APRIL 2010

APRIL 2010

TWO OCEANS HALF MARATHON
TRIP TO CAPE TOWN
SPRINGFIELD CAMERER FAMILY FARM BREDASDORP
WILDCLIFF & JENNY GIDDY
MOTOR ACCIDENT IN MERCEDES BENZ
NIPPERS NATIONALS KINGS BEACH 2010
MMC MIGHTY MENS CONFERENCE
CORPORATE CHALLENGE IRONMAN TRIATHLON

TRIP TO CAPE TOWN FOR TWO OCEANS HALF MARATHON

Thursday 1st April 2010
This morning is April Fools Day but we dont have any funny planned. Barbara wakes Ally with the news that there is swimming today at Summerstrand. And that was about the sum total of our April Fools day joke. I have been busy trying to finalise the Visa Application for Barbara and Gail for their Canada trip. And want to submit Ally's application to VP and Collegiate. Barbara and I are keen on VP but Ally seems stuck on Collegiate. We have received confirmation from Alexander Road high but the other two schools appear to suite us better.

I pack for the CT trip. Mark is not at his best with a sore foot from having stood on a nail. He also has a fever and stomach cramps. But he went off to Hockey practice with Coach Ben Joubert who turns out to be one of the most sincere men we have met. He tells us that he prays for his team every day.

Michael arrives with the old Merc with the news that the windscreen wipers dont work. He has been riding this vehicle for some time but there is so little rain in PE that he has not noticed the fact that they are not working. He goes to Dean Moyes who is our mechanic and Dean sends him off to the Auto Electrician in Walmer. I go to work and Barbara has a number of things to do this morning. By just after 9am I leave work to collect Patrick, Marianne, St John and Thomas from the airport. They are going to use the Merc to drive through to Plett where they will spend the weekend with Ena. This car leaks and we have to empty the floor area where St John will be sitting.

When we arrive at home Michael is already there and the wipers have been fixed. After a brief chat: Patty is now back in America (Boston)where she plans to marry a man who she met when at school and who she recently met up with again. St John is happy at school and looks well. They are also searching for the right school for next year. Thomas is now two years old and had a bad flight but looks well. He loved Ally and the Pig. Patrick packs up and leaves for Plett. I pack all of our stuff. I have borrowed Gerald's trailer and will use it to bring stuff back from Wildcliff later this weekend.

After filling up with petrol, collecting Jessica and buying some cold drinks we are finally able to leave to CT at around midday. We take the Langkloof road. It is particularly quiet. Oudtshoorn is busy with the KKNK: Kultuur & Kuns Nationale Kunsfees. It looks really festive and busy. Roads are closed, campers and cars are every where and the town looks great. I phone Charles who is on his way to Bushmans and suggest that maybe we should do this next year. Ingrid likes to go at this time and so missed Charles' birthday. There is a road block and I suddenly realise that I have left my temp drivers licence in Barbara's car in PE.

We fill up with grub and with petrol in Oudtshoorn and then take the road to Ladismith, Barrydale, Montague, Ashton, Robertson and Worster. In Worster we try to get Mark and injection for his fever but the Casualty is very busy and the pharmacist refuses. We purchase anti-inflamatory and this seems to make him feel a lot better. Finally we arrive in Stellenberg at around 9pm. It is Stoney's birthday and he has his brother Kobus & Sandra, Marie & Baps for a braai. We are all pretty tired and as soon as is polite we head for bed. The drive took us 9 hours but there is not much we can do about this as a lot of time is spent in filling up with food and drinks: Oudtshoorn, Montague & Worster. The distance is 767km from our house to Nicky's. This does not differ much from the N2 route that we normally take.


Looking at my last year's blog I see that the Toll Road at Tsitsikamma cost us R13 whereas the same toll road now costs R33. The du Toits kloof Tunnel cost us R20 then and today was R25.
Last year Stefan and I had left his house at around 4am and had done a 2'21 half. Our position was 6100 out of 13 000 entries.


Good Friday: 2.04.2010.
This morning is spent reading and playing with grandchildren. This afternoon Stefan & I go to Registration. He registers for Antonette. Cathy and Saul are there as well but we dont see them. Three in the afternoon is a good time to register as we are able to walk straight in. You have to have your printed form or obtain the race number prior to registration. I go to the Blue Number club for my number. I register for Barbara as well.

Stefan and I get ready. Nicci has decided to run in Mom's place. Antonette, Stefan's friend from Worster arrives and we are in bed early. We have agreed to leave at 4.00am but finally get going after 4.10 and have to collect Cathy as well. Barbara comes with us. We drive to the Upper Campus parking. Last year we were earlier and parked in the Middle Campus and had better parking. We park up on one of the top levels. Above the field we have a short Photo session and walk to the field where we part ways with Barbara.

