters high. The Groot Rivier is on the left of the road and when we came to the dirt section we crossed the river a number of times. When we found a weir where the river was flowing over the road I asked Herman to allow Kim to sit on the bonnet while he drove through the water and I filmed this action sequence. We did this with Ally and Kim a few more times during the trip. Great fun for the children and me. We came to the Kondomo campsite, which is the entrance to the Baviaans Reserve. Here we met up with Scott Rollo who is a friend of Neil and a Volunteer Ranger for the reserve.
At this point the drive becomes quite tough, as the road requires a vehicle with a high clearance. Herman handled the driving with a degree of care and at no time were we, as passengers, worried. The road (or track) of the first pass consists of mostly rocks, very little grading of the road has been done. This section of the road has a number of hazardous twists and turns with a narrow road and sheer cliffs falling off to the right. As we drove we stopped a few times to admire the magnificent views of mountains and valleys that Baviaans is famous for. Soon we reached the top of the pass and the turn off to Bergplaas. Bergplaas consists of a single long hut with an indoor fireplace. In this (fireplace) room there are two double bunks, adjacent to this is the Kitchen, which has a sink, the next room is the bathroom where the bath and toilet are set up on a kind of throne. The next two rooms have two double bunks each. Barbara and I chose the room next to the bathroom. It could be said that we were the only people to have an “en-suite”.
We unpacked the three vehicles and soon turned the empty bungalow into a home with provisions sufficient for 50 people for two weeks. Seems like we may just have brought a little too much but as one of the children put it: “food is precious because there are no shops around.” Once we had unpacked, Tracey and Herman were quick to bring out a big bag of wood and the outside fire was soon blazing. Tracey had brought rolls and Boerewors to feed us all. Herman showed us a special trick where the Boerewors is wrapped in newspaper and made into a king of Christmas Cracker and put into the fire. The outside of the newspaper burns but inside the 'wors is cooked to perfection and this was quite a hit with the hungry group. Barbara had not been feeling well as she had caught a cold from Cathy on their way to Cape Town earlier on in the week. But when Niel suggested a drive down to the river, I decided to walk and Barbara agreed to walk with me. Tracey, Chanelle and Vanessa also wanted the exercise and so Niel went ahead and we walked what we expected to be about five Kays. Barbara and I stopped to look at the game as well as a number of other natural features of the fynbos while the Tracey group went on ahead. It is my opinion that walking is the best time to have “quality time” with anyone. There are few distractions from conversation, one does not have to look the other “in the eye”, and exhaustion is the common denominator.
The road that Niel had taken was the road that leads to Doodsklip and Rooihoek. I know this road from having to drive it on previous occasions. It was not just five Kays but more like ten Kays to Doodsklip where the man and children had a swim. As Barbara & I walked we saw a number of the Red Haartebeest that are common in the area. We also noticed what seemed to be wires stretching across valleys. We later on learned that this was a kind of Cable Car that had been used by farmers to transport produce, livestock and even farm labourers across the valley. Mmmm? Not too sure that I would have trusted it. After descending for over three or four kays the Tracey group decided to turn back for the camp. Barbara & I pressed on and after we reached the bottom of the kloof were lucky enough to see a pair of Klipspringer in the valley. Not long after this we heard the sound of Niel's vehicle and were happy to accept a (bumpy) ride back to the camp. We had walked for nearly two hours and about 6 kays. Margie Saunders had said that Brian, who had recently been into the Kloof, had said how bad the roads were. I did not find the roads to be worse than previous experience. But the Baviaans Kloof roads are very bad. Although we did not need the 4 X 4 facility of the vehicles, the high clearance was essential for these roads. We arrived back at the camp just as the Tracey Group were walking up to the hut. They must have had a tough walk as they had the uphill part that Barbara & I had avoided.
Charles and Ian had reached camp by this time. They had left a little later as Ian had a rugby match which his team drew five all. Charles joined us in our en-suite bedroom, taking the top bunks. Scott was also there and he had brought two trestle tables. These were really a great help with all the catering that had to be done. Beers were opened, Frisbees were brought out, Charles introduced a bit of “Survivor”, fires were lit and dusk turned to dark fairly rapidly. Niel had brought dough to make Rooster Koek. This is delicious when freshly baked on the fire.
