( MIS ) ADVENTURES trail ( mis ) adventures by CARLA LEA FARINA
TRAIL
( MIS ) ADVENTURES trail ( mis ) adventures by CARLA LEA FARINA
Playing in the Pondo Mud
Ever heard that song , “ Splish , splash , I was taking a bath ?” Well , at the Pondo Ultra , the lyrics should have been , “ Splish , splash , I was taking a mud bath !” being awake since 4am that Friday morning , Nicky and I headed out of the hotel front door at 9:30pm to line up for the start . We had barely gone 100m and were already drenched , as it was absolutely bucketing down – so much for the weather prediction of a mere 55 percent chance of 0.06 millilitres ! This downpour lasted around 10 hours , and much of that time it was so heavy that you could barely see your hand in front of your face . It was also super difficult to run , as you couldn ’ t see the ground , which was often oh so slippery .
Carla Farina ( left ) with her ‘ running partner in crime ’ Nicky Booyens
The first 20km or so were along the beach , so it was pretty straight forward running , even if you couldn ’ t see anything . However , once we got to the first aid station , the chaos began : Holes in the ground , slippery slopes , cattle paths that veer off in multiple different directions , cows popping out of nowhere … and it was freaking awesome ! The terrain and conditions made it feel like we were on a Lord of the Rings quest , and as we got deeper into the quest , the singing started . No surprise that the first song that popped into our minds was Splish , Splash by Bobby Darrin , and that ’ s where it stayed for 90 percent of our 20-hour run . It was epic !
For the 2024 edition of the 103km Pondo Ultra , I teamed up with my good friend Nicky Booyens , a super-human elite trail runner , and we called ourselves Team AeroDynamics , because we both have a dog named Aero ! Nicky probably found this run a complete walk in the park , but I have to say this right up front : “ Nicky , you are either helluva brave , or completely mad , to voluntarily agree to be my partner in a self-navigated ultra , given the reputation I have ‘ built ’ for myself .
As another elite trail runner , Bennie Roux , said in a recent Facebook post , I am completely ‘ mal ,’ but I am so glad Nicky was my partner , because we sure did have an adventure ! Which is why , when she was asked what it was like running Pondo with me , she answered , “ There were roughly 500 holes , and Carla fell in all of them !” So , you can only imagine what this experience was like … but first , let ’ s rewind a bit .
Early Start , Long Day
Having decided to drive to Port Edward from Johannesburg the same day as the race , which meant
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