Down on the Main Road we have a fairly long walk and end up at the back of the field again just as we were last year. We wait for about 30 minutes and then set off at 6.00am. THere are crowds but not like last year. Stefan and I are able to run at a reasonable pace even if it means running on the pavement and doging the runners at the start. I see Kathleen from MPRG. Dean Gow calls my name. Dean was Ally's Hockey coach over the past few days during the school holiday he ran a clinic for the various grades.

Not long into the race we turn right up as short hill to a church and then left again. The route meanders a bit before a short switch back and then we run under the main road and past the sports ground. This is another bit of an uphill leading to the long switchback. We are now at about 7kays and turn left. We have seen Pat Scheepers and sonn pick up with Gerald as well. We make the U turn at the big coke bottle.

Once we had reached the 10kay mark Stefan realised that I was holding him back and I urged him to press on. He had been turning round and looking for me for some time and I realised that he wanted to push a little harder. It was Stefan's goal to run the 21 in under 2 hours. So just before Southern Cross Drive, Stefan left me and I had to shuffle my way up this long hill on my own. I managed to jog it out without a walk and finally reached the top where the 56kay runners would be coming along a bit later.

I saw a marker board for the Ultra Marathoners showing that they had run 48kays and only had 8 to go. I know that we also had 8 to go but the difference was that we had run 13kays and they had run a full 48kays. Right now I was so glad that I was not having to run a 56kay this morning. Once at the top of Southern Cross drive there are still the same undulating twists and turns that the Marathoners have to endure. The same camber to the road making running in the gutter a route of choice.

Then finally we reached the top most point of the run. From here there was a sharp down hill, a sharp left turn (where I heard Suzanne's name being called out but could not spot her) and then another sharp down hill where the runner could receive a spray of pain killer. With only a few kays to go I again heard the Name “Mr. Giddy” being called out. It was Dean Gow (Ally's Hockey Coach).

We chatted for a while and stuck together to the end. With only one kay left in the race there is a final climb up to the UCT field. Here it takes a lot of Vasbyt to not walk. Then we run into the stadium and around the field, under a walkway and finally across the finish line. Dean and I had been pushing as hard as we could in this last 500 meters and I started heaving when I stopped. I never saw Dean again but in the results I saw that we finished together.

I made my way around to the Achilles tent which was located close to the entrance to the field. The tent was deserted so I walked up to the fence and watched as the athletes finished their run. I saw Stefan's friend, Antonette, who later joined me. We shouted as every known and unknown runner finished as we waited for Nicci and Cathy to finish their run. Mike Dean and Cathleen came past. Finally the cut off time of 3 hours came and went and still no Cathy or Nicci.

Then at about 3.15 Nicci and Cathy finally entered the stadium holding onto each other looking in great spirits. Seeing the two of them together like this gave me a huge sense of pride as the two of them had done absolutely no training at all and here they were finishing a tough 21kay together. Once they were in we walked back to the finish area in the hope that we would see the rest of our gang. I later saw Mike Botha who had bailed due to injury and Paulette at the tent. The 56kay ultra marathoners would still be a long time coming.

We found Nicci and Cathy but no Barbara and no Saul. Stefan was also nowhere to be found. We told Nicci to stay where they were (at the bottom of a very tall lamp post) where they licked their wounds. I then went back to see if I could find Stefan or Barbara. Finally we had most of the group together but still no Stefan. I walked up to the car and drove back down to the top of the clubhouse area where I had left our group. When I arrived there Stefan was with them.

This whole affair had taken quite some time and Stefan would now have to move if he was to make the Wedding Appointment that he had in Bredasdorp. Back at the house we packed up as quickly as we could and headed for Bredasdorp where we would be staying for the next few nights. Nicci and Stefan would be at their friends wedding and we would carry on to Marianne's family home near to Struisbaai (Waenhuiskrans).

We had pretty good directions and found it quite easily. We had a bit of problems with the locks to the doors but when we had settled down we found the house to be very cosy. We had been met by the farm manager Piet. He explained to us how to drive to the beach which we did in Nicci's car. After a short walk in the cold wind we headed back to the cottage where we had met with Marianne's aunt. She was busy with assisting her daughter with a thesis. This evening we had an early night as we had been up since about 4am and were all pretty exhausted.

Sunday morning we collected Nicci and Stefan back at their wedding at Bredasdorp. We also had to do a little bit of shopping. Then we drove back to the farm. Last year there had been a devastating fire which had destroyed one of the cottages and a barn. Cathy and Saul joined us this morning. Saul and I took some of the younger group for a walk through this burnt out house and down to the vlei. This evening we had a braai but again were in bed pretty early. This evening was a real treat for me to see how Nicci and Cathy talked animatedly about their run the previous day. They laughed and recalled each incident and every moment. This reminded me of how I had, in the past, sat after a run and had been able to analyze the run in detail with a fellow runner.