Scott is a really experienced person in the outdoors and when he called the children to bring blankets for a bit of stargazing I decided to join this group. The adults meanwhile did the braai-ing thing. Scott proceeded to give an incredibly detailed and interesting talk on the stars and related matters. I was really impressed by the extent of his knowledge but even more taken by the amount of information that the children had as they were able to answer a number of questions to which I personally did not know the answers.
Some of the information included the make up of stars, planets, solar system, universe and our own Milky Way Galaxy. Then he spoke about satellites (we saw one), shooting stars, moons, comets and a variety of names of the various stellar objects. Something that I had never thought about previously was that Satellites are only seen soon after sunset or soon before sunrise as this is the time when the sun continues to reflect off them. The way to remember the names of the planets in order of their position relative to the sun is: Mnr. Van As; my jas sal u nie pas. This is Afrikaans and so the nine planets are: Mercury, Venus, Aard (Earth), Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto. He says that a tenth planet called Sedna has recently been discovered.
After the Star Chatter I attempted to cook a few chops but was totally unsuccessful as I realised later when Ally nearly choked on a piece of meat that I gave her. I am not sure if I was too tired or the fire was not really hot enough but I had totally undercooked the chops. We had been snacking the whole day, Herman and Tracey had all kinds of goodies for after dinner so I was reassured that no one would go to bed hungry. It had been a long day as we had been up early, had driven for three to four hours, walked for two hours and were all exhausted. So after a bit of fireside chat, a glass of red wine and some story telling, we seemed to fade into sleep rather than actually go to bed.
The indoor fire room occupants made themselves a double bed (from the bunk bed mattresses) that would have made “grandma’s feather bed” look small by comparison. On this double bed slept: Niel, Vanessa, Wiebke, Silke, Herman, Tracey, Leah and Kim. Sounds like it must have been fun. On our side of the bathroom we were unlucky enough to have been locked out of the bathroom by the last user. So any lady wanting the bathroom in the night would have had to taken a walk outside, into the fireside room, interrupted their fun, through the kitchen and into the bathroom. As you may be able to gather we were a very “together” group of people this weekend.
The night was to be long for Barbara who seemed to deteriorate in health during the night. But we were all up reasonably early, as tends to happen when camping. I was stiff in my rear end and thighs from the previous days walk, probably also from cramped & bumpy drive. The back seat of a double cab is not quite as comfy as a normal car would be. Shortly after coffee and rusks we decided to do the two-hour walk, which had been, recommended to Niel. It was a walk over the fields and down the gorge to a waterfall. Just after we had started out Barbara realised that she had taken on too much and that she would turn back. We walked on past the Boom, past which no vehicle could pass and up the pathways that I estimate was a road made by the resident farmers over one hundred years ago.
Ally had a fall and grazed her legs so when I saw the cliff face that we would have to descend I was quite happy to turn back with Vanessa, Jenna, Silke and Ally. There was a cool breeze blowing from the West and a distinct chill in the air. We passed Scott on our way back and I gave him my daypack in case he should need any eats for the walk to the bottom of the gorge.
We had a leisurely walk back to the hut and during this time I was able to chat to both Jenna and to Vanessa. As I have said, Walking is a good time to learn more about others. I learned that Wiebke was born in Germany and that her name means “Young Woman” and that Silke means “Blind Faith”. Both beautiful names! Jenna has recently joined Dimension Data after a stint with Quest Personnel and a variety of jobs in London and Cape Town, Vanessa is looking forward to opening the Naartjie clothing retail outlet at Walmer Park shopping center and Chantelle is an architect taking on all kinds of interesting projects such as hospitals, private homes and even the exclusive millionaires homes. We got back to the hut and were soon brewing coffee while we were able to see others on their way back along the mountain path. It seems that while we were the first to turn back, others had also decided that the descent was going to be too tough and only the really dedicated would reach the waterfall.
Once Niel had got back to the hut he got the Breakfast going. This was to be a feast of sausage, bacon, eggs, mushroom, tomato, onion and rolls. Simply delicious and very filling! Barbara, meanwhile, had wrapped herself up and was trying to overcome the cold symptoms. After breakfast there was a lot of lazing around. The Survivor game was restarted by Charles. This morning we were able to spot a few Zebra grazing on a field across from the hut. I took a few of the children for a walk around the old stone Kraal behind the hut and around the small dam. There Ally and Silke discovered some small spiders nests.
