CAPE TOWN MARATHON 2014 WITH PETER GIDDY AND SIZINZO KAMA

CAPE TOWN MARATHON WEEKEND 18TH TO 21ST SEPTEMBER 2014

PETER AT THE 12KM WITH TABLE MOUNTAIN IN THE BACKGROUND. STILL FEELING GOOD.

 AT THE DUNES RESTAURANT IN HOUT BAY WITH CHRISTIAN; AARON; ZARA AND MIA AS WELL AS MADRI'S CHILD

 AT CATHY'S HOUSE RELAXING ON THE COUCHES

CAPE TOWN MARATHON 2014

My entry for the Cape Town marathon started in July 2014 when Nicky phoned me to say that she was keen to run a Marathon. We looked up the CT marathon and decided to enter.
I knew that this was going to be a huge step for me as I have not run a 42k road race for many years. I have done Trail runs but these are normally much more survival events with lots of time to finish and generous cut off times.
Marathons in South Africa are quite tough with the cut off times being in sync with the Two Oceans and Comrades marathon qualifying times. When I started running in the 1980's the qualifying cut off for Two Oceans was 4;15 and that is what we would aim for as a maximum for a 42k. In later years the cut off time

BARBARA HAVING FUN WITH CHILDREN.

RELAXED AT CATHY'S HOUSE.

SIZINZO AND PETER AT REGISTRATION

for a Two Oceans and Comrades qualifier was extended to 5 hours. This remains a fairly tough goal for many runners but is necessary to ensure that participants are reasonably fit before taking part in a tough ultra marathon.
We learned that the Cut Off time for CT marathon is either 6.30 or 8 hours. Not sure which is correct as the website differs. And so this seemed like the best option for Nicky and myself to try our first marathon together.

Back home I entered the event and talking to some of my fellow runners in Port Elizabeth, John Nelson and Stuart Brown (both strong and accomplished athletes and marathon runners) agreed to accompany me to Cape Town. We started our training by upping the weekly distance that we run from around 20 or 30kays a week to between 60 and 70km per week. This is not easy for men who have busy family and business commitments.
Our group runs are around 10k in the mornings Monday to Thursday and then on a Saturday we generally try to up this to 15 or 20k. But the problem is to get to all of these runs through the winter and to avoid injury at the same time.
In August John decided that his personal life was just too busy to the CT marathon in and pulled out. Meanwhile Nicky was going through some big changes to her life in CT and her training took a major downturn. Nicky spoke about this later explaining that not having a routine threw her off balance and she was not able to commit to the kind of training that is required for a full marathon event. Especially as this would have been her first.
Finally Stuart also pulled out due to developing shin splints and so I would now be on my own for the event. Barbara had meanwhile also decided to close her playschool and so would be able to travel to Cape Town with me. And Ally agreed that a visit to her CT family would also be appropriate.
Ally was elected to be a Prefect for her matric year in 2015 at Pearson and would be going on a Prefects Camp on the Thursday that we would be leaving for Cape Town so she too was out of the equation.
At this time Paulette McEwan from Achilles sent out a notice asking if anyone would be able to assist a fellow Achillean with a lift to Cape Town for the run. I agreed and this is how it came about that Sizinzo would be with us for the drive.

My training had gone well. I had three consecutive weeks of over 60ks including some 20k Saturday mornings and a 24k trail run at Woodridge and had no colds or flu and no Injuries to talk about. My knees were more or less holding up and my calves would ache early on in training runs but seemed to improve as they warmed up.
I was fortunate to have some real stalwarts training with me especially on Saturday Mornings where Adrienne; Annie; Pat; Viv; Neil; Bev; Andrea, Liesl and people like this would be there to support me even though they had no plans for a long distance event.
The Mill Park Running Group runs were well supported by both the Slower (includes me) runners and the Faster group so we are always assured of  a solid group during the week. Also there were a number of MPRG who were training for the tough Baviaanskloof event.