Monday morning we tidied up and left for Wildcliff where we met with Jenny. We had Nicci's car as well as the Merc. It was the last day of the long (Easter) weekend and the N2 was very busy. I foolishly suggested that we return via the Route 62 and the Langkloof road. I had not calculated on us being on this narrow road in the night. And to make matters worse it began to rain fairly hard. We had driven over the Tradou Pass and stopped in Oudtshoorn for petrol and food. Nicci's car is a bit temperamental and when Barbara stopped she did not open the door which switches the lights off. This drained the battery and we had to jump start the car.

As we were approaching Joubertina we were driving in convoy with Mark in the car with me and Barbara driving the Renault with the children in this car behind us. I came over a slight rise and saw a car on my side of the road. It was dark and raining and I hugged the left hand side of the road as much as I could in a second or two before the car hit my right hand rear view mirror which then smashed into my side window. Barbara was coming up behind me and felt that she was driving over debris of the accident.

I stopped with Barbara behind me and after a short recovery time we pressed on in the rain with no window. The next morning I realised how bad the accident was as I was able to see the damage in the light. The whole right hand side of the Merc was scratched meaning that I missed a head on collision by centimeters. I had just a few days to sort out the car as we were leaving for MMC the following Friday. I had the window fixed and then obtained quotes which I had to forward to Head Office and to the insurers. Finally Dean Moyes' quote was accepted and while we were at Nippers Nationals he started on the car.

Nippers Nationals this year was held at Kings Beach from Thursday to Saturday. Our U14 team was a strong team but was beaten in most categories by the Fish Hoek team and the Durban Surf team. Ally was chosen to represent the Eastern Cape team of Nippers in the Inter Regional competition. The inter regionals took place on the Thursday morning and we did not do very well at all. This competition is a prestige event and there are no prizes and no medals awarded.

After lunch the Nippers main event started with the March Past. Then we did most of the team events. The weather threatened to worsen but in the end we had a great afternoon of competition. The following morning did not turn out so well and the day ended with us sheltering behind jackets as howling westerly threatened to blow us all into the ocean. Amazingly the Nippers survived the day and only a few of the tents suffered.

Saturday morning was the last day of the competition. This morning we arrived in a drizzle but shortly thereafter the clouds cleared up and we had the most stunning day of events. Surprisingly our U10 and U12 teams were doing particularly well.

Here is an email sent by Lee to us just after the Nippers Carnival that was held in Mid January.
Now in April we had (unbelievably) beaten Kings Beach.
U10
3    Plett     133                2          Summies           185                              1          King’s Beach    360
Top Competitor Boy                    Corrik VD Wath
We need to work hard with our U10’s as this is where KB is killing us!
U12
3    Plett 171                                  2          KB       241                                          1          Summies         286 – well done!
Top Competitor Girl                    Jamie Lee Engelke                Craig Dagleish was second in the boys section!
Keep up the great work, U12’s
U14
3    Plett     147                              2          Summies           290                 1          King’s Beach    299 – by a mere 9 points!
Top Competitor Girl        Christie Vaughan
Well done, U14’s this was a much better performance.  I am confident we can overtake KB at EC Champs, as long as we have the same support as yesterday! 
Let’s work hard in all age groups to improve our performance for EC Champs!
Regards
Lee Kemp

The end result of Nippers Nationals was that Summies was placed third against Durban Surf and Fish Hoek. Kings Beach was placed Fourth and Plett followed shortly thereafter. To me this was a huge boost for Nippers in the Eastern Cape.

The Summies parents were all incredibly proud of our Nippers who had done so well for their club.
Here is one of the articles that were published after the event.

Interesting read. There is an article on the SA Nippers Event.....
www.mype.co.za

Thought you might want to forward it on to other nippers parents...


www.MyPE.co.za: Eastern Cape nippers excelled at the Lifesaving SA Nipper Nationals that ended at Kings Beach on Saturday afternoon 10 April, winning 19 national titles, 16 silver medals and 21 bronze medals for a haul of 56 medals of the 174 at stake during the three day contest.

The Summerstrand Surf Lifesaving Club's Nipper team placed overall third, just ahead of the host club, Kings Beach, who placed fourth. Defending champions, Durban Surf, retained the Grand Aggregate Shield with 552 points, followed by last years runners-up, Fish Hoek, 488. Summerstrand scored 446, and Kings Beach, 350. Big Bay placed fifth, with 273 points.

Other clubs in the top ten were sixth placed Pirates, 210, followed by East London, 102, Plettenberg Bay, 100, Umhlanga Rocks, 88, and Scottburgh, 84. Hobie Beach placed eighteenth, with 14 points.

Pirates won the Under 10 age group, scoring 147 points to Summerstrand's 125. Hosts Kings Beach placed third with 118 points, followed by Big Bay, 116, Durban Surf, 108, Scottburgh, 69, Fish Hoek, 52, East London, 44, Umhlanga Rocks, 44, and last years U10 champions, Plettenberg Bay, slipped to tenth, with just 35 points.

