TRAIL
Leigh making her way along Hout Bay Beach in the UT100
Leigh tackling the Kloof Nek section of the UT100 route
Helping hands from Chi , Leigh , Mollie and others at the Hout Bay Aid Station
The climb ( crawl ) up Suther Peak was the toughest part for me , but every time I felt like I was going to reach what I thought was “ my inevitable crash ,” or felt like I was about to overheat , God would turn on the aircon with a cool westerly breeze , or serve a small stream of water to drink from . I would sing , chant , moan . I ’ d take moments to stop and look up at the most magnificent views in the place I get to call home , and feel re-energised by gratitude .
I ’ d look down and imagine my Boon Shark there with me , with her little grey face encouraging me to get going , reminding me I ’ m not alone and that she was running with me . After hours alone in the mountains , you take yourself to strange places and draw strength from sometimes ridiculous and unrealistic things . You imagine ghosts are up there with you , to bring you peace and to push through the pain . You do what you have to do , to get it done !
In Need of TLC
With wet feet , sandy shoes and stinky everything else , I arrived at the Hout Bay aid station . My trusty , favourite New Balance Hierro v7s were soaked and carrying an entire beach along with my feet , but I knew I had another fresh , dry pair ready and waiting to carry me through the next 50km . ( Add soft , dry socks , and these are things you salivate over as an ultra-distance runner .) With the efficiency of a Formula 1 pit crew , the dream team of Ryan , Chi , Mollie , Mark and Jo changed my tyres , refuelled , reoiled and sent me back out .
At around 65km , I stopped for a wee in the bush and saw that my period had started . I had taken in a fair bit of paracetamol by this point , so the usual warning pains weren ’ t there ( or perhaps they were just masked by all kinds of other pains ). But what one would think would be a nightmare , turned out to be possibly one of the most well-timed blessings ! The oestrogen boost that comes with this monthly monster is something quite powerful . A women ’ s body goes through a lot in a month – real rollercoasters of highs and lows – but somewhere amongst the chaos , there is a strength in us that could scare even the toughest of men .
Shortly after that , I ran into a friend and two other runners doing the 100-miler , with no watches and no running packs . They had just been mugged at gunpoint ! Thankfully , they were unharmed , but I was rattled , frantically trying to scramble up Vlakkenberg and contact friends for reassurance that the sections I ’ d be running in the dark later would be safe ! It was therefore a pleasant surprise to see my friend , Sean Altern , in my panicked state . Then again , it ’ s not the first time he has had to deal with one of my many mountain personalities , and offer me reason and comfort .
Nothing Beats Home
From 70km to 90km , and going through three more aid stations , I moved into a space I had never found myself in before – a robotic autopilot state of sorts , or what I like to call “ Mountain Shark mode .” I was now on home turf , my backyard , familiar trials I run all
On Signal Hill , getting closer to the finish
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