TRAIL RUNNING
Alexis in action during the second stage
The Cape Fold Mountains make a great backdrop to a run
Warming the Heart
The rest of the day was spent eating , snoozing and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere . After dinner and another funny race briefing , our live entertainment took to the stage , and Pietman Geldenhuys blew us all away with his Scottish accent ( yes , you read that correctly ) before changing seamlessly to an Afrikaans one , telling wonderful stories and singing songs , closing his show by singing Flower of Scotland . The laughter coming out of that tent proved how wonderful an entertainer he is , and if you ever get the chance to see Pietman perform live , grab it . In the meantime , check out the sidebar ( right ) for a small taste of his show .
Great Scot !
Pietman Geldenhuys – also known as ‘ Pietman die Skot ’ – is a musician , songwriter , comedian , actor , storyteller , entertainer and Scottish persona . You may have seen him in the film Die rebellie van Lafras Verwey , or performing on TV shows such as Noot vir Noot and Musiek Roulette . He has also regularly featured in Die Boer en Skot , and is one of the presenters of Oppistoep . One of his most notable appearances was singing Flower of Scotland on Toks ‘ n Tjops , which you can watch below . For more info on him , go to https :// www . pietman . tv .
That night I was better prepared for the cold hours ahead , and settled down to a good night ’ s rest before the final stage of our race . Fortunately , Sunday proved to be another exquisite day for running , and we happily piled into busses and headed off into the unknown for the start of stage two . This turned out to be by far my favourite stage of the race , because we left the sand behind and were treated to the exquisite natural features of the area .
The stage started at the Howbill Farming fruit packing warehouses , and to begin with we ran through fruit orchards before hitting the single track . We soon settled into our stride as we recognised new friends from the day before , and then about halfway through the 17.9km stage we reached a plateau that overlooked the valley below . It simply took your breath away , and for a few hundred metres you could
Tankwa runners mirrored in a local dam on a perfect day for running
Must Do Events
The Dryland Event Management team currently presents 10 events a year , mostly in mountain biking , but with two running events in the mix , the Tankwa Trail ( https :// tankwatrail . co . za ) at the end of April , and the Dryland Traverse ( https :// drylandtraverse . co . za ), which is scheduled to take place from 3-6 November this year ( and entries are open ). While the Tankwa Trail is now designed to be a more ‘ beginner-friendly ’ race that can be used as a first foray into stage racing , the Dryland Traverse has an extra day and longer , more technical stages , and is a step up from the Tankwa . However , both have the same awesome vibe . For the full Dryland calendar of events , go to https :// dryland . co . za .
54 ISSUE 151 | www . modernathlete . co . za