Eastern Cape nippers won 17 medals of the 54 at stake in the Under 10 age group, claiming seven gold, four silver and six bronze medals. East London's Joshua Fenn won two titles in the run-swim-run and surf swim and his team placed third in the taplin relay, with Joshua and Matthew Fenn, Jamie Breetzke and Matthew Rustenberg excelling.

 Plett's Challenge Gobo won the beach sprint, with Summerstrand's Thomas Luck a close third, and Erica van Rooyen (Summerstrand) just missed gold in the girls sprint, placing a close second. Kings Beach's Tamlyn Gill sprinted away from the opposition to win the beach run in the difficult gale force winds on Friday afternoon, with Erica van Rooyen placing second. In the boys race, Kings Beach's Jamie Riddle placed second, with Thomas Luck third.

Summerstrand won the double in the flags, with Jacques du Plessis winning the boys contest, from Runaldo Pedro (Kings Beach) who placed second. Summerstrand's Erica van Rooyen won her third medal with gold in the girls flags, and teammate Jenny du Toit placed third. Plett's Emma Lund was third in the girls bodyboard and the Kings Beach team of Jamie Riddle, Joshua Oosthuizen, Steven McGillivray and Runaldo Pedro won the beach relay. Riddle, McGillivray and Oosthuizen placed third in the board relay.

The Under 10 "Competitors of the Championships" titles were won by Michael McGlynn (Durban Surf) and Alice Edwards (Pirates). Summerstrand also claimed five fourth placings in the U10 age group, and Kings Beach also just missed out on the medals in three of the events.

Durban Surf scored 249 points to win the Under 12 age group, displacing the defending champions, Summerstrand, who slipped to second place with 206 points. The final points difference between the two clubs was similar to the previous year. Fish Hoek again placed third, with 143 points, followed by Big Bay, 119, Marine, 76, Kings Beach, 61, East London, 57, Strand, 50, Plett, 38, and Clifton placed tenth with 20 points.

Summerstrand's Lara Odendaal was the Under 12 girls "competitor of the competition", winning one gold and four silver medals. She won the bodyboard title and was runner-up in the board, surf swim, run-swim-run and iron nipper contests to clinch the top title in her age group. Matthew Meyer of Marine won the boys award, with two golds and a silver medal.

Summerstrand's Jamie-Lee Engelke was another star, winning the surf swim and placing third in the run-swim-run.

The East Cape youngsters clinched all the beach titles in the Under 12 category as they won nine gold, six silver and five bronze medals for a total of 20 of the 60 at stake in the age group.

Summerstrand nippers claimed the unique clean sweep in the boys flags, claiming the top three spots with Craig Dalgleish (gold), Stefan Ungerer (silver) and Jonathan Coffey (bronze) achieving the rare feat. Dalgleish and Ungerer teamed up with Amber-Rae Zeelie and Bonga Mosola to win the exciting beach relay.

Summerstrand recorded another double when Amber-Rae Zeelie won the girls beach sprint title, with East London's Jodi Froneman third, and Craig Dalgleish won the boys sprint, with East London's James Bruce a close second. Bruce also excelled to win the beach run title.

Summerstrand's Shimone Gordon won the girls beach run, with Plett's Kayla Verryne third, and East London's Jodi Froneman won the girls flags, with Camryn Riddle (Kings Beach) third. Summerstrand just missed out in the medals in five events, with fourth placings in four girls events and one boys race. 

Fish Hoek nippers scored 293 points to dominate the Under 14 age group, ousting the defending champions, Durban Surf, by almost 100 points. Durban Surf slipped to second place with 195 points, followed by Kings Beach, 171, Summerstrand, 115, Pirates, 56, Alpha, 54,  Warnadoone, 41, Big Bay, 38, Plett, 27, and tenth placed Umhlanga Rocks, 24.

Fish Hoek youngsters won 14 of the 20 titles and they also recorded two clean sweeps and five first and second placings to win by almost 100 points. The local nippers were restricted to just three titles and six silver and ten bronze medals, totaling nineteen medals of the sixty at stake in the age group.

The local clubs dominated the Under 14 beach relay, with the Kings Beach team of Tristan Lasevicius, Lamond Bouwer, Mark Fish and Kurt Wicht excelling to win gold, with the Summerstrand team of Luke Hepburn, Tristen Jones, Layla Campher and Tainne Finn a close second. Hosts Kings Beach also won the bronze medal, with Jeremy Ward, Matthew Howes, Micaela Smith and Sebastian Pau third. Another Summerstrand team placed fifth.

Jeremy Ward (Kings Beach) won the run-swim-run and teammate Kayleigh Graham placed third in the girls race. Both Ward and Graham placed third in their respective surf swim contests, and Kurt van Staden (Summerstrand) placed second in the boys race.

