Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 131, June 2020 June 2020 | Page 42

Llandudno Ravine, Table Mountain Challenge A Decent Descent, Table Mountain Challenge even Newland’s Forest, my ‘home ground,’ felt like walking through adhesive polyurethane! I then turned to food, as peanut butter has been the solution to many of my life’s woes, and that fuelled me for all of about three steps, but I had wallowed in the proverbial ‘pain cave’ for long enough, and I sent off a prayer of desperation and negotiation. I then switched focus… from my burning feet to the cool, fresh smell of the rain. I felt the leaves gently brush over my aching legs as I ran through the forest. The pounding of my heart was settled by the sounds of the sea, waterfalls, birds and the wind in the trees. Finally, by 33km, the sun squeezed through tiny gaps in the clouds, lighting up the home stretch along the front of Table Mountain. A wondrous experience and true appreciation of the exhilaration and exhaustion of endurance running. I then contently travelled on auto-pilot (or zombie mode) to the finish. My last climb included a somersault crossing over a colourful bouncy house to finish in seven hours and 49 minutes, placing me 11th in the women’s race. Cue Leigh: “That was brutal… I want to do it again!” (With a few swear words in between.) An accurate expression of how TMC went for me Post-PEACE Trail posing with Tuffy, Go-Go and Luna Lesson #7: It is always a good idea to run for a good cause My next mission started when I got the opportunity to run the Cape Town PEACE Trail 22km for Team SPCA, where I raised funds for this awesome organisation fighting for animal rights. I received great support from amazing humans, who donated a total of R5388 towards looking after the animals housed at the Cape of Good Hope SPCA. Sidenote: I encourage more people to support local animal shelters, by donating money, food, blankets or volunteering time. Better yet, adopt a fur kid. They bring so much love and happiness into your heart and home, and the greatest loyalty and friendship that you’ll ever know. Lesson #8: It is always a good idea to run with a hydration pack I spent some time debating whether or not to run with my hydration pack. When I realised it masked the very cute Jack Russel on the front of my Team SPCA shirt, and covered the cute kitty printed on the back, I decided to run without it, knowing I’d have two water points on route. Come race day, I completely missed the first stop, so I struggled until the top of Signal Hill, where the second water point granted me a semirehydrating sip to finish the last stretch. Images: Barbara Cole, Dylan Haskin, Ray Chaplin, Sean Altern, & Courtesy Leigh De Necker 42 ISSUE 131 JUNE 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za