TRAIL
All smiles as Leigh crosses the UT100 finish line
Pure elation at finishing her goal race for 2023 the time . The sun went down , my headlamp went on , and as I ran through Newlands Forest , I saw the full moon flickering between the trees and reflective route marker flags guiding the way on trails where I needed no guidance .
My feet knew which rocks to step on , which roots to avoid , which trees to grab as I moved through a dark forest that I had spent more time in than my home in the past few months . Mountain Shark mode appears to facilitate heightened senses , resilience , grit , adaptability , and the ability to patiently pace and sneak up on and overtake in the closing kilometres . I felt a hunger to stop at nothing to get the job done !
Leigh is proud to be wearing the ecologically responsible New Balance brand
The final aid station at UCT was filled with family : Ryan , Mom , Taryn , Luke and Etienne ! The wonderfully motivating Sean Robson provided welcoming commentary , compliments and humour , with music , bells , cheers , lights , all the vibes , and a wind ( both from the earth and from all the potatoes I ’ d consumed ) that blew me up the infamous , notorious , relentless Blockhouse climb . A contour path lit by the city lights and crawling with nature ’ s nocturnal arachnids of scorpions and spiders was good motivation for a quick scurry to the finish line .
There , I broke down in tears , realising the magnitude of what I had just done , and did one last recite of the lyrics to Battle Belongs that I sang through the mountains on repeat all day , before feeling mortified by my watch read 99.47km . Ryan then joined me for a victory zigzag jog through the porto-potties where it had all started , to bring up the 100km beep on my Garmin watch !
Absolute Elation
This race was not about stats for me , but I surprised myself nonetheless , so for those who like the numbers :
• Out of 271 runners that started , 103 did not finish . It was that brutal !
• I was 131st over the start line and “ mountain sharked ” through to finish 48th overall .
• I finished 11th female overall ( and 5th South African ) out of 55 powerhouse women .
• I expected an 18-hour race , but crossed the line in 16 hours 43 minutes .
This race revealed new parts of my personality – not sure I like all of them , because post 10-hour Leigh is quite rude – but I have levelled up my mental strength , and realised that physically I am not that fast , but I can go so much further than I ever imagined . This run further reaffirmed my faith in God , reignited a little more faith in myself , and enhanced my love and gratitude for the people in my life and the support I have . Although I have had some thoughts as to what ’ s next , right now I ’ m focused on good recovery , walks with Jazzi dog , swims with Ryan , diving with sharks , and perhaps a few bottles of champagne !
In memory of Luna , a . k . a . Boon Shark
Images : Chris Jacobsm Ryan Stamrood , Sportograf , Leigh de Necker
It was all so far beyond what I ever imagined I could do , because I do not consider myself a born runner . I do not come from a family of runners , nor do I have any natural running abilities . Instead , I have osteopenia – low bone density – which makes me susceptible to stress injuries , and I have to work really hard to be able to run these distances , but I absolutely love the highs that come with the hard work , and I wouldn ’ t have it easy , or any other way !
About the Author
Leigh de Necker has always been drawn to nature and animals , with both an intolerable fear and fascination with sharks , which drove her to become a marine biologist . She currently works as a research assistant in the Shark & Ray Protection Project at WILDOCEANS , a programme of the WILDTRUST , focused on biodiversity protection and building socio-ecological resilience in Southern Africa and the western Indian Ocean . As a youngster , Leigh trained as an elite artistic gymnast , which instilled in her a lifelong love for physical exercise , eventually leading to her becoming a marathon runner on the road and an ultra-trail mountain runner , as well as an open water ocean swimmer .
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