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