Plett's Dylan van Wyk won the boys beach run, with Kings Beach's Tristan Lasevicius second in both this race and the flags contest. Sebastian Pau (Kings Beach) placed third in the flags and teammate Kelsey Vaughan was third in the girls flags, with Britney Linder (KB) sixth. Bronze medals were also won by Dylan van Wyk (Plett) and Layla Campher (Summerstrand) in the beach sprints, and Matthew McGillivray (Summerstrand) in the bodyboard.

The Kings Beach team of Jeremy Ward, Greg Aubin and Matthew Petzer placed second in the tough bodyboard relay, ahead of Summerstrand's third placed team of Kurt van Staden, Matthew McGillivray and Christie Vaughan. The Kings Beach team of Kurt Wicht, Greg Aubin, Jeremy Ward and Tristan Lasevicius won the silver medal in the taplin relay, with Summerstrand fifth and Kings Beach also sixth. Kings Beach just missed out on the medals in three other events, with three fourth placings.

Fish Hoek's Nicholas Notten won three gold medals to win the overall Under 14 "Competitor of the championships" title and teammate Amy Hare dominated the girls division, winning two golds, two silvers and a bronze medal.

The 693 nippers from 33 clubs around the coastline had to contend with an oil slick on the Thursday afternoon, gale force westerly winds on the Friday, and rain squalls on the Saturday morning.

"The nippers, who are the future voluntary lifesavers of our movement, adapted to the varying conditions and the squad of safety officers ensured that everyone had a great time", said Lifesaving South Africa National President, Dylan Tommy, who also praised the organizing club, Kings Beach, on a great effort and for hosting a wonderful championships.

Source: Stanford Slabbert.

Nicci arrived the following Monday. She had been on a train trip on the Rovos Rail from Pretoria to Cape Town. Nicci stayed with us for the rest of this week. Meanwhile Mark had gone off to Bloemfontein to a Hockey Clinic with his school. Ben Joubert is his hockey coach and did a wonderful job with the team.
I had lists of stuff to do as I had so little time before I had to leave for the MMC. Then to top it all Nicci's Car Key refused to engage the car. So Stefan had to urgently send a Key by overnight courier. I had the oil change done and the electronic setting of the car sorted out. I also spent Sunday afternoon having the car cleaned so that Nicci could drive a reasonable car home. Ally's school was supposed to have a sleep over at their school but that was canceled due to a weather forecast which did not look good.

Mighty Mens Conference 2010:
Hi All MMC Manne,

Program for week end:

A)     Depart on Thursday from BP Garage Sundays River @ 4.30pm.
B)      Collect EL cru from Kids Beach @ 8pm
C)      Depart for Angus’s farm.
D)     Arrive at 7am Friday morning.
E)      Erect camp and rest.
F)       Traveling meals at your own expense.

Meal Times:

Friday       :  Lunch      @ 1pm
                   : Supper     @ 5.30pm

Saturday : Breakfast @ 7.30am
                   : Lunch        @1pm
                   : Supper      @8pm

Sunday    : Breakfast @ 7am

Angus Program:

Friday       : 19:00-21:00 Welcome and opening – Angus

Saturday : 09:00 – 11:00 Angus
                   : 17:00 – 19:00 Angus
                  
Sunday    : 09:00 – 11:00 Angus

We want to depart from the MMC straight after Angus has completed, so ensure that you are packed up before attending the last service.

Things to bring:

A)     Tent
B)      Sleeping Bag & Pillow.
C)      Mattress.
D)     Light or Torch.
E)      Cup.
F)      Knife, fork and spoon.
G)     Plate.
H)     Chair.
I)        Book and pencil to make notes.
J)       Most important Bible.
K)      1xBlack bag /Vehicle.
L)       Toilet paper
M)   Bio degradable shampoo & soap.

Payment:

Food = R250  / person
Camp= R150 / person

Sms once payment is done and amount paid and for who to 0832600932.

Any queries contact David on 0832600932.

Good Morning to everyone.
I received a few phone calls yesterday and chatted to some of the Manne.
It seems that everyone is really excited and looking forward to this trip.
We are all anticipating a great message from Angus and can't wait to set off on Thursday and Friday.

For those who have not been to Shalom before: this is a farm and the camp site is on cut corn fields.
Take old clothes and old shoes as everything becomes full of the red soil.
You will be best to have a ground sheet if possible and a stretcher or good mattress as the ground is cold and hard.
See below for Dave's checklist of what to take. Dont forget to print and to take your tickets to the camp.
I am always keen for a run so please take running stuff.

Dean, Murray, John and Travis will be leaving together with our group of Peter, Ant, Ryan and Dylan on Thursday 15.04.2010 morning.

These two groups will meet in the Spar parking lot in Bluewaterbay at 05.00am
Those needing to load any equipment into my trailer must please do so at my house on Wednesday 14th afternoon.

