Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 63, October 2014 | Page 31

needed, but I just needed to finish to meet the
entry requirements for UTMB, and I thought,
OK, home field advantage and great weather,
so let’s go.
A great run and the first 40km went past in
a blur, I was having such fun and enjoying
every step, staying focused on that and not the
finish line. Up Signal Hill, up Platteklip, down
to Constantia Neck, up Vlakenberg, along Level
5, up to Silvermine Dam and down the Wagon
Trail nearly into Fish Hoek Valley… and this is
where I should have changed my shoes. Up
to the top of Black Hill, across to Red Hill and
meet my seconder, wife and running partner
Bugs for a change of shoes and socks, which
I should have done 12km back, but too late,
due to stud pressure I had developed blisters
on the front pads of both my feet. It’s OK, I
thought, road shoes and new socks, so I can
heel-strike and run on the outside of my foot...

BOUNCING BACK

Of course, it is sad to have to stop a journey,
especially one that means so much to me, and
this was the second time this year I had to
stop mid-journey – and it may not be the last.
I gave everything I had to those 100km and
having made the decision to stop, even though
it was hard and upsetting, I knew it was the

right thing to do. Once healed and rested, I
knew I could still focus on my last two goals
for the year, which I will be running in pink or
in my red Speedo, and definitely in my Red
Socks. As they say, it is better to aim high and
miss, than aim low and hit, and ‘I tried’ is 100
times better than ‘what if!’

This is when you start questioning if you can
finish and start focusing on the finishing line
instead of staying in the moment. Trying to
stay positive and focus on that next step, I ran
another 10km, then there was a great surprise
as two of my friends came to support and
run with me from the 64km mark. We were
all smiles and laughing, and at the turn point
at Soetwater, with the sun having set on a
beautiful day, we started the night section.

TOUGHER TIMES

With my support team, we set 5km meeting
points and I had a seconder running with me
as the night got darker and the more tired I
became, starting to walk the uphills. Walking in
road running shoes just doesn’t work for me,
and my feet were twisting in the shoes and
aggravating those blisters. It’s fine, I thought,
just make the Cape Point Nature Reserve gate
and it’s all downhill into Simonstown. But I
was no longer focusing on my steps anymore,
I wasn’t even focusing on 5km meeting spots,
I was starting to focus on targets 15km away,
and the finish line kept entering my thoughts.

The last pic Jamo and friends took with
Lettie before she passed away
Jamo ready to roll
in the Tuffer Puffer

Simonstown made it 90km done, 70km left to
go. I knew I could run 70km and told myself,
“You know you’re good for another 70km,” and
this is when it didn’t matter what my feet were
doing, where next I was meeting my seconding
team, and what a beautiful journey I was
on. All that mattered was that finish line and
getting there, not only to get the three points
for UTMB, but to finish for Lettie.
Ten kays later I was done. Having been running
and walking awkwardly for 50km, my legs were
cramping and the blisters were about all I could
think about. The question became, is it safe for
me to continue at one in the morning, facing
the first bit of trail and knowing there is still
60km left? I couldn’t even walk properly on tar,
and now to try and do 60 more kays on trail,
I would be doing serious damage to my body.
So I decided to stop, to leave the UTMB as a
dream at the top of my bucket list for now, and
to focus on other journeys ahead.

Fuzzy late-night shot of Jamo with great
friend and support runner Robert Le Brun

Realising he hasn’t set up his GPS
correctly and will be running mapless

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