ROAD RUNNING
Monique and Maggs with a kay to go , getting ready for their big finish
A proud moment , bringing the 6:45 bus home on schedule pacesetter cannot hold the pace , or cannot continue , the other pacer can continue to drive the bus .
Bad News Awaiting
Around the 38km mark of Two Oceans , the weather was getting warmer and strategic walk breaks and refuelling were happening more often . The supporting crowds along the route were getting bigger , and we were getting ready for our second ( and last ) big climb for the day , Constantia Nek . We were not worried , because we knew our pace chart allowed us lots of time to get up that monster climb , and we walked most of it . It was actually fun , and the runners in our bus were happy . Many of them told us they had dreaded this part of the route , but now they had conquered it . I thought to myself , now that ’ s a good pacing strategy , and that ’ s what we are here for !
However , just before we got to the top of the climb , and the 46km mark , I noticed that not all of us were feeling the same level of excitement . It was here that Francois told Maggs and I that we must take the group home , because he was not feeling well and was going to drop back . He had worked so hard for over 46km , carrying the bus , calling “ walkies ,” and then “ 3 , 2 , 1 , let ’ s gooo !” and leading an excellent race strategy , that I didn ’ t want to accept a possible
outcome that we would not finish as a team . But we had a time schedule to stick to , so we had no choice .
Reluctantly we carried on without our pacing partner , and for the next 10 kilometres , Maggs and I were on our own . We stuck to our pace chart , because there was no way in hell we were going to let this group down , but every now and again , we looked behind us to see if we could see our third team member , hoping he would catch up and join us again for the big finish .
Sensational Support
With each kilometre we got closer to the finish , the crowd got louder and the cheering more intense . We knew we were on pace and we were going to finish on goal time ! The moment Maggs and I hit the green grass at UCT , I was so proud and so overwhelmed with emotions of excitement and happiness . Our families were there , our fellow runners , and so many supporters cheered us on .
We made it , and most importantly we made our goal time as pacers . This will forever be one of my most special pacing memories . There is just something about the Two Oceans Ultra ! But I couldn ’ t help thinking about Francois , and the other pacers on the day who didn ’ t get to experience this exact moment , finishing on time with their group , after working so hard for the runners ( and their fellow pacers ) most of the way , but then having to pull out .
Our success is not only measured by our goal finish time , but also our pacing strategy during the race . Just because we don ’ t finish as a team , doesn ’ t take anything away from the work that was done during the race . It was excellent work , that all the pacesetters involved can be proud of , knowing that the runners in the bus appreciated it so much . So , a big thank you to all the pacers who make the race so much easier for all the runners . You are absolute legends . And Francois , we really missed you at the finish .
About the Author
Monique is a member of the Western Province Pace Setters chapter of volunteer pacers , and is often seen carrying a flag in races across the Western Cape , from 10km up to the Two Oceans Marathon .
Francoise makes it home , having dropped his flag with about 10km to go
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