ROAD RUNNING

Springs Platinum Refineries AC runner and engineer Samkelo ‘ Sammyfish ’ Sikhonde , is over the moon after he finished the Washie Ultra Marathon in July . He sent us this short report about his experience , and asked for the opportunity to say a huge thank you to everybody who made his run possible . ( With additional race notes by Sean Falconer .)

The Buffs Club already had a marathon on the calendar , and its members already ran the Two Oceans and Comrades ultra-marathons each year , so they thought , why not something beyond those ? And so the legendary Washie was established , originally run between Port Alfred and East London . At nearly twice the length of the Comrades , the Washie requires runners to venture where even the strongest Comrades runners fear to tread . In fact , Washie runners often refer to the Comrades as a training run !

The Washie takes place in July and is always run on the weekend closest to the full moon , to give runners as much help as possible during the night , as the race starts at 5pm on the Friday evening . The cut-off time is 26 hours later , at 7pm the next day , with intermediate cut-off points at 40km and 80km . Entrants must provide their own seconds and vehicles . There are no monetary prizes , but every finisher gets a special tracksuit top and a unique handmade wooden trophy .

Long , Lonely Road

I am over the moon after finishing the Washie Ultra Marathon on the weekend of 19-20 July . I completed the race in a time of 25 hours , 21 minutes and 32 seconds , finishing in position 56 out of 65 finishers , out of the 79 runners who started the race , and I was rewarded with a handmade trophy and medal , plus a Washie 100 Miler jacket .

The preparation for Washie is tough . You train alone in the streets , or the gym , while most other runners are resting after the Comrades Marathon . Then , as the name Washie says , it washes your mind , your soul , and your body . The whole 25 hours , your body is on a rollercoaster in terms of mood , as you experience happiness , sadness , anger , dehydration , hunger , lack of appetite , feeling cold and hot , and pain everywhere on your body . You experience everything in this race !

Also , having to navigate from minus-2 degrees Celsius at night to 20 degrees during the day makes it harder for runner , as the temperature drops and rises with every kilometre . So , you dig deeper to prevent hypothermia , or avoid overheating . To cap it all , there is only one town ( Stutterheim ) on the whole route between Cathcart and East London , and the rest is farms , forest and birds ... but with each step towards East London , you appreciate the nature .

Time for Thank Yous

I would like to dedicate my finish to my wife of 18 years , Sandy , who was seconding me from start to finish , with no sleep . She acted as a coach , nutritionist , psychologist , motivator and wife during this journey of night and day . She capped it all by pushing and running with me in the last 10km .

Also , thanks to my running partners Sibusiso Mnisi and Mbongeni Khoza , who encouraged me tremendously via emotional video and voice calls . They ran with me remotely for the last 30km . In addition , my family in Springs and Siphofaneni were rooting for me to take it home and finish the race within the allowed 26 hours . Lastly , I would like thank my running club , Springs Platinum Refineries AC ( SPRAC ) for all the assistance , plus Just Gym in Springs Mall for the use of their facilities and classes to build my fitness to tackle these crazy ultras !

For My Next Challenge …

I ’ ll take a rest before I resume training , as more cycling and running events are coming up in October 2024 . My goals in the coming years include to do a full Ironman , another Washie , as well as the Badwater 235km Ultra in the USA . I believe anything is possible , as long as you put in the work , and you are determined and disciplined , and you have the guts to fight for it .

22 ISSUE 172 | www . modernathlete . co . za