We will take some Droppers and Danger tape which we will use to cordon off an area that will be large enough to accommodate all of the various groups, cars, tents, gazebos etc.

We will label the PE / EL area: the Dave Naude Group and hopefully it will be located in the general area where the big tent was situated in 2009.
You can phone any of us when you arrive and we will help you find the camp site.

Kerry and Gordon plan to leave on Friday morning
Terry and his group will arrive on Friday.
Gustav and Marius plan to arrive on Friday.
Philip: will you travel with Kerry or with us?


Dave will leave on Thursday, meet at the Colchester BP at 4PM (See below) and meet up with the EL group to arrive on Friday morning.
Dave has asked those who have not yet paid the R250 for meals to please let him have the cash when you see him at MMC.

Here are some of the telephone numbers to help you keep in touch:
Peter 082 550 3174
Philip: 083 3202 870
Terry: 084 66 55 223
Murray: 071 630 4273
Dean = 078 520 6458
Deon = 082 440 4594
Gustav = 082 373 5763
Gordon = 083 212 0201
Kerry = 083 327 5414
Ant =  082 809 7727
Ryan = 082 732 0323
Dylan = 082 329 5828
Dave: = 083 2600 932


This is the situation as at Tuesday 13th Morning: 14 X Men will be having meals with Dave's group.
1.Peter, Ant Cocks, Ryan Du Toit and Dylan are planning to leave at around 05.00am on Thursday morning. If they are first to arrive at MMC they will set up camps and reserve an area for the whole of the PE / EL Group. = 4 Men
2.Dean Moyes, Murray, John & Travis will leave with us at 5.00am. Dean = 078 520 6458 = 4 Men
3.Deon Engelke will join us for Friday and Saturday and will share a tent and meals with our group. Deon = 082 440 4594 = 1 Man. 
4.Kerry Bryans and Gordon Turner plan to leave on Friday Morning. Gordon = 083 212 0201 Kerry = 083 327 5414 = 2 Men
5.Gustav and son Marius Meyer will arrive on Friday. Gustav = 082 373 5763 = 2 Men
6.Philip Nienaber will travel with Kerry or with Peter and will have meals with us. = 1 Man
7.Terry and his groups will arrive on Friday. Terry has made his own meal plans.
Also joining us: Trevor as well as David McGillivray.

petergiddy@axxess.co.za



Wednesday afternoon: we thought that we had the Trailer Lights sorted out. It turned out that they never worked properly. We loaded up the trailer with Deans stuff, then Deon brought some stuff and finally Ant and Jackie brought their stuff. It was fully loaded and we had to lean on the lid to close it.

Thursday morning I left home early and met up at the Bluewater Bay Spar. Anthony Cox, Ryan Dutoit and his friend Dylan joined us. In Dean's group there was Murray (Car owner), John, Dean and his son Travis.

We drove a total of 970kays via King Williams Town, Mthatha, Kokstad, Underberg, Howick and Greytown. I had thought that this was the best route and as I did not have my GPS nor a conventional map I was totally mistaken. I was mixing up the drive that Barbara, Ally and I did on our way home from Mooi River last year after Nippers Nationals.

We stopped off in Underberg Spar for some provisions. Ant bought a frying pan and we bought some ingredients for our supper. We reached Howick in the light and asked directions. And were told to go via Rietvlei. A short while later we hit a Dirt Road. Here we asked directions from a Madala with a stick who seemed to know where he was. He showed us that we were on the right road and that we had 10kays to go to Greytown.

After 10kays we were still on this dirt road and then asked directions from a man on horseback who informed us that we were on the right road and that we should turn Right when we hit the tar road. He told us that we were about 30kays from Greytown. Sure enough we came to the Tar Road shortly thereafter and saw a sign saying 35kays to Greytown.

Now it was getting dark. Not long after this we saw a sign to turn right to the MMC. Another long dirt road. We had now driven for 970kays and 13 hours. Finally we reached Shalom and handed in our tickets that we had pre-purchased. I recognised where we were from last year but there were cars everywhere and I became confused in the traffic. We drove up and saw an open bit of field. I knew that we had to reserve place for a number of tents and this looked like a good spot. So we set up camp right there. Luck or blessings? We were right next to the Water supply, the showers and a decent distance from the toilets.

It did not take us long to set up the tents. Ant had his fry pan out and we made ourselves a delicious supper of Burgers, Cheese Grillers and vegetable. We were all very comfortably set up and since we had been up since about 3am we soon hit the sack. All though the night I could see the lights of cars as they approached our camp sight. I had bought some danger tape in Kokstad and we cordoned off an area which we claimed for our group.

