Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 128, March 2020 | Page 37

awera
ravails
Forest running at its best
The race went through everything from pine forests,
farmland, Newlands-like forest, MTB parks and
villages. Most of it was so astonishingly beautiful that
even though I hit rock bottom a few times, I couldn’t
help but smile. Of course, the views weren’t the only
things to smile about. The many signs put up by the
local trail community with the best, dry humour jokes
(like the words of the song Up on the Hill is a Lonely
Goat, complete with yodels) was another reason.
I also left every aid station smiling, and feeling
invincible, thanks to the incredible food (something
the race is known for) served up by anything from
clowns to Boy Scouts to Spiderman, as well as my
superb seconding team (two trail runners, Helen and
Sean, from our local Cape Town running community)
who ‘serviced’ me like a Ferrari in a Formula 1 race.
I managed to eat and fuel up with loads of Tailwind
Nutrition SA products, something I’m always grateful
for, and even had some matches left to burn in the end.
The rest is blurry, except for the finish, where I very
clearly remember Sean pacing me to the finish line,
and literally shoving people out of the way to make
way for me. And that surreal finish line feeling… the
relief, the joy and knowing that the hard work paid off,
coming home third in 10:31:25, a podium position at
an UTWT event! All in all, one of my wildest dreams
coming to life. Still find it hard to believe it happened,
but there are these photos of me, so it must be true!
I am humbled, grateful and happy… my heart is
full! And congrats to the badass beautiful girls that
finished ahead of me, Manuela Soccol (9:39:49) and
Anne-Marie Madden (9:52:42), on their incredible
achievements.
Some Tarawera Goodness
This race was beyond beautiful. Imagine 100km of
flowy, clean green forest trails and blue lakes... Fast,
fairly flat and runnable, which is what makes it tough
in the end… and super well organised, with some
of the best registration, aid stations and support
I’ve ever come across in a race! That’s why I highly
recommend this race to any ultra-runner – it’s well
worth saving up for and travelling around the globe
to run it.
For me it was certainly worth every penny, and apart
from a bank card that went missing during a layover,
losing half my hair while untangling a post-race
dreadlock, and losing a toenail, it was the most
hassle-free and enjoyable international race I’ve had
to date. What really stood out though, is how well
my body performed, in spite of 53 hours of travelling
to New Zealand and the significant time difference.
I certainly haven’t always been this lucky when it
comes to travelling and racing…
Last year, when I travelled to Ultra-Trail Mont Blanc
in France, I had what I would call an award-worthy
travel fiasco. (I’ve got other f-words to describe it, but
cursing is frowned upon in polite society!) It was the
result of a very limited budget, a lie on a flight booking
website about hotel accommodation, and some
proper bad luck on my end.
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