We were quick onto the bike for what was going to be a tough 17km.  I especially struggled with the rocks and the steep hills (usually at the same time!). We couldn’t escape from a male pair that seemed to have memorized the map at the start. They were flying along and didn’t seem to ever look at the map. Thanks to Alex’s spot on navigation we arrived back into transition first just in front of them .

Another quick (closely monitored by Brian) transition got us out onto the run quite a while before the other teams. And finally it was our race, our pace and our route! We did a bit of extra hill training repeats when we overshot CP2.  But back on track Alex made some good route choices and we pulled a bit of a lead. We climbed a game fence for a compulsory Waypoint on our way to CP5.  The big farm house where CP5 was proved much more difficult than one would think to find. We then climbed up the Koppie where the abseil was at the first Diamond Dash race and down the other side spotting some of the clues that we managed to miss while maintaining our can’t-even-breathe pace on the first leg.

On this leg we came across a herd of wildebeest as they dashed down the hill behind us.  I was suddenly worried that it was Stephan and co. closing in on us.  Just having recovered from the wildebeest fright we almost ran straight into 2 giraffe. Other sightings included Zebra and Springbok. The transition area was then in sight which forced everything out of our legs. My excitement at reaching transition and getting out of the heat (even if just for a moment) was dashed as Brian shouted – ‘Quick transition guys’.

First back into transition and first out for the last leg – a marked mountain bike leg. With no cycle computer in our team this leg was interesting with no way of answering my ‘how much further’ questions.  We pushed on.  Up another hill.  Down some single track. Gijima advertised ‘Brand new single track’ which translates to a portion of the veld where the grass has been trimmed. This should not be attempted on a hardtail – cramp is inevitable.  The ride was 19 km; it felt like 29.  We ended off with a compulsory floating bridge crossing made exciting by a couple of uneven sections.

We finished first only having been passed by a solo racer, in the last bit of the last leg, who could cycle much faster than me.  No thanks to me, but rather to Alex for his navigation and Brian the strong-as-an-ox teammate and pacesetter.

A tough race. A strong field. A hot Highveld winters day. Great team. Lots of happy AR faces. Cold coke and hamburgers at the finish. Is there any other way you would want to spend a Saturday?

Author: Jane Swarbreck | Team Red Ants | Diamond Dash #2, 17 July 2010

• Paddle:  11pm, portaging the k2 and the Fluid (plastic, double kayak) to the river (not mentioning that we initially walked past the river in excitement…), paddling upstream in the dark and mist, not easy to see which way the river was turning.  Sufficiently insulated against the cold… so far… 
• Hike: Grabbing a few checkpoints with ease, navigated by Ari and Lisa, all the teams still close together.  Seeing an exited Hardy (race organiser) at the mud- ruins checkpoint practically bouncing up an down with excitement at seeing us enjoying the race.
• Paddle: Paddling down river, ended up in a deadend at a stage with a couple of other teams (not easy turning five boats around in a small space… in the dark), being stuck in a converging reed bed, joined by a few other boats and having to heave our boats over into the main channel. No swimming yet, though Ari and Larry were in waist-high due to a bump from another boat. 
• Bike: After a quick transition and some new race instructions, we’re onto the bikes… Easy cycle, though very cold, ziplock bags in our shoes (to prevent losing our toes due to frostbite) and all our warm clothes on our backs. Ari kicked our butts on the cycle, we had a great time, munching happily away on everything we’d packed. 
• Hike:  More race instructions and up into the kloof we go, over fallen trees, past a waterfall, over huge boulders, up and up and up, heeding Hardy’s warning not to dislodge anything… (avalanche!). Caught up with other teams at the top, also looking for checkpoint 9, ending up seeing the sun rise from the top of the mountain, enabling us to finally understand the topography and the probable location of the CP. Finding CP9 after going down into a severely steep valley and up the other side, gave us all new hope and spread out the teams again. Larry started to sing and hum some tunes, giving the impression that he was not tired at all (…mmmh…maybe he WASN’T tired at all….). The photo below shows us climbing up the kloof and posing in the sun’s first light (ignore the smiling, it is not always a true reflection of our feelings, we were merely trying to be photogenic).

