Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 128, March 2020 | Page 38

To make a long story short, I picked the most affordable flights and ended up spending a 14-hour layover at Dubai Airport twiddling my thumbs. I thus arrived in Geneva at midnight, 30 minutes before the airport closed, with no lift to Chamonix, because the busses had already left. I spent the next day sitting at a train station in a small Swiss village waiting for a bus-train- bus-taxi deal to get me to Chamonix, as opposed to the cheap backpacker bus that all my friends took, putting them in centre Chamonix in less than two hours. I’ve also had my share of travel disasters heading to local races, arriving at midnight the night before the race with airport vending machine food-induced diarrhoea, and so on and so forth. But the way I see it, it wasn’t all for nothing. I learned some valuable lessons through all of those experiences, and before travelling to Tarawera, I did my homework and applied all those lessons. I’m convinced it paid off! So Kia Mihi, New Zealand, I’ll be back for that 100 Miler… About the Author & Article Naomi Brand is an elite ultra-trail mountain runner, a vet by profession, a painter in her spare time, and an all-round great human with a big heart and even bigger grit. This article was originally commissioned by and published on the www.runstore.co.za website, and is republished here with the permission of both RUN and the author. Need help navigating all the shoes out there? Can’t decide which model to choose? Then pop in to one of two RUN stores in Bree Street, Cape Town and Edward Street, Tyger Valley, Bellville, and let their friendly and knowledgeable shoe freaks put you in the best shoes for you. More info at [email protected]. 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. 38 ISSUE 128 MARCH 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za