TRAIL
( MIS ) ADVENTURES trail ( mis ) adventures by CARLA LEA FARINA
Pondo GPS Perfection
Let ’ s go back in time two years . Running buddy Su-yen Thornhill and I , a . k . a . Team Challenge Accepted , were sitting on a ledge on the middle of the Pondo coastline , waiting to be rescued . We had had an absolute disaster of a race ... No functioning GPS , no natural sense of direction , and too competitive to wait for the team behind us and follow them on the right course !
Images : Courtesy PONDO Trail-Run & Su-yen Thornhill
Back to the present , and we ’ re heading out on another epic adventure , ready for the 103km PONDO Ultra , take 2 . With our last trip to this race having brought disaster after disaster , heading back for round two is a bag of mixed emotions . Excitement for the adventure , worry about ending up stuck on another cliff face , waiting to be rescued , and every emotion in between . But this time we are prepared . Two working GPS watches ! We are so proud of ourselves …
Bit of a Rocky Start
We arrived at race briefing wide-eyed and bushy-tailed , ready for it all … except for having our ‘ war stories ’ of two years back recounted in gory detail to the rest of the field – both Ultra and three-day Coaster entrants – as cautionary tales . Don ’ t do what they did . Have GPS . Stay on the beach as much as possible . So , after many embarrassing stories , we headed off for a pre-race nap at the Estuary Hotel in Port Edward . Later , we grabbed a quick coffee at 10:45pm , met our shuttle and off we went .
We got to the start early – we were meant to start at midnight , but started slightly earlier at 11:45 . ( This was a serious problem for my vitality points , so I ran my watch for half an hour and then restarted , so I could get my Saturday points .) That ’ s when I realise that disaster had struck again . I recently bought myself a fancy new Suunto , which I love , but due to the fact that I don ’ t really know how to work it yet , I had accidentally deleted the route . So immediately we went from two GPS watches to one …
After about 80km I eventually had enough signal to re-download said route . In the meantime , we felt like expert mountaineers , because we could never get lost . Normally I struggle to stick to the right path , but the watch would buzz like a shock collar , Su-yen would shout at me and we quickly jumped back onto the right path . So , the race ran relatively smoothly , bar a couple of hair-raising river crossings , which Su-yen sailed through , whereas I almost washed away due to being so vertically challenged , but we made it and pushed on .
Ready to Start , in spite of GPS challenges
The famous Skull & Crossbones
Going Full Pirate Mode
Finally , we got to my favourite part , where we had to make a choice , and there was only one answer … Skull and Crossbones ! Let me elaborate : We arrived at a crossroads , the Pondo sign going right would take us over an easy , winding cattle path , the skull and crossbones sign going left would take us along sheer cliffs that rise out of the raging ocean . No guessing which one we chose , and it was so much fun ! Su-yen will probably beg to differ on that , but it saved us 40 minutes , and suddenly we realised that we were lying first in the women ’ s race !
So , we started pushing , going from “ all we have to do is finish ,” to yelling at each other to “ run faster !” Eventually getting to the tar road , still in the lead , Su-yen sees lights behind us . So we run ! It was sore , because that road goes on for days … but then we hear something incredible : “ The Legends are coming !” ( Apparently , getting lost , almost dying and DNFing makes you a legend ! Who knew ?) So much adrenaline rushed through us , and we sprinted into the finish . We were the first women home , and we were immediately plied with beer and tequila . We partied for two hours , straight after running for 19.5 hours … Machines !
I have always believed that everything happens for a reason , but for the past two years I have wondered what the reason was for us getting so hopelessly lost at Pondo two years before . I finally know that reason . The warm welcome and treatment we received , and the ‘ celebrity status ’ that came with the epic misadventure was worth every second being stuck up on that rock two years ago .
This goes down as one of the most epic races I have done . The warm welcome , amazing aid stations , incredible vibe … oh , and the amazing race clothing . I can ’ t thank Matt Christian Botha and the Wild Child Africa team enough for the most epic weekend ! You guys went above and beyond , and are not only fantastic event organisers , but have become great friends , too . The PONDO Trail-Run and the Transkei hold a very special place in my heart , and I encourage all of you to take an adventure out there .
Pondoland Paradise
About the Author
While Carla ’ s ‘ day job ’ is Head Tennis Coach and Director of Tennis at Game Set Match Tennis in Johannesburg , her second love is trail running , which she tackles with an unquenchable thirst for adventure , a never-saydie attitude , and a healthy sense of humour about all the misadventures that befall her on the trails !
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