Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 128, March 2020 | Page 40

races? It’s not because of my lack of talent, or not being too interested in the hours
of training required to win, it’s because when you are the frontrunner, you are the
first to encounter said man-eating spiders and their massive spiderwebs! So, I have
developed three race strategies to defeat these monsters of the forests.
(Mis)Adventures
By Carla Lea Farina
COOKING IN THE
KARKLOOF
Picture this… It’s 4am, it’s dark and its drizzling, and two of us
have set off an hour earlier than everybody else on day one
of the Wildseries Three Cranes Challenge in the Karkloof area
of the KZN Midlands. This was my fourth time doing the race,
and a sixth for my Team Challenge Accepted partner, Su-yen
Thornhill, because the Karkloof draws us back year after year.
Now it may sound crazy, but the reason we were starting so early was because
we were also the caterers for this year’s race, so we needed to finish early and get
back to the kitchen! You see, Su-yen is owner, chef and chief entertainer at Chez
Fong, Jo’Burg’s best and most popular Asian fusion pop-up restaurant, and when
she volunteered to do the catering and asked me to help, I obviously agreed. I
mean, it’s not enough for Team Challenge Accepted to just cater, or just run. No,
we must do both.
Lost and Found
So, off we went into the darkness… and in keeping with tradition, promptly got
lost within the first 500 metres… and then again… and then for a third time, when
we eventually ended up on someone’s front porch. Fortunately, we could call for
help, get rescued, and then get sent on the right path. A short while later, a thought
entered my mind: “Hey, Su-yen, wouldn’t it be so cool if we saw a leopard today?”
Suddenly, Su-yen’s headlamp caught some eyes shining in the distance. “Oh my
goodness, Carla, those are predator eyes. We are going to get eaten by a leopard!”
she whispered urgently, but just then, a tiny little
buck emerged from the darkness of the forest.
That was not long after I had seen a Nguni
and said “Hey, I didn’t know there
were giraffes here.” It’s amazing
what the night can do to the mind.
Anyway, no need to worry about
imaginary leopards, but the
giant man-eating spiders…
now there’s the real worry!
Tackling the
Wildlife
Do you want to know why I
never win these multi-day trail
40
ISSUE 128 MARCH 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za
That said, sometimes the web is just too beautiful to move from the path, and
leopard-crawling with your face in the mud is always an option. (Sidenote: For
those who know Su-yen and would like some entertainment, she does a wonderful
re-enactment of this particular strategy.)
Working 4 to 8
So, each morning we set off an hour early, and then we were on our feet from 4am
to 8pm, without a rest. OK, we did each get an amazing 20-minute massage each
day, which was included in our race packages, and although our legs (and minds)
were tired, we got up the next day, put on our camelbacks and went out to conquer
more mountains (after getting unlost). Nowhere did we ever consider not running,
or pulling out, nor letting the race participants starve.
Su-yen never put anything less than 100 percent into the food she was making,
serving up all plant-based food that was rich in energy and nutrients. Meanwhile,
there I was, prepping, serving and collecting meal tickets. No matter how tired we
were, we gave it our all, both in the catering and the running.
A Must-Do Race
Now I won’t recommend that any Modern Athlete readers volunteer to do the
catering while running a race any time soon, but I am going to say this: If you
haven’t done a Three Cranes Challenge before, you really should! The three
stages are 29km, 40km and 23km, and you can opt to for a shorter second day of
25km, or only do days two and three. There is an option for everyone, walking is
encouraged, and there is no cut-off. Also, you are running for a good cause, as part
of your race entry goes towards Wildlands and the conservation of the cranes.
Andrew, Lauren and the rest of the KZN Trail Running team are so welcoming and
encouraging, while Arlo and Sven of Phonix Capture are the funniest film crew
on the planet – and they have a particular skill for filming you just as you fall over.
Meanwhile, the vibe at the race village is so fun and festive that you won’t want to
leave, and oh, did I mention the food?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: While Carla’s ‘day job’ is Head Tennis Coach and
Director of Tennis at Game Set Match Tennis in Johannesburg, her second love
is trail running, which she tackles with an unquenchable thirst for adventure,
a never-say-die attitude, and a healthy sense of humour (which often sees her
laughing at the misadventures that befall her on the trails).
Trail
Strategy 1 is obviously the easiest… Let the real frontrunners clear the path and
make the journey free of any and all spiders. If, however, you are an early-starting
caterer-runner, strategy 2 is the next best option… Make Su-yen run in front, and
she will protect me. But if all else fails, strategy 3 is introduced: Find the biggest
stick possible and use it as a makeshift ‘light sabre’ to clear the path!