After coffee the general consensus seemed to be that we would start our drive home. We packed the vehicles and took a slow drive down the pass to the farm called Kudu Kaya. This farm is on the Ys River and has camping facilities. It is a citrus farm and is also the farm where we did the Kloofing expedition earlier this year. Chanelle said that she too has done the Kloofing thing many years ago. Herman pointed out how the Orange trees have a Lemon tree stump and then the Orange tree is grafted into the Lemon tree. This is done because the Lemon tree has stronger and deeper roots. Later on I spoke to my friend Keith Finnemore who farms Organic fruit in the Addo area. He explained that all South African citrus trees are grafted. This is to assist the tree to combat soil diseases and insects. It is also to produce the best possible looking fruit.
Keith has a farm with about 10 000 trees which is small for the Addo area but is about three times the number of trees that he estimates are to be found on the Kudu Kaya farm. The yield of oranges is measured in tons per hectare and he estimates about 500 trees per hectare yielding 50 to 60 tons. Herman & I had tried to estimate how many bags of oranges would a large tree yield. Keith explained that there are a variety of bag sizes and that the different oranges such as Valencia, Navel and Clementines (Naartjies) have different yields.
We had seen piles of oranges dumped on a field. Keith explained to me that only first, second and third grade oranges are sold. The 1st and 2nd grade oranges are exported and the 3rd grade oranges are for the local market. 4th grade oranges, that are not sold to the juice companies, are often dumped for fodder or used for compost. These would be oranges that have marked skins. The fruit quality may be perfect but consumers buy with their eyes and so the fruit is unacceptable. Keith did the thing that all farmers do and that is to moan about the strength of the Rand. A stronger Rand means lower profits for farmers and he says that half the farms in Addo are up for sale.
At the Kudu Kaya we also saw the aqua-duct that the farmer uses to irrigate the trees. The children found this quite a good place to wet their feet. But the water temperature measures up to the name of the river. Keith described the irrigation system used by this farmer is that water is fed to the dam via this aqua-duct and then pumped up to a higher dam in the night when Eskom rates are about a third of daytime rates. The trees are then irrigated during the day, which is the best time for irrigation, using gravity.
From here we drove back to Patensie and took the 7kay detour to the Kouga (Paul Sauer) dam. This was my first visit to the dam. The construction of a dam such as this one is something to admire. Of concern to me was how empty the dam seems to be. There was a clear distinction between the present level and the maximum capacity. Perhaps expected September rains would make a difference. Here I used the last part of my video battery and we were soon on our way home. Herman drove our vehicle and I was quite happy to have a little snooze in the back seat. We were home by about 17.30 and soon unpacking and sorting things out.
The next morning I was up for my normal Monday morning MPRG run. Andy was back from his trip and told us some interesting facts about his trip. For example: Cairo is a city of over 22 Million people but the city has no traffic lights. He had been exploring the pyramids in temperatures of 37 Degrees and diving in water that most people find comfortable to bath in at 32 degrees C. Tim was back from Botswana but still enjoying his sleep. I struggled to get up and then to stay with the running group, as I was still very stiff from the trip & the walks.
Thanks again to Niel and Vanessa who put the whole trip together. Also thanks to all the rest of the group. It was a great get away.
Peter Giddy
15 August 2005.
The week before this weekend had been a really busy one for us. Barbara and Cathy had driven to Cape Town on Wednesday as Cathy was trying to set up a branch of Stefan’s Photo and Video business in London. Cathy had contracted a cold, which she had passed on to Barbara. Barbara had missed her flight back to PE on the Thursday and when she finally got back on Friday was not feeling at all good. Meanwhile I had had people from our Head Office staying in PE for the whole week. Fortunately we have some good friends who helped me cope with Ally’s afternoons. Our friend, Tim, was in Botswana for a work assignment where he was trying to assist the owners of a dying bakery to survive. Another running friend of ours, Andy Bolton, was in Egypt and on the Red Sea for a scuba diving trip. His daughter, Caroline is an instructor in Port Elizabeth and was part of the expedition.
