speed work over , under and through the thickets after he disturbed an elephant bull in full must . When it comes to ranger danger , grumpy old men pose the biggest threat – it seems that in the wild , as in the real world , it ’ s the emotional males that cause all the problems !
We only caught a fleeting glimpse of this young male leopard , but photographer Chad Cocking got the money shot
Enjoying the Bush Experience
We progressed steadily around the route and made it to Caroline ’ s Big Dam , which is about two kilometres before the halfway point , and here we met up with Bus 1 . We compared sightings , and their highlight to date was a hyena . That made me reflect that the early bird might get the worm , but the slow bus gets all the good sightings !
All the tables along the route were fantastic , but this one by Midrand Airconditioning Systems really stood out . They had motivational messages on the way in and the way out , an assortment of snacks including energy bars and Pringles , and even a “ rate your race ” voting station . The only thing missing was a portable “ chillout room ” where we could cool off with their air-conditioning products .
Other than crossing the occasional dry riverbed , the route was very flat . The conditions were also good , if slightly bumpy , underfoot , and there were no technical sections that flat-footed road runners like myself had to worry about . Trail shoes are recommended , but I had no problem running in my normal asphalt treads .
One of the event sponsors , Justin Naylor , pops a smiley face into the “ rate your race ” jar at the halfway mark
Calling Buffalo , Talking Bull
As we entered the final quarter of the run , I was hoping that we ’ d get another game sighting , as I was starting to tire and could do with a little break . I had noticed that there were now regular cow patty-like landmines in the road , and asked Grant which beast was responsible for the deposits . The answer was “ Buffalo .” My fatigued , undertrained legs resulted in diminishing dodging skills and it wasn ’ t long before I stepped smack bang into the middle of a fresh big pile of buffalo poop . To this , Grant remarked , “ Hopefully it wasn ’ t the dominant bull ’ s , or he ’ ll take that as a challenge to his authority .”
On a good morning , I could probably challenge the biggest buffalo bull to a midden-building competition , but before I could brag about the efficiency of my bowels , the fist went up and we screeched to a halt . Sure enough , the stop was for a giant buffalo bull crossing the road . Grant followed up our earlier conversation by casually remarking that everyone else should probably give me some space . I countered this suggestion by observing that my predicament would be even worse if the bottom of my Asics were coated in the dung of a female in oestrus !
Despite the dangers of horny old men , running in the Timbavati is still safer than in Pinetown
As we gradually moved forward , it became apparent that there was a large herd of several hundred buffalo in our midst . Although they have a reputation for being the grumpiest of the Big 5 , they casually went about their business as James calmly explained what was going on inside their heads . We moved forward in cautious 20-metre stretches , paying particular attention to the straggling ‘ dagga boys .’ These are the old bulls who struggle to keep up with the main herd , and if we needed to do some rapid tree-climbing , they would be the cause . Once again , I was reminded that Mother Nature ’ s biggest problem is grumpy old men …
It was just another remarkable experience at the Timbavati Traverse – never did I think I would nonchalantly stroll past a large herd of buffalo in the wild . For those potential future Traversers who might be worried about safety running amongst Africa ’ s fast and furious , I can assure you that this event is probably safer than running in Sandton ( and is definitely safer than running through Pinetown ).
Happy to report that the only shot fired during the Timbavati Traverse was the starting gun
A bloat of hippo look on while we replenish our stamina
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