Gaven on the road during his Cape Town to Cairo challenge |
Gaven ’ s route to Cairo |
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One would think that a journey like this would be planned down to the finest details , with every day mapped out , but Gaven says he doesn ’ t work like that . “ Every day I look at my logistics , to plan the following day , but I don ’ t plan every day in detail – It ’ s too big , too insurmountable , there are too many aspects that change , and if you work on a rigid plan , you can ’ t plan for them ,” he explains . I look at the weather , what terrain I am expecting , the distance I need to cover , and from there I work out how much food and water I need to carry based on the calories I will be burning .”
On that note , Gaven has an unusual philosophy when it comes to what he puts in his backpack : “ Every day I would run out of water , deliberately , as I have learnt to run between 5km and 10km without water , because carrying that extra water hurts my back , and I knew if I did it every day I would injure myself ,” says Gaven . And when asked what he actually did carry in his backpack , it was all the usual suspects : Clothes , flipflops , electronics , dry towel , a book , toiletries , branded Syntro-P Wellbeing clothes , but also one unexpected item . “ I always take a pair of jeans , because I have a ritual that while I am washing my clothes , I find it comfortable to wear a pair of jeans .”
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Negotiating Detours
However , one thing Gaven wasn ’ t prepared for was the amount and length of detours he would need to take between Gqeberha and Cape Town . He says that while training on the Mozambique coastline , the running on sandy beaches was challenging but generally flat and uninterrupted , but the actual route presented more than he had bargained for . “ The beaches in South Africa are extremely technical , between the rocky cliffs , the up and down of climbing obstacles , and then of course to add to the difficulty , I had hectic detours when trying to cross rivers ,” he says .
Trying to avoid another massive inland detour adding to his already high mileage tally , Gaven had what can only be described as a comical experience . “ I was running along a river , looking for somewhere to cross , when all of a sudden I heard music , and next thing I see a group of Afrikaans guys sitting on a boat , drinking brandy and Coke , I said , look can you just get me across the river so I can carry on with my run on the beach ? They were only too happy to help , but it was honestly the last thing I expected to see or find .”
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Ultra-distance runners often experience problems with their toenails , and Gaven ended up losing four during the month-long journey , and all his toes became particularly sensitive . Therefore , he usually ran barefoot during the infamous river crossing detours , owing to the fact that it was often wet and slushy terrain . “ It was like getting my feet exfoliated ,” he jokes , although he did have one big fright during one such detour . When he finally came to a point where the river narrowed enough to cross , the mud had changed to a blackish colour , which didn ’ t raise any alarm bells , but when he tried crossing , the first step saw him sink in up to his knees . “ My first thought was , no-one knows I am here , this is not good ! Luckily , I managed to get through .”
The toughest detours of the trip , though , were those that started only when a day ’ s stage ended . “ The one thing I didn ’ t plan for was when I finished a stage and my accommodation for the night would sometimes be anything from 2km to 15km away . Being on my own , I had to get there on my own steam , and if I needed food , I would need to get to the shops to get it . Then in the mornings , I would need to run back to where I finished to start the next stage .”
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Images : Courtesy Gaven Sinclair |