This is weekend had been planned by Niel and Vanessa (Wiebke and Silke) for some time. Herman, Tracey, Leah and Kim were also part of our group. So were Charles and Ian. Ingrid felt that she would be better at home alone for the weekend. We also met Vanessa’s sister, Chanelle, Ian and friends Bruce and Jenna. The weekend started with Herman and Tracey collecting us in an Isuzu double cab with canopy at just after 08.00am on the Saturday morning. We traveled in convoy to Humansdorp where we took the Hankey turnoff. But about 10kays into this road we encountered an accident where a big truck had gone off the road. And there were three big breakdown vans trying to pull the truck back onto the road. We heard that it could take as long as two hours to remove the obstacle and so turned around and went back to the Gamtoos River where we took the road to Loerie. From there we headed on to Hankey and Patensie. In Hankey we stopped off for a short break, coffee and sweets. And then we drove on to the kloof.
One of the interesting features of this part of the drive is driving through what must have been a riverbed many millions of years ago. The road cuts through a mountain of river stone that is about ten meters high. The Groot Rivier is on the left of the road and when we came to the dirt section we crossed the river a number of times. When we found a weir where the river was flowing over the road I asked Herman to allow Kim to sit on the bonnet while he drove through the water and I filmed this action sequence. We did this with Ally and Kim a few more times during the trip. Great fun for the children and me. We came to the Kondomo campsite, which is the entrance to the Baviaans Reserve. Here we met up with Scott Rollo who is a friend of Neil and a Volunteer Ranger for the reserve.
At this point the drive becomes quite tough, as the road requires a vehicle with a high clearance. Herman handled the driving with a degree of care and at no time were we, as passengers, worried. The road (or track) of the first pass consists of mostly rocks, very little grading of the road has been done. This section of the road has a number of hazardous twists and turns with a narrow road and sheer cliffs falling off to the right. As we drove we stopped a few times to admire the magnificent views of mountains and valleys that Baviaans is famous for. Soon we reached the top of the pass and the turn off to Bergplaas. Bergplaas consists of a single long hut with an indoor fireplace. In this (fireplace) room there are two double bunks, adjacent to this is the Kitchen, which has a sink, the next room is the bathroom where the bath and toilet are set up on a kind of throne. The next two rooms have two double bunks each. Barbara and I chose the room next to the bathroom. It could be said that we were the only people to have an “en-suite”.
We unpacked the three vehicles and soon turned the empty bungalow into a home with provisions sufficient for 50 people for two weeks. Seems like we may just have brought a little too much but as one of the children put it: “food is precious because there are no shops around.” Once we had unpacked, Tracey and Herman were quick to bring out a big bag of wood and the outside fire was soon blazing. Tracey had brought rolls and Boerewors to feed us all. Herman showed us a special trick where the Boerewors is wrapped in newspaper and made into a king of Christmas Cracker and put into the fire. The outside of the newspaper burns but inside the 'wors is cooked to perfection and this was quite a hit with the hungry group. Barbara had not been feeling well as she had caught a cold from Cathy on their way to Cape Town earlier on in the week. But when Niel suggested a drive down to the river, I decided to walk and Barbara agreed to walk with me. Tracey, Chanelle and Vanessa also wanted the exercise and so Niel went ahead and we walked what we expected to be about five Kays. Barbara and I stopped to look at the game as well as a number of other natural features of the fynbos while the Tracey group went on ahead. It is my opinion that walking is the best time to have “quality time” with anyone. There are few distractions from conversation, one does not have to look the other “in the eye”, and exhaustion is the common denominator.
The road that Niel had taken was the road that leads to Doodsklip and Rooihoek. I know this road from having to drive it on previous occasions. It was not just five Kays but more like ten Kays to Doodsklip where the man and children had a swim. As Barbara & I walked we saw a number of the Red Haartebeest that are common in the area. We also noticed what seemed to be wires stretching across valleys. We later on learned that this was a kind of Cable Car that had been used by farmers to transport produce, livestock and even farm labourers across the valley. Mmmm? Not too sure that I would have trusted it. After descending for over three or four kays the Tracey group decided to turn back for the camp. Barbara & I pressed on and after we reached the bottom of the kloof were lucky enough to see a pair of Klipspringer in the valley. Not long after this we heard the sound of Niel's vehicle and were happy to accept a (bumpy) ride back to the camp. We had walked for nearly two hours and about 6 kays. Margie Saunders had said that Brian, who had recently been into the Kloof, had said how bad the roads were. I did not find the roads to be worse than previous experience. But the Baviaans Kloof roads are very bad. Although we did not need the 4 X 4 facility of the vehicles, the high clearance was essential for these roads. We arrived back at the camp just as the Tracey Group were walking up to the hut. They must have had a tough walk as they had the uphill part that Barbara & I had avoided.
