Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 130, May 2020 | Page 35

TRAIL RUNNING
Wee bit hot out today!
Donna came to love the cooling river crossings
and take a load off, but I said no, I have a race to
finish. The feeling of determination to push on was
great, but then I was told no, a safety stop had been
implemented due to the immense heat and we could
not continue. It was then that I was told it was 55
degrees in the shade. Suddenly, it made sense why I
hadn’t been able to run. The cloudless sky meant that
unshaded areas could be as high as 60, maybe more!
could continue, after being given the option to pull out
if we felt the need. I got going with renewed energy
and began the next climb.
I had not studied the race profile, and had I known
about the 10km vertical climb I was headed into, I
might have chosen not to continue. But I climbed. On
my toes. I could feel the sun burning my calves and
I used the last of the precious sunblock to protect
them. At least, on the outside. On the inside they were
The Addo features some monster climbs
burning even more.
I caught up with a lady runner I had talked to at
the stop and we struck an unspoken agreement to
continue together. The climb was relentless. It was a
wall of loose stones that had been baking in the Addo
oven. Despite our slow pace, heart rates soared and
the need to stop regularly was essential to survival.
We were gasping for breath and fighting gravity as it
tried to pull us down.
I received an amazing neck massage from a physio
and enjoyed a break. It is a strange thing to be
stopped, wondering the race would start again? How
would the cut-off times work? How would the results
be tallied? Along with several others, I actually hoped
that the race would be stopped, and we would all be
able to graciously bow out early, but two hours later,
when the area had cooled to below 50 degrees, we
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