TRAIL RUNNING
The awesome trails put smiles on many a runner ’ s face
The Mad Hatter ’ s Entrance
The legendary Rhodes Dryland Traverse party ( Stage 2.5 ) has a different theme each year and the runners really go to town with their costumes . As the event commentator and MC , Sean Falconer , decided that a bit of singing of a Queen song would go well with his outfit as he welcomed everybody to the Mad Hatter ’ s Tea Party !
After sitting down to enjoy some snacks and drinks with my fellow runners , I decided to keep going and complete the last 8km to the finish . I was taking it slow enough and my heart rate wasn ’ t spiking , so I felt I could carry on with my slow trundle to the finish . I even stopped at the unofficial beer … sorry , I mean ‘ water point ’ at the top of a long climb behind the Cango Caves before heading down the last few kilometres to the finish . Even though I didn ’ t get to run the first 7.5km of this stage , I had an utter blast doing 18k of the route . I just took it easy , my heart rate didn ’ t spike , and I felt great .
Stage 2.5 : Enter the Mad Hatter
If you ’ re still not sold on the idea of entering the Dryland Traverse , then Stage 2.5 may tip the scales for you . Each year , the event has a themed dress-up party on the evening after the second stage ( Saturday night ), and for this edition of the race , the theme was The Mad Hatter ’ s Tea Party . And boy did the runners go all out ! The quirky costumes that came out of the woodwork were next level , with so much effort and creativity put into hair , makeup and accessories .
The Madder Hatter himself trying to pick the best dressed
Not only were the costumes great , but the marquee tent in the runners ’ village was transformed into a magical sphere of madness as we went down the rabbit hole , ready to dance the night away . DJ Johan was in top form , playing great tunes , and even playing songs that aligned to jokes made by Sean during the evening presentation . Speaking of Sean , I think I did a rather smashing job of his make-up , and his transformation into the Mad Hatter MC caused quite the stir as he walked onto stage wearing a sequinstudded top hat and pink Elton John-esque shades , carrying a 1.8-litre hip flask full of Jameson whisky and a pink ‘ squirrel ’ that lit up , while singing I ’ m Going Slightly Mad by Queen . You had to be there …
By the time we finished dancing and my head hit the pillow in the wee hours of the morning , I couldn ’ t help but think I might be going slightly mad at the thought of getting up in a few hours to run another 10km . But
hey , that ’ s the challenge of stage races – finishing one day and then doing it all again the next – and it was worth it , because what a fun night it was !
Some serious effort went into many of the costumes for the Saturday night party
The dancing went on into the early hours of the morning
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