MULTISPORT
The start line , with fresh ( and clean ) athletes
Leg 1 : Trek and Kloofing ( 12km )
The race starts with an easy 5km run through the hamlet of Morgan ’ s Bay , then climbs , quite steeply in some parts , as you are led by your GPS to the start of the kloof . Our pace was worthy of a good road run up to that point , but I have done kloofing sections before , and I knew that from there onwards things were going to proceed much slower .
Once into the kloof , you pick your own way down and through it . Some chose the left bank , others the right , then you switch as you look for the easiest route , until you soon realise that there is no easy route . Whatever your choice , you had to crash through bushes and roots , overcome
Stef and Charlie , before the cramps and bonks
The kloof , where things quickly got very real in the first leg ! slippery boulders , and in our case , take a short swim across a smelly pool of stagnant water . We had snookered ourselves and had no other option .
The kloof is magnificent and pristine , on privatelyowned land , with no signs of human interference , and a real treat . It eventually leads down to the ocean , followed by a left turn and a short crossing of the Kumqotwane River , past Double Mouth before the steep ascent to the top of the iconic cliffs of Morgan ’ s Bay . There our trusted second was waiting for us , with our bikes at the ready .
Leg 2 : MTB to the Pont ( 16km )
The short bike leg leads you through a technical section , which under normal circumstances would pose no real challenge , but on the day , with a bicycle loaned to me by a kind and generous friend , as mine broke two days before the event , I made a novice handling error . I failed to recognise the shorter handlebars , turned too tightly and took a slide . Nothing more than a bruised ego and a few scrapes , lucklily .
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