Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 124, November 2019 | Page 45

TRAIL RUNNING
have done to my mentality? All these questions go
through your head.”
He adds that while the Moab does come with it is own
challenges, he still rates the Munga as just a little bit
harder. “We have no pacers in the Munga, and having
William with me made a massive difference, there
is no doubt about that. Even if the these pacers are
not allowed to help you carry your race pack, their
presence makes a big difference.”
Time to Rest
Looking back now, it’s been a good year for Bennie.
He competed seriously in four races in 2019, the first
being the Munga in April, which he won. The next race
was the Mac Mac 50 Miler in Sabie, where he finished
third, and then in June he travelled to Namibia for
the Fish River Canyon 100km, where he picked up
another third place. Then he finished his season with
third at the Moab, and now Bennie says his 2019
racing year has come to an end. “That is it, I am
done racing for the year now. I’m not even thinking of
training until next year. I am going to put my feet up,
pick up weight and enjoy my time with my family. It is
time to just relax.”
That said, he admits that there are already thoughts
in the back of his mind about 2020. “After winning
the Munga for a third time this year, of course I
wanted to defend my title – and use the lessons
picked up at the Moab – but the Munga has
unfortunately been cancelled,” says Bennie. Instead,
he is exploring the possibility of running the Delirious
West Ultra Trail on the West Coast of Australia. This is
a 360km ultra run in February each year. “That could
be a big challenge. I am taking a break now, that is
definite, so I will not have enough time to prepare
for that, and I will need to think long and hard about
running in Australia.”
On the other hand, he is definitely excited about the
prospect of getting to run the Gobi Ultra in 2020. “The
race organiser called not too long ago and invited all
of us back, telling us we will get a free entry and he
will pay for the flights. That is a huge expense already
taken care of, and I really do want to give the Gobi
a crack. There is just something about running there
that is very appealing to me.”
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