Friday morning: Dave and his group arrived. They had phoned to say that they would be coming shortly so we went to the main entrance to meet them. They had bought some eggs and rolls which they later made into a stunning breakfast for us. All during the day I would go up to the main entrance to meet up with the various groups as they arrived. We did some exploring and finally it was only Gustav and Marius and Deon who was flying from PE to Durban and there hiring a car. They arrived during the evening session with Angus and so we could not be there to greet them. But I had given specific instructions and Gustav found us easily. Deon was not so lucky but late that evening we all met up and had supper.

Dave had done some really good meal preparation. Angus gave a really good message and it was great to see such a successful participation from so many men. The layout of the camp and the stage was different this year. Last year the stage was a square while this year the stage was set at the bottom of a hill with an amphitheater effect. Angus's message was that we are men of the watch tower. He wants us to warn those around us of the enemy. To take the right road and make sure that everyone is aware of the danger of not following Christ. We sang some familiar songs as well as some new ones.

Message that I can remember: You are what you see. Angus implies that we are a product of what we see. If we see negative in our country or in our personal situations then we will become negative people. But if we focus our attention and energies on the positive and do not bemoan our lot in life or the present situation then we will become positive and successful people.


Saturday morning:
This morning we had one session in the mid morning and one planned for later this evening. It was a long hot day and I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep. It had rained off and on during the weekend and I was not inclined to go for a run. Dave had a hot shower set up with a pump and gas heater which made for an excellent shower for many of us who were filthy from the red sand. I only wore my Crocs the whole weekend and my feet were really dirty.

Saturday evening we left for the function early but still had to sit quite a way back. Some of our group had gone down to the front a few times but I was inclined to remain to the back where we watched most of the proceedings on the big screens that were provided. When it all ended we were quite moved by the way Angus greeted his team of 83 people plus children. Ant and I decided that we would not stay for the morning session. We felt that we had received the message. The following morning was no longer a mens only event as the women would be allowed in to camp.

Sunday morning we packed up early and had to dismantle the tent in the rain. We packed the trailer and headed off to Maritzburg, Kokstad and home. This was a far better way than the way we had come. Again a very long day in the car. It would be 13 hours including the stops. We arrived at Jackie DuToit in Swartkops that evening. I then dropped Dylan and collected Mark.

Monday morning I had to start to catch up on my work. I had been off for more than a week and felt a little left out. Tuesday morning I had to leave for Queenstown very early. I only returned Thursday evening after a hectic week. Nicci had already left for CT.

CORPORATE TRIATHLON
www.corporatechallenge.co.za

I had arranged to borrow Mike Dean's bike for Ally to do the Triathlon on Saturday. On Friday morning early Ally had her one and only practice ride on the bike. That afternoon I went to register us. It was an interesting little experience. I saw a number of people as one always does. However there were two people who made an impact on me:

1.Trevor had been at the MMC last weekend. He was there with Angie. He had not planned to take part but when Angie saw a work colleague who was not going to take part, Trevor agreed to take his place. This meant that they would be able to compete together.

2.Then as I walked out of the registration I greeted Alec Riddle who came up to me to complement on how he enjoyed Ally as a person. He said some really nice things about her as he had encountered her at Nippers Nationals on Kings Beach.

Friday evening we spend playing bridge and having supper at Charles & Ingrid. It turns out to be a very entertaining evening as none of us are concentrating. We have a delicious supper of Roast Chicken and roast veg. Charles leans over to the fridge and a chair breaks. Ingrid always makes a really good supper including a desert. We laugh and laugh at our own foolishness, and no, we have not had too much to drink. Charles is on diet and only has a half a beer.

I was up early on Saturday morning cleaning and preparing the bikes. I woke a reluctant participant and the two of us headed down to the beach.

Ally was not feeling good. A triathlon is a daunting sport. Both of us
were extremely nervous. Ally was feeling nauseous with anticipation. We walked through the Boardwalk and over to Hobie Beach. TO enter a Triathlon transition area you have to have a road worthy bike. They normally check breaks and the ends of the handlebars. They also insist that you have your helmet fastened on and you must be able to produce your swim cap.

We racked the bikes and prepared ourselves. Ally cheered up a bit when she saw some of her friends who would be doing one leg of the Team Triathlon. Peter Pholman, Geoff Roberts, Cathleen from MPRG, Cathy Gard, Tracy Meistre, Jean from Nippers, maybe more people who I cannot remember were all there to take part.

The men went off at 08.00am, the ladies 10 minutes later and then the teams. I wore a wet suite today as did Ally. It is a little late in the swim season and the water may have been a little chillier than normal. But I was pleasantly surprised at how warm the water was. The men lined up in front.

Fortunately Ally was with Cathy Gard who was able to cheer her up a bit. I set off with the men. There were some huge chaps out there and I clashed a couple of times. The worst for me was when I was breathing I could feel one of my teeth becoming loose. This was a temporary fitting that I had and suddenly I blew the tooth into the water. This upset me as it was the second time that this had happened at Hobie beach. I would now have to be with a Gappy Smile for some time. Ugh!

