What a feeling !
65km Ultra / 3 100m D + By Ashleigh Graham
W
hat an experience ! On an icy Cape Town summer ’ s morning , at approximately 5am , the starting gun fired and the 65km athletes found their groove on the Gardens Rugby Club turf . The energy was electric and I could sense the excitement and nervousness as athletes found their strides through sleepy Cape Town and up onto Signal Hill . The initial stage of the race is fairly runnable and allows you to stretch your legs on flowing trails before climbing up mighty Lion ’ s Head .
Next up was Kloof Corner , where the support was immeasurable – the crowd was singing songs , cheering loudly and ringing their cow bells for all to hear . And as we headed along the contour path , the sound of bagpipes could be heard flowing down a wet Platteklip Gorge .
I was knackered when I reached the summit , but I knew I ’ d soon be on free flowing , runnable downhills all the way to Alphen Trail . The thought of putting foot down on an exciting downhill vert section spurred me into action and by the time I reached the Table Mountain aid station , I felt as though I had an abundance of energy and was ready to take the race to my opponents .
At the Alphen Trail aid station my incredible support crew were waiting to cheer me in . The volunteers at Alphen were simply incredible , grabbing hold of my bottles , filling them up with sweet nectar and then feeding me delicious watermelon . After a quick kit check , I was off again to tackle a gnarly climb . The weather had turned and I was now baking in the humid and muggy forest .
As I started to feel a bit lonely , the 65km met up with the 35km route and there were suddenly runners everywhere – the sight of them making me feel revitalised . The UCT aid station was also packed with supporters – it was surreal to witness how many people had come out – who were getting amped up by the one and only Sean Robson .
Ashleigh running her way onto the podium .
I PUT MY HEAD DOWN , SMASHED A GEL AND WAS OFF LIKE A GAZELLE ”
As I left UCT , I was 55km into the race and sitting in 4th position . I approached the final climb – a brutal trek up toward King ’ s Blockhouse . It was hot , it was gusting , and I knew that I had to give it my everything in order to reach my ultimate goal : standing on the podium .
I put my head down , smashed a gel and was off like a gazelle . It was here that Jim Walmsley ( who won the 100km ) jetted past me . It was a sight to behold ! Most runners were crawling up the hill , but not Jim ! He assessed it , locked it into his sights and galloped up to the top . Jim is such an inspiration to watch , and his awesomeness was exactly what I needed to get my own head back into the game .
From King ’ s Blockhouse we hopped back onto the contour path and headed down some truly epic singletrack towards Deer Park . I could hear the loudspeaker and sense the energy at the finish below . What a feeling it was to arrive in 3rd position ! My family and friends were there to cheer me in and I stretched across the line , collapsed into their arms and burst out crying ! I had so many emotions !
I will definitely be back to race this incredible route once again . We are so privileged to be able to run on such beautiful and diverse trails . From technical mountain paths to flowing vineyard and green belt trails , from ocean views to cityscapes – this race has it all !
RUN FOR YOUR LIFE | 33