I took a few days of leave for this event. We left on Thursday afternoon 18th of September. Sizinzo calls himself an Early Bird and was at our home by 1pm. We had a bit of lunch and left shortly after 3pm. We drove into an almost gale force westerly and by the time we reached the Tsitsikamma area we were driving in a storm of lashing rain and hail. We arrive in Plettenberg bay at about 6pm and stayed over at my Mother (Ena) who has not been well for the past few months. She has an assistant (nurse); Violet, who made us a Pasta Supper which went down well.

Friday morning we had to make a stop at Mossel Bay for business and left there shortly after 12pm. Again we were into this really strong West wind including hail and stormy rains. A stop in Riversdale for a bit of a take away lunch of Curry Bunny and Chips.

SIZINZO AND PETER AT REGISTRATION AT CAPE TOWN MARATHON. 

Finally we arrived in Cape Town around 4pm and with a bit of luck found the place to register. As we had been driving I had found my "letter of confirmation"and had asked Sizinzo if he had his letter. It was around this time that I realised that he had not entered this "pre entry only"event. I was shocked but we were there so there was not much that I could now do to help him. It seems that Sizinzo won the SA over 60 age group runners for a 42k marathon in 2013 and was wanting to defend his title.

We made our way into the registration area and I found my Number. Barbara asked if she could collect Nicky's number and they were most accommodating. But Sizinzo was told that entries were closed. We knew this but he had asked anyway. We then asked if we could do a substitution and again the officials were amazingly accommodating. Well done to them! What a pleasure to deal with officials who were there, not so much to uphold the rules but more as support for runners.
I by realised that I had left my RaceTech timing chip on my shoes at home and so would have to Pay R120 for a new chip. I have done this so many times before; at both Comrades and at Two Oceans. I could not believe that I had again been so Doff!


But the upshot of the whole registration thing was that Both Sizinso and I walked away having registered and with our "Goody Bags"and race shirts.
We dropped Sizinzo off at the taxi rank so that he could find his friend where he would stay for the weekend.
We then made our way to Cathy and Saul where we had a Braai and early night
Saturday morning -- we make our way to Penhill where we meet up with Nicky and her family. We also visit a house for sale and then have a braai at Cathy later that afternoon with Nicky; Werner and children.

SIZINZO AND HUBERT AT THE START OF THE EVENT.

PETER AND SIZINZO AT THE START OF THE RUN

Sunday Morning 21/9/2014
The race starts at 7;30 but as I am not sure of parking I leave just after 6am. There is also a 10k Peace Run this morning from the same venue.
I find parking at the same place where we had registered on Friday. I feel it is worth the R30 to have some security for the car. I heard later that the Urban Run in PE was a lot of fun but the Cookes had returned to their car to find all their kit stolen.
I walk to the stadium where the race is due to start and then wander around to see if I can see Sizinzo. He is there with his friend Hubert who lives in CT but remembers me from the days when I would be at the races in PE as a regular thing.


We make our way to the front of the field so that Sizinzo can have a reasonable start. I look out for Margie Saunders but dont see her. I meet up with Lorna, a person who used to run with Malcolm Figg and myself. She reminds me of those training runs that we did. She was also with the University in PE at that time.


The race gets under way. The announcer says that there are 4500 runners this morning. I jog on at what I feel is a relaxed pace. We head through the city and out past the Fort and past the Hockey and Circus stadium where Ally had been playing earlier this year.

I WAS AT 10K IN UNDER AN HOUR. FAR TOO FAST WHICH I WOULD REGRET LATER

AT ABOUT 24K THE CLIMBS BEGIN WITH THE FIRST HEADING UP TO DISTRIC 6.

At the 10k I am feeling totally relaxed but hear someone calling out 56minutes. Too fast for me! I should not have gone out at less than about 7 minutes a kay. But still feeling good and we do a couple of loops. I hear me name being called -- It is Bev Mc Donald. Steve is also running this event and will soon catch me.

