4 . Find yourself an ideal running partner : This might seem like a simple task , but many have fallen by the wayside . The qualities that one needs to look for in a running partner are numerous , but the most important include being of the same or ( preferably ) slightly better running ability , being mildly psychotic about their training , and having a propensity to drink large volumes of beer . I was very fortunate to have Kirsten at my side ( actually , normally just ahead of me ) to share the journey .
Sidenote : If you thought that the name Kirsten was in the exclusive domain of the fairer sex , it is time to rectify that misconception . God only knows why someone would name their son Kirsten , but perhaps they did not like the name Sue , and / or were hoping that Johnny Cash would write a song about him . I have questioned Kirsten about the origins of his name , but he could only provide some very cursory information that he had obtained from his parents , along the lines that they decided on the name “ whilst in Wales .” ( If the name was indeed decided on “ whilst in Wales ,” I reckon Jonah would have been more appropriate .) It should also be pointed out that , although by no means effeminate , Kirsten does have less body hair than the average female , and recently caused some confusion at Mont Aux Sources after being listed as the “ first female finisher .”
Lowveld Attraction
Having picked Kaapsehoop , further investigation into the course was necessary to ensure we knew what we were in for . This is probably best described as a ‘ Paris Hilton marathon ,’ because it is cheap ( only R50 gets you in ), easy ( it goes down a lot , about 950m ) and you will probably require a trip to the doctor the next morning . However , no metaphor is perfect , as only 200 people enter the marathon each year . ( These days that entry figure is closer to 4800 , with a further 3000 in the half marathon and 10km races . – Ed .)
After checking into our B & B in Nelspruit and registering for the marathon on Friday afternoon , we decided to drive the route . The race is essentially a point-to-point between the little village of Kaapsehoop and the ‘ metropolis ’ of Nelspruit , but as the road distance is only about 28km they throw in a couple of loops to make up the difference . Although there was definitely a lot of downhill , we were rather perturbed to find that they had snuck in a few uphill sections , particularly in the last half .
With the race route driven , the only task remaining on race day minus one was to find an Italian restaurant to complete the carbo-loading . This proved a lot more difficult than expected , as it turns out there is only one Italian restaurant in the whole of Nelspruit , and it is stuck away in a hard to find outskirt . The rather cryptic directions from our hosts at the B & B didn ’ t help either . ( How we struggled before GPS !)
The evening allowed some time for reflection on my two previous attempts at a sub-3 marathon . The first was in March 2006 at the Tarentaal Marathon in Naboomspruit , where I finished 26 seconds the wrong side of three hours . My excuse was that I had no-one to pace me , but I still finished fourth ( and was the first ‘ genetically disadvantaged ’ runner across the line ). I was also going for a PB rather than sub-3 that day , and the last 8km were the fastest I ran in the race when I realised I could get close .
The second was in January this year ( 2008 ), when I had my ‘ Britney Spears run ’ in Warner Robins , Georgia , USA … Life was fantastic until I hit the mid-20s , after which everything imploded and life went horribly pear-shaped . My excuse this time was an 18-hour flight the previous day , combined with sub-zero race day temperatures , as well as a howling wind and driving rain . So hopefully it would be third time lucky …
Nervous Tension
Some days you wake up and realise that it ’ s not going to be your day , so waking up with a sinus headache had me worried . On the positive side , the weather was fantastic for racing – cloud cover and mist with just a light drizzle . Having expected temperatures to rise quickly into the 30s , this was a real blessing .
Bus transport is organised for the runners and our trip to the start was made a little more interesting as the window next to us steadily disintegrated , spraying shards of glass everywhere . There was plenty of chatter and banter amongst most of the passengers , but Kirsten and I were largely silent , focussing on the task ahead . Behind us were a small herd of stallions from the Mr Price stable , who were talking about their 2:20 marathon plans – enough to unnerve anyone . We arrived at the Koek ’ n Pan Pancake Den in the village of Kaapsehoop , which marked the start . Tea and coffee were on hand , but there was no time for beverages after awaiting my turn in the portaloo queue . The visit to the blue throne room proved uneventful , as I was unable to get rid of my pre-race nerves , and would thus be carrying some excess baggage on the journey back to Nelspruit .
Kirsten and I met up with Sunninghill Tiaan and Randburg Jaco before the start – all of us were hoping for our maiden sub-3 hour marathons . We set off together on a short , uneven dirt road stretch before hitting the tar and turning left onto a 3km uphill stretch towards Ngodwana . Although we were running at goal pace , I was feeling very sluggish and the first few kilometres felt far from easy , but I thought perhaps that was just a bit of nervous tension .
After 3km , we turned around and headed back towards Nelspruit . Knowing that there was a good 17km of downhill ahead , we settled into a relaxed rhythm and there was plenty of idle banter in our bus of four , which calmed any remaining nerves . Life was great as we went through 10km in 42 minutes , exactly according to plan .
Emergency Stops
Unfortunately , I am a man with a sensitive disposition , and my biggest worry for the race was that problems in the ‘ engine room ’ would stand in the way of achieving that 3-hour goal . In spite of a breakfast consisting predominantly of large white Imodium Plus tablets , my worst fears were realised when I needed to disappear into the bushes at about 12km . At this stage , I was not too worried , because I had built my race plan around a one-stop strategy , but the major frustration was that I knew I would not be able to catch up to our bus again , and would have to fly solo .
I felt a lot better after ‘ unleashing the hounds ,’ but just 4km further along the road , disaster struck as the hibernating bear began to stir once more – and it was back into the bushes again . This was a lot more worrying , because the top half of my body was starting to feel quite weak , I was now well behind goal pace , and the day was rapidly turning into the ‘ Kaapsepoop ’ Marathon .
Careful not to try to make up time too quickly , I set off again and ran four-minute kilometre splits until the 19km mark , which heralded the second dog-leg loop – this time on an evil , undulating off-road section . After all that downhill , running slightly uphill on the dirt felt terrible and my legs seemed to grind to halt . The halfway point was reached in 91 minutes – and with it the realisation that I would have to run a negative split on the more challenging second half of the course . I was not enjoying the off-road and knew that there was still some way to the turnaround as Kirsten , Jaco
Kirsten , heading back to the safety of the tar
Life was great in the first 10 kilometres
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