Kloofing, Nadine & Ari

Team LAVA: Ari, Nadine, Lisa and Larry

• Bike:  Another enjoyable cycle, finding the checkpoints easily and enjoying being able to sit down again.   We got the Ari back! After he missed his pre-dawn curling up under a tree, which he swore he would do. We found ourselves having cycled almost off the map [missed a turn-off ] at a stage but quickly turned around the 1.4km we went too far on.  At this stage Larry was doing his best to overtake Ari and Lisa and I had some girl-chat about mountain bikes, gear and avoiding blisters etc.
•  Paddle:  The paddling downstream was exhausting, besides the dunking Lisa and I got at the first rapid at approx. 8am on the winter’s morning. She would explain  it as a combination of Larry and Ari being in front of us and her effort to slow us down going into the rapid [I took the rapid at a VERY bad angle - Lisa], while my explanation would just be that I had my paddle in on the wrong side of the boat when the current grabbed us, twisting and then capsizing the k2, leaving us to be fished out of the freezing cold river by a worried looking Larry.  I saw that same worried face later on down river, when Larry and Ari stood shivering on the bank after an unplanned swim themselves.  Lisa quickly pointed out to me the ‘tongue’ of water to stick to in a rapid and we did no further swimming through the rapids.  The portaging of the boats (with severely bruised shoulders) around low bridges saw me and Lisa having to climb a fence at a stage and, later on, idling in a reed bed worrying our heads off, waiting for the arrival of Larry and Ari, not knowing whether they have capsized or drowned or worse.  The two gents did an outstanding job of handling the Fluid in choppy waters and the hard rowing they had to do. We were all relieved when the end was in sight.  Close to the last river-CP, we saw ourselves in a situation where we could either portage the boat around a drop-off in the river and paddle to the CP, or just plain portage the boats all the way to the CP.  We took the second option. 
• Hike: Spirits were quite high in the transition after having something to eat and donning dry clothes and socks.  We headed out to find the last few CPs.  Doing a lot of climbing up koppies and down valleys, through long grass and hidden boulders had us contemplating which was worse: UP or DOWN.  Answer: BOTH.  Lisa got the nickname of ‘Pink Dassie’ due to her climbing abilities and her pink shirt sometimes the only dot of colour up on the mountainside as her pace saw the rest of us falling behind. Oh, and Larry started singing again, that definitely meant that he was NOT tired.  After clipping the last CP, we had the knowledge of only ONE  KILOMETRE HORIZONTAL DISTANCE to go to the finish.  Not including the decent that we had to make (vertical distance). But surviving that we had a quick jog to the finish in 18 hours 10min. Truly exhilarating! Of the 12 teams, only 2 teams managed to finish the full course and clip all the CPs, of which we were the second. The rest of the teams were put on a shorter version after having missed a time cut-off.  But it is assured, that all the teams definitely enjoyed the race.  

From my side, I’m definitely crazy enough to do something like this again…

Heading out on the last hike: Ari, Nadine & Larry

 Author: Nadine Nunes, Team LAVA | Ystervark, 9-10 July 2010

It seems that many people new to this sport are concerned about the ’swimming component’ in adventure racing. Upfront – we rarely swim; this isn’t triathlon. And when we do, it is usually to cross a small dam or a river. Not ‘proper swimming’. Distances are usually short – like <200m and we’ve usually got backpacks to swim with too. We’ve even swum with bicycles across rivers! Swimming in adventure racing is often more doggy paddle than freestyle.

Race organisers will let you pre-race if you have to swim; and they’ll usually mention the distance – like 500m.

Some international events have had a bigger swimming component, like the 2009 Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, which had a swim of 1km in the prologue. Race organisation transported backpacks and they allowed participants to use goggles and floatation, if desired.

Don’t stress about swimming in adventure racing (rather practise your navigation!). But, that said, for your own safety and that of your teammates with any water discipline (kayaking, rafting, river crossings, tubing etc), you should be a competent swimmer.

Pre-race, entrants are provided with lists of compulsory gear and a list of disciplines included in the event. As far as gear goes, you pack compulsory stuff and then add ‘logical’ items to this, like socks, cycle shorts, running shorts, gloves, tees, warm clothing, extra batteries, drybags. So far, so good.

The race location may only be disclosed a week before the race; but upfront you’ll know it is a two to three hour drive from a major centre.

As for distance of legs, order of disciplines and types of maps, you’ll find this out at race briefing when you receive your race instructions. There’s no need to fret about it before you get there because it is out of your control. When you receive the race instructions, then you start planning.

Due to the number of navigation courses I’ve taught recently, I’ve come into contact with more enthusiastic – but hesitant – novices than usual.

A few weeks ago I was caught in a discussion around why he has to take part in a team, and not on his own (he has never done a long race; only sprints). My answer, “Because this is adventure racing, not multisport or triathlon. Adventure racing is a team sport and that’s just how it is”. The extended answer refers to safety, but essentially, adventure racing is a team sport. Full stop.

Tonight, at AR Club, I met a new team and they had some good questions – things I take for granted. But, what I found interesting was the one guy’s questions on knowing everything; the disciplines, the distances, the maps, the location, the equipment to take on each leg…

His enquiry was well founded as he assumed that I’d know the answers because of previous events. But, here again, every race is different even if organised by the same person in the same country. There’s different areas, seasons, distances, disciplines, terrain and topography and number of checkpoints.

I told him not to worry about all of these things, to pack the stuff he is told to in the race instructions and to come prepared for the disciplines included in the race. More than this you just don’t know pre-race so it isn’t worth thinking about it. All is revealed at the race in the briefing and instructions, which will tell him exactly what to do when and what to take – in addition to mandatory gear – on each leg.

