The race Ishmaeel was casually referring to was the Otter African Trail Run , a gruelling marathon with eleven significant climbs totalling an elevation gain of 2400m . And if that wasn ’ t daunting enough , there are also four river crossings , with the Bloukrans being the most treacherous and intimidating .

In fact , there ’ s a YouTube video about this crossing , and in the video , Kane Reilly , one of South Africa ’ s strongest trail runners , says , “ Everybody always wants to know about Bloukrans ? How deep is it ? How long is it ? How many sharks are there ?” Wait , did he say sharks ? The predator whose jaws terrorised beachgoers in Steven Spielberg ’ s fictional town of Amity Island ? The animal used to execute henchmen and secret agents in four different James Bond films ? The organisers wanted me to doggy paddle across a torrent harbouring those creatures ? Surely not !

My Lucky Day

But I didn ’ t know any of this when I won an entry into the 2022 Otter . I won by clicking on a link and filling in my details . I didn ’ t have to tag 100 friends . I didn ’ t have to share the competition on Instagram , Facebook , LinkedIn and Tinder . And I certainly did not have to name my first-born son after the race and competition sponsor , Kauai ( yes , I am shamelessly inserting a product mention in appreciation of my entry !)… but after tasting their delicious protein bars , I might just .

The Otter has attracted some of the world ’ s best trail runners to South Africa , including the likes of Spain ’ s Killian Jornet , winner of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc , the Western States Endurance Run and other events around the world . The otter is on a similar level to those races , and due to its prestige , it is expensive – approximately R6000 for the basic package – and yet , despite this exorbitant fee , entries are sold out within an hour . I was therefore rather happy to have won my entry !

When I entered the competition , I didn ’ t think I ’ d win . And I certainly didn ’ t think that I would find myself driving from Cape Town to Nature ’ s Valley with a couple who had an encyclopaedic knowledge of antinausea medication ! I ’ d been introduced to Ishmaeel and Zulfah through mutual friends . Like me , they had opted to do the Otter Challenge instead of the Otter Race . The route and distance are the same for both , but the start dates and cut-off times differ . The ( more serious ) Race takes place on the Saturday and has intermediate cut-offs that are tighter than Ronan Farrow ’ s exposé of Harvey Weinstein , and an overall nine-hour cut-off , whilst the Challenge starts on the Thursday and has an 11-hour cut-off that is more forgiving than Archbishop Desmond Tutu .

Into The Run

The day before the race , we had to pick up our race numbers and run the mandatory 4.1km Prologue , which determines a runner ’ s starting batch on race day . With the single-track trails and tight cut-offs , getting a good starting time is pivotal . I didn ’ t have a good starting time . This meant that on race day I had the pleasure of being temporarily stuck behind a woman who was so slow that she unintentionally started a conga line behind her .

In the end , the marathon wasn ’ t as scary as I anticipated . I did not recreate the infamous projectile vomit scene from The Exorcist , and I certainly didn ’ t need anybody to save me from the jaws of a Great White . In fact , crossing the Bloukrans River was fun . The river was situated 10km from the start of the race ,

Images : David Sullivan Caleb Bjergfelt & courtesy Sediqa Khatieb

42 ISSUE 156 | www . modernathlete . co . za Sediqa ’ s shameless and much appreciative sponsor mention !