21K AND FEELING GREAT. BUT TOO FAST AT 2.02 I WOULD SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES LATER

AT 21KM IN 2.02 I WAS FEELING GOOD BUT NEEDED TO SLOW DOWN IF I WAS TO FINISH THIS EVENT.

Still going strong and before I know it we are at the 21k mark and it is now 2;02. Definitely too fast. And then at 24k the hills started. First up to District 6 and then two long climbs up through the city. Steve Mc Donald passed me. We ran past Nicky's flat in what I thought was Queen Victoria park but I see is called Government gardens. At this time I had a bit of a sit down and a bit of a recovery. Shortly after that we passed the 30k mark. At the 32k I was able to buy a Red Bull and give myself a bit of a boost (even if only psychological). I found a Sub5 hour group and managed to stick with them for most of the last 8 or 9kays which I walked / ran in 90minutes.

STEPS AT ABOUT 33KM. I WOULD TAKE AROUND 90MINS FOR THE NEXT 9K

The route takes the runners back to the stadium and then along the main Sea Point road all the way down to the 35k mark where you head down to the main promenade still going towards Sea Point. The last 5kays is on a cobbled stone walk way back to the stadium. On another day the run with the ocean on your left would have been wonderful. But today all I could think of was the end.

Finally came into the stadium at 12;30 which was a 5 hour finish.
I had become confused with the times and marker boards towards the end and was totally in Survival mode. However when I finally finished the event my legs seemed to recover fairly quickly and I was able to walk to the car.

FINISHED. MISERABLE SELFIE

I later heard that Patrick and Thomas had been on the side of the road at about the 10k but had not seen them. Sizinzo finished 7th Grandmaster in about 2.23 and Margie was second in about 2.22. She told me that the first lady had passed her in the final few kays.

Barbara and the families were at Hout Bay and I drove through there and had a fish and chips lunch at a restaurant called Dunes where the tables are in the sand and it is perfect for children who have plenty of safe areas to play.
Spent the rest of the afternoon at Cathy recovering.
Monday morning; collect Sizinzo and drive back home.
Margie tells me that she finished in 2;23 and was Second. Sizinzo was about the same time but finished 7th in their Grandmaster Age Group.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. THEN NEXT MORNING AT ABOUT 3AM WERNER HAD TO FLAG DOWN A TRAIN USING THE LIGHT OF HIS CELL PHONE

 THE CADDY IS STUCK DEEP IN THE MUD

HERE THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE AND NO ELECTRICITY AND NO PEOPLE.
Nicky relates her tale of the event where they were stuck in the mud and pouring rain at an event which was part of a Rovos Rail trip for some wealthy people. It is an amazing story of how Werner was to do the sound but the Caddy got stuck in the mud, they transferred the equipment to a truck and trailer which took them to the tent on the rail siding. There was nobody there but eventually someone arrives with a whole trailer of tables and chairs. These have to be set up and built. They are all in terrible condition and Nicky has to paint the tables with white paint in the pouring rain and howling wind.
Then they have to set out the tables as the rain pours down through the tent. Finally the passengers arrive on the train and the guests arrive and they have a fun time. Then all the organising people left while the only vehicle that was still there had a number of flat tyres.
Finally in the early morning (3am) a train comes past and Werner flags it down. Everyone climbs in the train which takes them again to the middle of nowhere. A farmer allows them to sleep in the shed on potato sacks.
Next morning he helps them pull their vehicles out of the mud and repairs their tyres and finally they are able to drive to Riebeek where John lives.
I have given the short version but this is a tale worth telling.

THEY MADE A BED OF POTATO BAGS IN THE SHED. THIS WAS THE BEST OPTION IN A NIGHT OF DISASTER, HOWLING WINDS; POURING RAIN; A TRAIN TRIP AND A NIGHTMARE OF AN EVENT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.