TRAIL RUNNING
A Different Perspective
By Gareth Roberts , Photographer of the Tankwa Crossing
The Tankwa Karoo locals sometimes join the race …
Over the past three years , I have partnered with Umoya Adventures as they host the Tankwa Crossing , and each of the three adventures has been completely different . This year posed a number of new challenges for me as the photographer , with the addition of the 200miler , Alien 100miler , 42km Donkey Dash and 21km Baby Donkey races .
First up was the 200miler , departing from Vanrhynsdorp and heading towards Calvinia , before turning left onto the R355 . Four mad souls ( read amazing athletes ) departed on this voyage across a largely desolate but incredibly beautiful landscape . My job was simple : Follow and capture the runners as they traversed this road … and don ' t be run over by the passing traffic .
At some point in the mid-afternoon , I left them to go restock with ice and a few other things , before heading back to them to capture the sunset colours and night sky . What was apparent from the get-go was that these super-athletes certainly can move along briskly , and that threw all the timeframes out the window . So , after grabbing a quick nap , I shot off to catch them in the dark as they slowly headed down the Blouberg Pass into the Tankwa Desert itself . The stars were incredible , as was the beauty of first light in the desert , with clean , dry air making everything more pronounced .
Multiple Races Then it was time to dash back to Calvinia to start capturing the athletes taking on the Tankwa Crossing , the Alien 100-miler and the Half Crossing . At 3pm they set off on a notso-hot day , in the mid-30s Celsius , which was significantly cooler than last year . What made this year special was the cloud cover , which became a dominant player in the photos .
With sunset looming , the final runners descended the Blouberg Pass into the Tankwa , to what awaited them – hours and hours of headwinds , gusting up to 70km / h , and lots and lots of dust . This made running nearly impossible , but the runners , now walkers , steamed on . The wind decimated my plans to do some star trails and capture the beauty of the Tankwa at night with no moon . Oh well , next year I will try again . At one point , I mentioned to Hanno that I didn ' t know if there would still be an event in the morning …
After a few hours of restless sleep , listening to the howling wind , it was time to capture the leaders heading into the Halfway House stop , which was also the end of the Half Crossing . Then it was time to head out again to find the runners , now spread out across the desert , and capture them in the first light colours of the dust-blown Tankwa .
Relentless Progress As the sun rose , the clouds showed their glory , with patches of rain all around , and the temperature climbed , maxing out at about 36 degrees – a full 14 degrees cooler than last year . Up and down was the order of the day , driving from runner to runner , constantly moving , running and walking with them as they marched steadily southwards . I am still amazed that no-one bailed in the face of that howling wind , but these relentless athletes trudged on and on .
As night fell again , it was time to settle in for a long night as we waited for the winners to arrive , and soon after sunset , the first man arrived home . Then it was time for another quick nap , three hours or so , and back to capture the 200-miler guys finishing . And that was simply the start of the day !
After getting the last few images I could of the runners in their final assault on the finish line , I shot off to shoot the Donkey Dash and Baby Donkey on Swartkop Farm . This was a space I was more familiar with – run , shoot , run , shoot , and run some more , capturing the runners out on the trails , with a different landscape waiting around every corner or hill . It really is a special farm . And finally , in the late afternoon , I was able to rest a little , before the 1600km journey home .
Time to Refocus It ’ s hard to describe the emotions that go with a race like this . I was on my own for much of this year ’ s event , but I never felt alone , and as I moved through various levels of sleep deprivation and fatigue , I held onto the lessons from last year … Drink more , rest when you get a gap , and just enjoy the unique and beautiful landscape . But simply spending time out on the road and having moments of silence was incredible .
In those moments of stillness , I was able to refocus , and I believe it helped unleash more creativity than in the past two trips . Obviously , shooting an event again means you know where you would like to capture images that help tell the story of the event , but ultimately the runners need to be there , so there are still many images I want to capture in future Tankwa Crossings , that will continue building the story of these crazy , wonderful people crossing a hot , dry , dusty desert .
Photographer Gareth Roberts .
Wind and cloud made it hard to capture the night sky , but Gareth still got a few shots .
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