Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 126, January 2020 | Page 16

THE RUNNING
MANN
By Stuart Mann
The National Park Run
In South Africa we are privileged to be able to run several marathons inside our National Parks and World Heritage
Sites. I am always keen for the chance to add another National Park run to my collection and therefore jumped at the
opportunity to enter the inaugural Clarens Golden Gate Marathon.
(Marathon #227 / Unique Marathon #130 / 5 October 2019)
So it was not long before my engine was overheating,
I was surrounded by clouds of water vapour, and
nasty spluttering noises were emitted from my
exhaust pipe. (Just to be clear, I am referring to my
mouth.) I also urgently needed an oil change, but there
was not much cover at the top of the mountains, so I
would have to wait.
The consolation is that with great hills comes great
scenery, and the Golden Gate National Park doesn’t
disappoint. There were plenty of runners (myself
included) who were induced into a strategic walk
disguised (and dignified) with comments like, “With
views like this, you have to take a few moments to
stop and appreciate them.”
H
aving run Surrender Hill Marathon in Clarens
earlier in 2019, I was familiar with the scenery
(= stunning) and terrain (= gruelling), so I knew
we could expect a run of unsurpassed beauty and
unrelenting hills just down the road in the Golden Gate
Highlands National Park.
Fortunately, every day is braai day in the Free State,
so the fires were lit before dawn and provided
sanctuary to shivering runners who huddled around
the coals to keep warm. They also take Professor
Tim Noakes seriously in this part of the world – it’s
boerewors for breakfast, 365 days a year, and you
could sample a taster before the 6am start.
16
...Must Come Down Again
Every day is braai day
in the Free State!
What Goes Up...
If you don’t like the cold, the good news is that
you don’t need to wait until the sun has risen
above the Maluti Mountains before warming-up,
as the organisers have designed a route with what
is probably the toughest start to any race on the
calendar. From a starting altitude of 1938m, you get
one kilometre of gentle climbing to acclimatise before
heading straight up into the clouds. Your runners’
high is reached at the five-kilometre mark, where you
can gaze down at the world from the lofty heights of
2151m above sea level.
ISSUE 126 JANUARY 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za
After the initial ascent, we dropped steadily to lower
altitudes where the terrain and foliage changed from
rocky scrublands to grassy shrublands. Ironically,
if you had a pressing engagement after eating too
much boerewors at the start, and needed a place
to hide, the first chance to do so was in the long
grass near the Vulture Hide. Alternatively, if you need
to leave more than footprints behind in the Golden
Gate Highlands National Park, large boulders later
on also provide adequate privacy to create your own
impressive rock formation!
Just as we completed the first loop, around the 8km
mark, and dipped below an altitude of 2000m for the
first time since the start, another nasty one-kilometre
climb dominated the landscape and heralded the start
of the long out-and-back section to the eastern edge
of the park.
The number one “Visitor Tip” on the SAN Parks
website is, “The area is prone to sudden weather
changes.” Whilst this might be the case, the morning
temperatures are always predictable: Freezing cold!
At an altitude approaching 2000m above sea level,
every morning is chilly in the Free State highlands. Of
course, being high summer, I was dressed in only a
vest, and thus I watched with increasing trepidation
as the temperature gauge steadily dropped below
freezing on the drive to the start. (It was as low as
minus-3 degrees Celsius on the river crossings). At
least it was a clear day, so there was no chance of
getting caught in a Golden Gate shower.