ROAD RUNNING
Ek sê , take a step , your body should follow …
Running on Dad Jokes
Off we went into Scarborough . Coming down Red Hill was nasty , a quad destroyer , and just as you get a slight break , then the little road into the seaside towns keeps going down , down , down . The descent was causing havoc . 60km gone , no pictures , too tired to take our phones out for selfies . The last time we ran pasty Misty Cliffs , there was a swimwear model doing a photo shoot . We were hoping she would be there again … Sadly , all we had was our ‘ dad jokes ’ and tender quads . This stretch was also the most boring part of the route . From Perdekloof to Kommetjie , while very pretty , there was nothing to see except sea on the left , mountain on the right , only seven cars passed us , and not even a breeze .
We took turns leading the way the entire day , and then Merlin tricked me , “ Pandy , your turn to take us to the lighthouse .” Sure no prob … Yassis , what a kak idea . We kept a decent pace for some really tired bodies , frequent body breaks due to loads of liquid being consumed . Then someone decided to turn the temperature up . Merlin ’ s bleskop started to change colour , Ezzo went quiet , and then we saw some Rastafarians , Mary Poppins and some chap run up the hill from Kommetjie . We were warned about baboons in the area , and two minutes later a troop of baboons chilling on the side of the road , taking in the view of us three baboons running 100km around the City .
Kommetjie done at 67km , 33km to go , but first , let ’ s get to Ocean View , the land of slippers , tracksuit pants and pit bulls . Esmund Van Wyk loves a pit bull . True to form , he spots one in the distance , “ Ouens , mustn ’ t we run that side ? Daars ‘ n pittie .” To which Merlin responds , “ that ’ s a puppy , Bru .” Anyway , I soon got to see Tamsyn , Jessi , my nieces and Wyden . So many more supporters gathered as well . Good times , but the sun was still hurting us . 70km done , fuel station with cold fruit , cold water , Coke , and familiar faces and smiles . Nothing like seeing people you know to put a spring in your step .
Saleh and Zarif joined in . Absolute champions , running with vests to carry water bottles for us , keeping it cool and making sure we stayed light . It ’ s the small unselfish acts of kindness that makes the dream work . Surround yourself with good people and
you can accomplish really good things .
Friends on the Road
Next 5km to Noordhoek , which should be a safer place for our supporters to see us again . Aan kap issie main ding . Rodney Brown joined in for a bit , too , the old warhorse had a few words of encouragement , played traffic cop for us , and brought some really tired maths along that even confused Uncle Merlin , who by now could fry an Ostrich egg on his head ! Into Noordhoek , 75km , people , food , kids with posters with words of encouragement . A real feel-good zone . Not much to say , thank you for your time , your faces and your kind words of encouragement , guys we appreciate it . See you later .
Next stop Chappies , 80km . Eina , eina , eina . Going up , we are going , going higher and higher . Bom bom bom bom bom bom bom . Yes , I know you just sang that now . We did , too . As you can see , sunshine and blue skies . Merlin ’ s head still fighting the good fight . Going up Chapman ’ s Peak Drive is always tough . I ’ ve gone up this road from both sides , many times , and I still don ’ t enjoy going down into Hout Bay . The support at the top was incredible , more familiar faces , friends , family , and supporters . Some tourists even got in on the cheering , too .
Top of Chapman ’ s Peak , the second-last summit
the journey a success . 15km to go , just the guys we needed . Calm heads to motivate us and clear the way
for us and stop cars and fight with taxi drivers .
Really Starting to Hurt …
The drop into Hout Bay was painful . The hurtlocker . Calm heads . One step at a time , lots of jokes and heavy breathing got us to our next stop at Chapman ’ s Peak Hotel . The supporters , the incredible supporters . My mother was down there , too . She usually comes out for the big events , and so far this was the biggest of the lot . I think she was crying . Two of my sisters were there as well – the other one was probably sleeping at home , or brushing her dog ’ s teeth . I also remember seeing my friend and former runner Rasheeda Davids – she was dressed in running clothes , but she was pulling off that yoga mommy look . The pretend to exercise look . I know there was a selfie taken .
Images : Courtesy Angelo Adams
The water boys , Zarif and Saleh
At the top of Chappies stood Wasfie Adams , smiling like a proud mentor . The only problem was , I knew that he was thinking , “ What took these guys so long ?” I noticed he didn ’ t have American day clothing on , and I saw Oupie Saban was also in running kit . Rushi Kolbe was there snapping photos and offering support , good hearts making
Hiers jou 17 waaaaatlemoen !