The water was a little choppy and I heard later that a man had almost died by drowning. He was taken to hospital where we later heard he recovered. This is a short swim and I was doing fine. I could have done better but the water was really crowded. I was approaching the shore when I heard the Ladies go off. As I exitted the water I saw the family there cheering us on. I jogged to the bike transition where I readied myself and waited for Ally.

I was shocked and amazed to see her arrive in the transition area in the front group of women. When I checked the results later it appears that Ally was 8th lady out of the water in 9minutes 36secs. We hitched our bikes and after a little nervous start Ally and I were cycling at a good pace. We met up with Danie who was doing his first Triathlon. The three of us rode together for the rest of the 18kays. We met with some other people but basically it was the three of us pulling each other for most of the way. Ally was riding Mike Dean's bike and seemed to cope well despite the fact that this was a new bike for her.

Back at transition I had to change shoes while Ally had ridden in her tackies. She took off and I had to work hard to catch her. We had a good last section of the triathlon with Ally feeling the effects of the Bike ride. Ally suffered with leg cramps but managed to walk / run the 4 kays.

Our overall time was around 1hour 30 minutes. For me this had been a great day. Ally had often said that she would rather be doing the Team event but I felt that she had been part of a team in 2008. Then in 2009 we were at Nippers Nationals in Durban so this year she should be capable of completing all three disciplines on her own. Ally had overcome her nervousness and in the end we were all very proud of this 12 year old.

As Ally completed her event she was greeted by a group of her friends. I am sure that at this stage there was no doubt in her mind that she had made the correct choice.

Some results:
Mike Palframan (Achilles) 9th 57 minutes
Graham Richards MPRG 30th 1:06
Ian Thomson (Achilles) 55th 1.09
Shuaib Abrahams (Nippers)110th 1:18
Cathleen Flanagan MPRG 36th Lady 1;25
Thomas Spies (Nippers Dad)150th 1:26
Ally Giddy 38th Lady 1:27
Tracey Meistre (Nippers Mom) 41st Lady 1:28
Angie Guscot and boyfriend Trevor (MMC) came in at 1;30
Cathy Garde (Nicky Friend) 50th Lady 1:31
Keith Reading (ex Achilles) 173rd 1:33
Peter Giddy 184th 1:37
Juan Nel 186th (Nippers Dad)1:40
Monde Mabala (Achilles) 190th 1:50
195 male and 63 female individual finishers.

Sunday morning. Today was the real Ironman. We collected Charles and watched the Ironmen as they started off their 3.8kay swim. The water continued to be choppy with an East Wind. It must have made swimming quite tough as we saw about 5 people pull out in the first few minutes. From there we went to watch the Cycle as they went past. We watched the first round and then headed home. Ally and Jessica went off to play hockey.

Monday was a school holiday. This evening we had a most successful social gathering at the Summies clubhouse.

Tuesday morning (Public Holiday) I joined a little group for a Moffet 15kay run. This was part of my training for the event to come on Saturday. Then had a number of things to do at home. We have had a party of construction workmen in our house this past week. They have torn up the floor boards in the passage and our bedroom.

They have filled the gap with sand and filler and then put down a concrete slab. Once all of this is complete and the floor is ready we are having laminated flooring put in place of the old Oregon Pine floor boards which have become rotten over the years. Our house has been a complete mess and we have had to sleep on the couches and sharing Ally's bed. To top it all I forgot to pay the telephone account and we have had our phone and internet cut off.

The following day I found out that the phone disconnection had nothing to do with the account. It was merely a line fault. We have now been without a phone line for about a week. This includes internet and telephone lines.

Wednesday Ally had East Cape hockey trials and Mark had a hockey match against Pearson. As it turned out I had to hand in Ally's Pearson Application and so was able to watch Marks Hockey. They played quite well and won the match 2-1. Ally made it through the second round and all of the Clarendon girls (5 of them) are into the second round of EP trials.

Thursday 29th: Ally again made it through to the next round of the EP trials. I made a dentist appointment but the young dentist was not able to fix anything. I had to make a further three appointments for Friday and next week. Today I again sent of the Visa Applications for Barbara and for Gail with new information that they required as well as a new cheque for the R1040 that they required.

I also managed to collect my Drivers Licence. The application for a Drivers Licence must be done every Five Years. My Licence was stolen when the car was stolen. I had applied for the licence about 3 months ago. The process is first a long wait for Eye Testing completion of the application form. This takes probably about 4 to 5 hours in the Traffic Dept. Take a book and a picnic basket.

Then you have a second long wait on the same day. This is to pay for the Licence. Then after about 2 months you receive a notice to collect your licence. You will have a wait of about 30 to 60 minutes in a queue to collect the licence. You will need your ID book for this.

And so ends a very busy April 2010 month. Tomorrow morning we start with May 2010. Workers day and a 50kay trail run from Kirkwood to Addo but more of that in the May Blog.