THE RUNNING MANN
C o l u m n
There are eight kilometres of continual climbing to culminate the race
Map of the Festival of Running Marathon route
Counting Down the kays
The out-and-back route is designed in such a way that you arrive back almost at the start , and then do a loop before heading back home the way you came . The half marathon mark had the only table with Coke in addition to water . You ’ re never too old or too experienced to learn something new , and this is the marathon where I found out that it ’ s easy enough to run without water sachets , but running a marathon whilst sugar-deprived is another story . I greedily glugged down as much Coca-Cola as my stomach could handle and headed back the way we came . ( Sidenote : The organisers are looking at ways to bring in plastic free sugar options next year .) thoughts and the thin air for company . Unfortunately , his thoughts ( aided and abetted by the thin mountain air ) seem to focus on plotting ferocious marathon routes . His exploits have even seen a climbing route in the Van Stadens Gorge named after him . Aside from regularly running 100-milers , he has also completed two ‘ Everestings ’.
Here we ran through the half marathoners who were waiting for their 3:30pm start . They run the back half of the marathon route and it wasn ’ t long before the speedsters were hungrily hunting us down and started zooming past us on the downhill back to the coast . You now get to enjoy a 6km slide back down 5K Hill to the coastline . Although Strava shows we climbed 7km up , you only get 6km back down , and I still don ’ t know how the organisers achieved this ! The coastline is a beautiful sight under the late afternoon sun , but the aesthetic appeal is somewhat tempered by the knowledge that you are back at sea level … and the lowest point of this hilly route .
One of the toughest but most beautiful marathons the author has run this year
Whilst the coastline remains beautiful as the day wears on , the ugly spectre of Maitland Hill looms large just after the 30km mark . When everyone was still chatty and full of hope at the beginning of the run , local runners had explained all the hills to me . I thought this was Mother-in-Law Hill , but it turns out that comes later . I would , however , suggest a renaming of this climb to ‘ Evil Mother-in-Law ’ Hill , as this malicious bitch will give you two solid kilometres of hell .
An alternate naming suggestion is ‘ Mother Flipper ,’ as you can then use the excuse that it took you so long to summit because you were whale-watching . Speaking of which , the race logo features a bottle-nosed dolphin , and this stretch along the rugged coastline provides excellent sightings of marine life in Algoa Bay . However , the organisers were so intent on having a plastic-free run that unfortunately , they even made sure that the bottle-nosed dolphins stayed away on race day .
Steven Lancaster , the man behind the new race – seen here completing his first ‘ Everesting ’ Challenge
What is an ‘ Everesting ,’ you might ask . Well , you pick a long hill and then run up it as many times as it takes to get to a total elevation gain of 8849m – the height of Mount Everest . His first attempt was in 2021 , to raise money for workplace training for youths as well as plant 600 trees , and was achieved with 168 ascents of Brickmakers Kloof in Nelson Mandela Bay . However , he took the ‘ soft ’ option here . Volkswagen were one of the sponsors and they gave him 167 lifts back down the hill . However , for his second Everesting attempt , he did it entirely unassisted , with 37 sleepless hours of going up and down the Lady ’ s Slipper Mountain 32 times .
Gotta Have Faith …
Aside from the beautiful coastal running , the race provides some epic views of the magnificent Maitlands dune fields and the aforementioned Lady ’ s Slipper Mountain ( which is the highest point in the Metro , as well as the end of the Cape Fold Mountain Ranges that begin northeast of Cape Town ). However , I can say with 100 % certainty that no one was appreciating the stunning scenery or sunset at this stage of the race . Everyone was shoe-gazing as they slowly plodded up the hill . Heavy breathing drowned out the sounds of the waves crashing behind us and the orchestra of evening insects around us .
The magnificent Maitlands dune fields
Images : Stuart Mann , Kayla Potgieter
The Man With the Plan
The downside ( pun intended ) of reaching the top of the hill is that the next two kilometres back to sea level are the final real downhill of the day . The last section of this race has no mercy . So , we ’ re now at the 34km mark , back at sea level , and the sun is low in the sky . To earn your finish , you are left facing 8km of steady , relentless climbing . It is at this point in the race that one asks the question , “ What kind of sick , twisted , sadistic bastard organises a marathon like this on the start of a four-day long weekend ?”
The short answer is Steven Lancaster . He is an accomplished mountaineer . He routinely puts on a backpack and disappears into the mountains with just his
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