( MIS ) ADVENTURES trail ( mis ) adventures by CARLA LEA FARINA
TRAIL
( MIS ) ADVENTURES trail ( mis ) adventures by CARLA LEA FARINA
No Tears on the Salt Pans
It ’ s not often that my trail running misadventures begin at home , before the race has even started , but that is exactly what happened before the Salt Pans Ultra in September .
The problems started when photographer extraordinaire Graham arrived at my place on the Thursday , to pick me up for the drive to Botswana and the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans , the second largest salt pans in the World Pans . My alarm didn ’ t go off and I woke up 30 minutes too late , so everything was rushed . Then about five hours into the drive , I realised I had left my faithful pillow and all my food behind . This led to one disaster after the other .
We came close to running out of fuel ( due to the networks being down ), then came up short in terms of cash at the border , followed by getting hopelessly lost in the middle of a foreign country . Graham and I made quite the team , but we soldiered on . We begged for money at the border , found a truck-stop that allowed us to EFT them for fuel , and eventually found ourselves on a road even I recognised from last year ’ s trip to the Salt Pans Ultra . So , surely that was all the misadventures I could have for one race ? If only that were the case …
Favourite Event
Those who read my column regularly may recall that the Salt Pans Ultra is one of my favourite runs of the year . It is a gruelling 100km event ( or you can opt for the 50km ) through the Sua Pan , which is one of the
Carla ready for the 2am start most mesmerising places on earth . It ’ s a super-flat race with an elevation gain of just 25m over 104km , so you might think this race would be a walk in the park . Well , it isn ’ t , because with temperatures climbing well into the 40s , you are battling the elements every step of the way .
I ran this magnificent race last year and finished 45 minutes outside the rather tough 17-hour cut-off , so this was ‘ my year ’ to finish within cut-off , and I was so well prepared . I had about 450 Bar-Ones , litres worth of electrolytes and 32Gi Endure , 75 packets of Purity baby food ( best race food ) and enough water for days . I had my poles , I had the route , I had it all . I felt like I was stepping into the biggest action film of the year – even more so , considering we got stuck in the mud the day before and were rescued by the former President of Botswana and his security team , who arrived on 11 quad bikes – and it felt like this movie could have been the sequel of Mad Max . It was just epic !
Things Go Awry
We set off at 2am , but my pack was so full that I seemingly spent the first 10km going back to pick up race food that had fallen out , until finally , bit by bit , I had eaten a lot of it . It was still dark , but the stars lit up the sky like millions of fireflies , and I was still on track to finish within cut-off . The water tables were amazing , prepping me and sending me back into battle , the most epic co-stars in my action movie . Then it popped out , a tiny glimpse of the sun , and I took a deep breath and mentally prepared for what was about to happen … The temperature climbed steadily , water and fuel became more important , and aid stations appeared like mirages in the distance – you could see them from about 5km away , but you thought they were closer .
I reached the 45km aid station feeling good , like a warrior , but that ’ s when I got taken out by a hidden enemy that I never anticipated . A gale-force wind started hitting me from the left , and I couldn ’ t run in a straight line . In fact , I could hardly run at all , and I became more and more dehydrated due to the wind , because I didn ’ t drink enough , and I arrived at the 60km aid station freezing cold , even though it was 40 degrees in the shade ! The medics made the call , and that was the end of my race , but I didn ’ t go out without a fight ! I still changed my shoes and my top , and I wanted to head back out , but I would not have made it . That next section would have been the hardest part of the race , and I would have had to be rescued . So , I accepted my fate , returned to the race village , and they monitored me until my fever came down .
I ’ ll Be Back !
This was not my year after all , but that didn ’ t take anything away from the epic adventure that was Salt Pans 2024 . It is the most spectacular setting you could ever wish to run in , and I made some incredible new friends , like Harvey and his lovely wife Kelly , while reconnecting with special friends like Marius , who ran an epic race to smash the 100km a week after completing a 100-miler in Zimbabwe . I also got to catch up with the most amazing race crew , who make this such a special race . This remains one of the highlights of the year for me , and next year I will try again to conquer this beast !
The Salt Pans Ultra is rated one of the world ’ s toughest flat route ultra-marathons
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