Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 126, January 2020 | Page 17

THE RUNNING MANN
Downhill specialist David Case, inspirational
runner and demotivational speaker
Those who’d survived the opening onslaught enjoyed
a steady drop (and occasional plummet) all the way
to the 16km mark, after which the course flattens out
and gives one a chance to admire the spectacular
surrounds whilst running in the shadow of the ancient
sandstone cliffs that were formed when basaltic lava
flowed through the area 190 million years ago.
Motivation Mishap
Soaking up the Scenery
There was a decent team from Pirates at the event.
The club prides themselves in having the hilliest race
in Johannesburg, and perhaps the best measure of
toughness of this Golden Gate course was seeing
bedraggled and marooned Pirates staggering up the
many hills that the course threw at us!
During this section of the race I caught up with
Greenside Pirate and downhill specialist, David Case.
From what I have observed, he relies heavily on
gravity and is unbeatable (and unstoppable) on the
downhills. Recently, David and three other Pirates
Club members ran the 500 kilometres between the
Kimberley and Greenside Pirates clubhouses in 10
days to raise R160,000 for Childline South Africa. But the most gruesome climbs were still to come,
and blissfully unaware of what lay ahead, I enjoyed
a beautiful morning and soaked up the sunshine and
local culture. The Golden Gate Highlands National
Park borders Lesotho, the only landlocked country
in the world with just one bordering country, and the
marathon provides a golden opportunity to learn
about the customs and traditions of the Basotho
people.
Whilst this is an admirable feat, David needs to work
on his technique if he wants to go into motivational
speaking. When he saw Sandra (his much faster
wife), already well on her way back after reaching
the turnaround, David veered across the road and
‘motivated’ her with, “There are only four ladies in
front of you, but they all look much younger and
stronger!” You can tour a traditional 18 th century village, which
includes sampling sorghum beer and seeing whether
the sangoma (traditional healer) has the right muti
to heal any aches and pains after the marathon. I
was very interested to spot a thatcher hard at work.
Although I didn’t ask if her name was Margaret, I
did ask how much the bundles cost – R35 was her
answer.
The general consensus on social media was that
“David wishes he was as fast as her,” and was just
trying to psych Sandra out in the hope he could pass
her on the way home. The record, however, shows
that David’s manoeuvre was completely unsuccessful,
with Sandra finishing 20 minutes ahead of her
husband.
Pirates runner Yunis Francis no longer
admiring the scenery, just the tar
general warning. There were plenty of “!” general
warnings along this route. Although I am not prone
to hyperbole, the signs in the park should in fact be
changed to “!!!!” for Golden Gate Marathon runners –
as in, the Free State highland hills will “!!!!” your legs
up and eat them for breakfast!!!
It is essentially a continual 14-kilometre climb all the
way from 23 to 37 kilometres. Whilst some of the
climbing is gentle, there are some brutal climbs that
rival the toughest second half hills of any marathon
on the calendar. The first starts just after the 27km
mark and ends 3.5 kilometres later (and over 200m
higher). It is made all the more difficult because you
are winding up a switchback road that had recently
experienced a fire, so you just have the stark,
charred remains of trees for company whilst your
mind subconsciously visualises your legs going up in
flames.
Just when you think that most of the climbing is over,
the second hill hits you with a sucker punch at the
32km mark. A little shorter at two kilometres, but no
less brutal with a 100-metre rise in a short space of
time – and your only reward for summiting is three
more kilometres of slow poison uphill before respite is
finally reached.
Making Friends en Route
Although there are plenty of antelope in the park – and
many signs warning you of the hazards of low-flying
antelope – I had not spotted much game. However,
the Oribi Loop between 36km and 39km, with its
vast expanses of flat grassland, provides the best
game-viewing opportunities on the route. I am not
sure if it was just me, but I felt that the galloping zebra
and wildebeest I saw were rubbing it in my face by
showing me what a real runner looks like.
Since the race starts with the toughest ‘National
parkrun’ out there, you will be pleased to hear that
the climactic five kilometres back to the finish at the
Glen Reenen Restcamp are mainly downhill. And
whilst there are many spectacular sandstone cliffs,
mountains and rock formations along the route, the
most famous and arguably most spectacular of them
all is the Brandwag Buttress, which comes into play
with less than two kilometres to go.
You’ve Been Warned!
The turnaround point is reached just after the half
marathon mark, and every ounce of energy would
be needed to get to the end of the race, so before
heading back to the Brandwag Buttress, I took the
opportunity have a quick and comfortable butt-rest.
Those that legitimately passed their learner’s driving
license will recall that the “!” road sign denotes a
I spotted a tour group getting a lecture in front of this
impressive monolith and ‘Golden Gate-crashed’ their
discussion with a few questions. The 84-year-old
Geology PhD student (and NWU Lecturer), Johann
Nel, who was conducting the tour, told me that he’s a
mere 179,999,916 years younger than the Buttress!
After exchanging pleasantries, I established
that they were a group of vintage car
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butt-rest