TRAIL RUNNING
What is the 13 Peaks Challenge ?
BY RYAN SANDES
Special treats for a special run
the feeling of achievement and the wonder at the world around you .”
He has made it more interesting , creating badges and leader-boards for three different challenges . To earn the Multi-Day badge , you need to complete the 13 peaks in as many days as you like – your time stops when you leave the route and starts again once you start the route , but you must re-enter the route at the same spot that you left it . The Two Day badge requires you to complete the 13 peaks within 48 hours , with a rest stop permitted , while the One Day badge has a 24-hour limit . Ryan has added the Impossible badge for a 13- hour finish ( anything within 13 hours and 59 minutes ), but to date , he is the only one to have accomplished this incredible feat , clocking 13:41:10 last August .
On completion of your Challenge , you can upload your time on the Wall of Honour and join the esteemed list of those who have completed the challenge , the Peakies . In addition to this , you have the option to add photos and a write-up to celebrate the occasion . But Ryan adds that “ as a personal challenge , you don ’ t have to submit proof . If you want to share your route , that ’ s awesome , but it ’ s about honesty , exploration , and the core of trail running .” No wonder it ’ s proving so popular , and at the time of writing , 595 Multi-Day times have been listed on the website , with 152 Two Day and 76 One Day badges having been earned as well .
Mentally Prepared
And so , after much planning and training , I found myself heading to Cape Town to tackle the 13 Peaks Challenge , as part of the Peak Peeps Team of five runners , along with Ernest Carrick , brothers Hood 4 and Hood 5 ( nicknames ), and Nuno Carepa . I was ready for this , but there ’ s so much more to my story when it comes to tackling the 13 Peaks Challenge .
13 Peaks was born from the idea of me wanting to link up some of my favourite peaks on Table Mountain and in the Cape Peninsula area . One evening I sketched those peaks out in my notepad and linked them up in a logical route that would make for a great adventure . I wanted the start and finish to be in the same place to mimic the famous “ rounds ” in the UK , so I put th start and fnish at Signal Hill , with the tagged peaks in the following order : 1 Signal Hill 2 Lions Head 3 Maclears Beacon 4 Grootkop 5 Judas Peak 6 Klein Leeu Kop 7 Suther Peak
8 Chapmans Peak 9 Noordhoek Peak 10 Muizenberg Peak 11 Constantiaberg 12 Klassenkop 13 Devils Peak
The distance between peaks did not look too far on my sketch and I guesstimated it to be about 55km . I convinced my buddy , Kane Reilly , to join me for this fun day out , exploring the Cape Peninsula on foot , and 19 hours later , having covered over 100km with 6000 meters of vertical , we made it off the mountain . We only summited 12.5 peaks due to our headlamp batteries dying , but we both described the 13 Peaks experience as one of the most epic mountain adventures we had been on .
There is something really magical about the Table Mountain area , and to be able to experience it on foot takes it to a whole new level . Kane and I didn ’ t complete the full route that day , but we both promised to go back and complete it . This got me
thinking … how cool would it be if more people could experience the 13 Peaks .
For most people completing the route on foot in one day is not doable , and that is why I have created a one day , two day and multi-day category to make the 13 Peaks possible for everyone ( hikers and runners ). It ’ s about getting out there and exploring our beautiful wilderness areas .
To find out more about the 13 Peaks Challenge , read more ‘ run reports ’ and check out the various leader-boards , go to https :// 13peaks . co . za .
The team in high spirits during the night
Ryan Sandes in his Cape Peninsula playground
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