The Addo Elephant Trail Runs

Awesome Addo ~ Yvonne Robson

The alarms were set for 04h10 – not my favourite time, as most of you know. Backpacks were at the ready.  We had handed a couple of drop bags in at registration, to be taken to checks 8 and 11 – who knows what time of day we would get there.
The hyaenas were in full cry in the night… would we meet any on the way, I wondered?  Chris was more worried about the lions, but I was sure I would be able to tame them quickly J
We set off for the start in Kirkwood just before 5am and got there in time for that extra cup of coffee which I always need to set me up for the day – and hoping it would see me through the full 50 miles.  Yes, miles… 80km to you South Africans.  06h03 and off we went.
The 100 milers did an extra loop early on, so our first check was CP5.  On the way it was fairly quiet as there weren’t very many runners, but we were a little troubled by one… the route was quite clearly marked with little signposts at any junction to point the way.  So why, then, did we hear “Hello” … “Hello” … we shouted back to locate the problem – maybe a fellow runner was in trouble.  He called back “OK, just checking I am on the right path”.  A little later a call came again “Do I turn right here?” was shouted back down the path to us.  Chris hurried to see if the sign had fallen over… no, it clearly pointed to the right.  Being more patient than me she just said yes (at least I think that’s what she said).  But can you believe it?  Our Chris threatened to punch him if he carried on like that for the remainder of the 80km!
At CP5 we had to do an extra 1.2km loop – 600m up the path then turn around and retrace our steps – presumably so that our total distance would be exactly 80km.  Thank goodness they put that extra loop in early on in the run; it might have caused a sense of humour failure later.

On we went to check 6, 20.3km from the start.  The terrain was still flattish but the scenery was good, and the feeling of being ‘in the middle of nowhere’ was there.  However, I was already suffering… I tried to focus on the surroundings to remind me why I was there, and I asked myself, as I do so often, why I hadn’t trained more.
Checks 6 and 7 involved a number of river crossings, but they had had very little rainfall so we managed to continue keeping our feet fairly dry.
Check 7 to 8 was the big test: up and up and up we went, I’ll swear the gradient was almost vertical.   Luckily I was feeling no worse than at 20km, and this stretch wasn’t so bad for me – a good excuse to walk.  I didn’t see anyone trying to run up this mountain.
Eventually we reached check 8, 34km and 6 hours into the distance.
Here, I took clean dry socks from my drop bag.  But trying to put them on was something else.  I am not usually one to cramp, but every time I bent down to try and undo my shoes I started to cramp at the tops of my thighs.  This was a whole new experience for me, but unfortunately I could see no totty to assist me.  I definitely wasn’t going to ask the cameraman who was currently at the CP filming us in our sorry states.  Eventually, little by little, I managed the change of socks and – eventually – I got my shoes done up again.

From CP8 we travelled for some distance on a fairly flat ridge, with spectacular views on either side – endless rolling hills with varying vegetation and no sign of human habitation.  Awesome in the sunlight, and with a cool breeze just sufficient to keep us from overheating – perfect weather conditions for the run.
On and on we went, through checks 9 and 10, beautiful scenery all the way.  Ups and downs but nothing too harsh until after we reached check 10, when we had to climb up to the Zuurberg Mountain Inn – up and up again – this was CP11 at 61km.  We arrived here as the sun was going down, just before 5pm.  Only ¾ of the distance travelled and 11 hours gone, and still almost half a marathon still to do – and everything below the waist was hurting now and had been for some time!
Karin and Miriam were at the check to greet us and urge us on, so we had a bit of waitress service.  However, for me to sit at a pub and decline beer… well, that’s just not right.  So, when we left the Inn at about 5.15 Chris reckoned if she kept saying the word “Hansa” (which was waiting for us in the fridge at the rest camp finish) we would make it OK.  We had also sampled a pint of Forester’s Ale in the Bar at the rest camp the day before, so every time we slowed down she said “Hansa” and I countered with “Forester’s”.
Well, we went the 11km from check 11 to 15 (checks 12, 13 and 14 we missed as they were in another loop for those deranged people that were running the 100 miler) in record time.  Only 1 ¼ hours!  (OK, it was all downhill, but still…)
The last 8.3km to the finish took another hour – and why is that last km always so far?  It was pitch black now, no lights to be seen except for our torches.  Surely we must be there?
At long last the end came upon us in a flash and we jogged the last few meters to the line like we had only done a 10k race - it was 19h42 (so we had spent 13 hours and 38 minutes on the trails) and Chris’ GPS read 79.9km – and yes, you’re right, we saw the beers in K & M’s hands to give us that last spurt!  Cheers!
Many thanks to the organisers and all those people that spent so many hours out there on the refreshment tables, you were all great.
Yvonne Robson