Charles and Ian had reached camp by this time. They had left a little later as Ian had a rugby match which his team drew five all. Charles joined us in our en-suite bedroom, taking the top bunks. Scott was also there and he had brought two trestle tables. These were really a great help with all the catering that had to be done. Beers were opened, Frisbees were brought out, Charles introduced a bit of “Survivor”, fires were lit and dusk turned to dark fairly rapidly. Niel had brought dough to make Rooster Koek. This is delicious when freshly baked on the fire.
Scott is a really experienced person in the outdoors and when he called the children to bring blankets for a bit of stargazing I decided to join this group. The adults meanwhile did the braai-ing thing. Scott proceeded to give an incredibly detailed and interesting talk on the stars and related matters. I was really impressed by the extent of his knowledge but even more taken by the amount of information that the children had as they were able to answer a number of questions to which I personally did not know the answers.
Some of the information included the make up of stars, planets, solar system, universe and our own Milky Way Galaxy. Then he spoke about satellites (we saw one), shooting stars, moons, comets and a variety of names of the various stellar objects. Something that I had never thought about previously was that Satellites are only seen soon after sunset or soon before sunrise as this is the time when the sun continues to reflect off them. The way to remember the names of the planets in order of their position relative to the sun is: Mnr. Van As; my jas sal u nie pas. This is Afrikaans and so the nine planets are: Mercury, Venus, Aard (Earth), Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune & Pluto. He says that a tenth planet called Sedna has recently been discovered.
After the Star Chatter I attempted to cook a few chops but was totally unsuccessful as I realised later when Ally nearly choked on a piece of meat that I gave her. I am not sure if I was too tired or the fire was not really hot enough but I had totally undercooked the chops. We had been snacking the whole day, Herman and Tracey had all kinds of goodies for after dinner so I was reassured that no one would go to bed hungry. It had been a long day as we had been up early, had driven for three to four hours, walked for two hours and were all exhausted. So after a bit of fireside chat, a glass of red wine and some story telling, we seemed to fade into sleep rather than actually go to bed.
The indoor fire room occupants made themselves a double bed (from the bunk bed mattresses) that would have made “grandma’s feather bed” look small by comparison. On this double bed slept: Niel, Vanessa, Wiebke, Silke, Herman, Tracey, Leah and Kim. Sounds like it must have been fun. On our side of the bathroom we were unlucky enough to have been locked out of the bathroom by the last user. So any lady wanting the bathroom in the night would have had to taken a walk outside, into the fireside room, interrupted their fun, through the kitchen and into the bathroom. As you may be able to gather we were a very “together” group of people this weekend.
The night was to be long for Barbara who seemed to deteriorate in health during the night. But we were all up reasonably early, as tends to happen when camping. I was stiff in my rear end and thighs from the previous days walk, probably also from cramped & bumpy drive. The back seat of a double cab is not quite as comfy as a normal car would be. Shortly after coffee and rusks we decided to do the two-hour walk, which had been, recommended to Niel. It was a walk over the fields and down the gorge to a waterfall. Just after we had started out Barbara realised that she had taken on too much and that she would turn back. We walked on past the Boom, past which no vehicle could pass and up the pathways that I estimate was a road made by the resident farmers over one hundred years ago.
Ally had a fall and grazed her legs so when I saw the cliff face that we would have to descend I was quite happy to turn back with Vanessa, Jenna, Silke and Ally. There was a cool breeze blowing from the West and a distinct chill in the air. We passed Scott on our way back and I gave him my daypack in case he should need any eats for the walk to the bottom of the gorge.
