Two Oceans
Ultra-Marathon Fundraising
In January, I set my sights on the
Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in Cape Town. This is a 56-kilometer (34.7 mile) race
that is commonly called “The most beautiful marathon in the world.” The
marathon stretches along the mountainous coastal roads of Cape Town. It will
definitely be fun.
The Two Oceans Marathon will be
different than the marathon I ran here in Kimberley that I write about below,
because I am running for more than the personal challenge. I’m running to
support the cause that I have been working for over the past seven months. On April 19th, I will be running
for Grassroot Soccer to raise funds that will help GRS continue its important
work in South Africa. My goal is to raise $2,500.
Anyone that has run with me
understands how much more I love running for a team than for myself. I’m
excited to be running for the Grassroot Soccer team on April 19th.
Any and all support for our team, however big or small, is greatly appreciated.
Link to donation page:
The tier level reward system for
all donations is as follows:
·
$10 – Personal letter from myself
·
$50 – 1lb. Candy bag (compliments of Chutters, World’s Longest Candy Counter and
Jim Alden) and a personal letter
·
$100 – Grassroot Soccer T-shirt and a personal
letter
·
$250 – Grassroot Soccer Hoody and a personal
letter
·
$500 – South African National team Jersey and a
personal letter
Groot Gat (Big Hole)
Marathon – March 1st, 2014
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| Moving into the last 5k with support and water from kids on the road |
Two weeks ago I was pushed to my
physical limits. On March 1st I ran in the Groot Gat Marathon in my
South African hometown of Kimberley. Running a marathon has been on my mind
ever since my college track career ended so I jumped at the opportunity to
compete in my first 26.2 in the arid Northern Cape landscapes of South Africa. I
figured it was smart to run at least one marathon before jumping into the deep
waters of the Two Oceans Ultra (no pun intended).
After a
“welkom” speech in Afrikaans, a prayer, and then three misfires of the starting
gun, the gun went off and the two or three hundred runners that had made it out
of bed for the 6AM start began to move through the streets of Kimberley. There
were three races, a 10k, 21.1k (half-marathon), and the 42.2k (marathon). My
fellow intern, Mimi, joined me to participate in the 10k but due to alarm clock
problems, barely made it out of bed in time.
Fortunately for all of us, it had
rained the night before, which kept the streets cool until about 8AM when the
relentless sun dried out the air and turned the streets into long strips of
frying pans. The course started with a short pass through the town, past the
famous Big Hole, leading out through the neighborhoods, and at about the 12
kilometer the course turned onto the N12 highway that leads to Cape Town. By
this time, the line of the front pack spaced out, and most of the runners were
running alone along the highway. This turned out to be a good thing for me when
my morning coffee ran its course through my body and I was forced to squat
behind a bush on the side of the road. I was happy for myself and the other
runners that there was plenty of space between myself and anyone else. I won’t
go into any more detail.
The route along the N12 eventually
turned off to a rock quarry and 8 kilometers of winding dirt trails that led
down into the deep quarry itself. The hill leading out of the quarry was a
treacherous ascent that my legs were angry about for the final 20 kilometers on
the hot roads leading back into Kimberley to finish the 42.2-kilometer
loop.
I learned a lot in the course of
the marathon; about myself, about running, about the real meaning of pain and
the real meaning fun. With 10k left my legs were heavy, hot, and drained. I
shortened my strides because it was the only way I could maintain my pace and
keep my legs moving somewhat fluidly. After Mimi finished her 10k, she drove
out to meet me at checkpoints along the end of the route with powerades, small
snacks, and encouraging cheers that made the final stretch of the race
manageable. I can’t thank her enough.
I think the most surprising and
challenging aspect of the marathon was the last 3 miles. I expected that once I
reached the 40k mark of the 42.2, my legs and mind would be recharged when I
could sense the finish. This was not the case. In fact I couldn’t sense the
finish until I was about 100 meters away from it. Until that last 100 meters,
my legs were begging me to stop. In my 10+ year running career, my body has
never felt that type of fatigue or pain.
I don’t want to overstate the pain
though, because that is why I signed up for the marathon when I found out about
it at the beginning of January. Not in any kind of masochistic, bodily sacrifice
kind of way (I don’t think) but in the sense that we are rarely challenged, and
rarely do we challenge ourselves, to do something that we aren’t sure we are
capable of. I think the process of working through a challenge like that, and
finding out what we are capable of, is one of the most fun things in the
world.
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| Medal for the Groot Gat 42.2k and Mimi's medal for the Kort Gat (Little Hole) 10k |
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| Training in Mozambique |
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