We had a leisurely walk back to the hut and during this time I was able to chat to both Jenna and to Vanessa. As I have said, Walking is a good time to learn more about others. I learned that Wiebke was born in Germany and that her name means “Young Woman” and that Silke means “Blind Faith”. Both beautiful names! Jenna has recently joined Dimension Data after a stint with Quest Personnel and a variety of jobs in London and Cape Town, Vanessa is looking forward to opening the Naartjie clothing retail outlet at Walmer Park shopping center and Chantelle is an architect taking on all kinds of interesting projects such as hospitals, private homes and even the exclusive millionaires homes. We got back to the hut and were soon brewing coffee while we were able to see others on their way back along the mountain path. It seems that while we were the first to turn back, others had also decided that the descent was going to be too tough and only the really dedicated would reach the waterfall.
Once Niel had got back to the hut he got the Breakfast going. This was to be a feast of sausage, bacon, eggs, mushroom, tomato, onion and rolls. Simply delicious and very filling! Barbara, meanwhile, had wrapped herself up and was trying to overcome the cold symptoms. After breakfast there was a lot of lazing around. The Survivor game was restarted by Charles. This morning we were able to spot a few Zebra grazing on a field across from the hut. I took a few of the children for a walk around the old stone Kraal behind the hut and around the small dam. There Ally and Silke discovered some small spiders nests.
After coffee the general consensus seemed to be that we would start our drive home. We packed the vehicles and took a slow drive down the pass to the farm called Kudu Kaya. This farm is on the Ys River and has camping facilities. It is a citrus farm and is also the farm where we did the Kloofing expedition earlier this year. Chanelle said that she too has done the Kloofing thing many years ago. Herman pointed out how the Orange trees have a Lemon tree stump and then the Orange tree is grafted into the Lemon tree. This is done because the Lemon tree has stronger and deeper roots. Later on I spoke to my friend Keith Finnemore who farms Organic fruit in the Addo area. He explained that all South African citrus trees are grafted. This is to assist the tree to combat soil diseases and insects. It is also to produce the best possible looking fruit.
Keith has a farm with about 10 000 trees which is small for the Addo area but is about three times the number of trees that he estimates are to be found on the Kudu Kaya farm. The yield of oranges is measured in tons per hectare and he estimates about 500 trees per hectare yielding 50 to 60 tons. Herman & I had tried to estimate how many bags of oranges would a large tree yield. Keith explained that there are a variety of bag sizes and that the different oranges such as Valencia, Navel and Clementines (Naartjies) have different yields.
We had seen piles of oranges dumped on a field. Keith explained to me that only first, second and third grade oranges are sold. The 1st and 2nd grade oranges are exported and the 3rd grade oranges are for the local market. 4th grade oranges, that are not sold to the juice companies, are often dumped for fodder or used for compost. These would be oranges that have marked skins. The fruit quality may be perfect but consumers buy with their eyes and so the fruit is unacceptable. Keith did the thing that all farmers do and that is to moan about the strength of the Rand. A stronger Rand means lower profits for farmers and he says that half the farms in Addo are up for sale.
At the Kudu Kaya we also saw the aqua-duct that the farmer uses to irrigate the trees. The children found this quite a good place to wet their feet. But the water temperature measures up to the name of the river. Keith described the irrigation system used by this farmer is that water is fed to the dam via this aqua-duct and then pumped up to a higher dam in the night when Eskom rates are about a third of daytime rates. The trees are then irrigated during the day, which is the best time for irrigation, using gravity.
From here we drove back to Patensie and took the 7kay detour to the Kouga (Paul Sauer) dam. This was my first visit to the dam. The construction of a dam such as this one is something to admire. Of concern to me was how empty the dam seems to be. There was a clear distinction between the present level and the maximum capacity. Perhaps expected September rains would make a difference. Here I used the last part of my video battery and we were soon on our way home. Herman drove our vehicle and I was quite happy to have a little snooze in the back seat. We were home by about 17.30 and soon unpacking and sorting things out.
The next morning I was up for my normal Monday morning MPRG run. Andy was back from his trip and told us some interesting facts about his trip. For example: Cairo is a city of over 22 Million people but the city has no traffic lights. He had been exploring the pyramids in temperatures of 37 Degrees and diving in water that most people find comfortable to bath in at 32 degrees C. Tim was back from Botswana but still enjoying his sleep. I struggled to get up and then to stay with the running group, as I was still very stiff from the trip & the walks.
Thanks again to Niel and Vanessa who put the whole trip together. Also thanks to all the rest of the group. It was a great get away.
Peter Giddy
15 August 2005.
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