The other side to this is not only the pre-race unknown, but also the variable elements within a race that participants have to cope with. Less desirable weather conditions that develop a day into the event, an ill or injured teammate, nasty vegetation, extended hike-a-bike sections, navigational mistakes, tiredness and fatigue, team personalities, spending double the time on a leg than expected, swimming on a paddle leg and losing a paddle, mechanical problems with a bicycle… Teams that cope the best and adapt well to these variables will finish.

The most difficult part of adventure racing is getting to the race: packing, gear, food, support crew, organising people and related admin on top of family, responsibilities and work. Once you’re there, all you have to do is race and eat. It’s nice, very nice, to just have to deal with what is in front of you.

So, make like a river, go with the flow, moving around and over rocks and obstructions. Don’t overthink something outside of your control and embrace the unknown for rewarding (and successful) racing.

Compulsory Disclaimer:

So, let’s be honest to ourselves: The thought of paddling in the middle of night, in the middle of winter did not exactly *warm *me up to the prospect of doing this race. But Hardy’s promise of ‘old school adventure racing’ (shudder running down my spine at the prospect of it) reminded a very race-rusty Team A2A that this is exactly the crazy kind of thing that Mr Darron Raw would dream up for Swazi X – which immediately brought us to the conclusion that doing this race should be considered compulsory Swazi race
preparation… and besides – it’s a club race for novices: a mild introduction into the niceties of AR – right? Errr – not quite!

Team A2A had a nightmare of a first paddling leg, with the low levels of visibility not helping one bit – we swam twice on our way to the first transition, ran up and down a mountain soaked to the bone and then took another swim on our way back, with some splendid bush-wacking portages thrown into the mix.

Warning to novices and reminder to experienced racers: Never make any assumptions about the difficulty level of a race based upon ’subjective’ pre-race perceptions or even advice from experienced AR friends…

For example: Even though the race was said to be geared towards novice racers – if you are not a river-proficient paddler, then paddling at night on a river is going to be extremely tough and probably very dangerous! You should never assume that you will be safe and that it should be reasonably do-able, just because you are in a race environment. Adventure racing is a dangerous sport, and the race organisers cannot watch over your shoulders every second of the race. You are responsible for your own safety,
as well as that of your team mates. This should always be your first consideration. There is also no grading system for the difficulty levels of adventure racing – it is highly subjective.

And this is where my feedback comes in to the race organisers: our team was one of the ‘more experienced’ teams in the field… I am soooo glad this was not my first adventure race, because it was really, really tough. Be careful that your years of experience do not taint your perception of the difficulty level that you’re putting out there into the field.

Adventure racing in Gauteng often becomes glorified off-road duathlons due to our limited access to safe rivers and open water to paddle on. Congratulations and thank you to the race organisers for coming up with a race location that included this into the mix. We are so direly in need of this in Gauteng.

Tip / Reminder nr 2: Paddling is one of the major disciplines in adventure racing – and you cannot afford to neglect it if you
want your team to perform well in a long-distance AR. Strong paddling skills might just give you that competitive edge in a race.

Back in transition, it was nearly daybreak and we realised with dismay that we hadn’t even progressed a third of the length of the race during the course of the night. It took all our will power and determination to motivate us back into the cold for the next leg of the race.

Tip / reminder nr 3: Once you’ve got all the racing disciplines under the belt, you need to realise that you need a seriously strong mindset to succeed in adventure racing. Race leg distances can sometimes be misleading, and when things start to go wrong you need to be able to dig deep and stay focused on the bigger picture. If your 10km hike turns into a 3 hour slog, don’t give up. Support your team mates by staying positive (being especially supportive towards the navigator, even though you think he needs to be sacked). Take time to rest and regroup.

Our perseverance was rewarded by a spectacular sunrise. Ultimately motivated by the heat of the sun and the living sensation returning to our cold limbs, we decided to grab the race by the scruff of its neck and finish it!

Arriving at the bike / paddle transition, we finally figured out what the Hoonatand was all about: having to make the very difficult decision of taking the chicken run to bike back to race start, or facing 15k’s of paddling again. We bravely undertook to face the waters again (with some surprising good luck over the first few rapids – awesome stuff!!) – but after having been spitted out by the river a few times and facing inpenetrable portaging sections, we realised that we would be spending more time hanging on to our capsized boats / or bush-whack portaging – with the prospect of never seeing the river again – than actually paddling down the
river and we reluctantly returned to our bikes (an extra 3k hike) and raced back on our bikes to transition for the final trekking leg.

Final tip / reminder then: Back at race start we learnt that only 3 /4 teams were still doing the official race distance at this point. Had we forced ourselves to finish the paddle and continued into the night with our final trekking leg, we would have probably finished in a good position overall. I’ve learned over the years, and was again reminded of this, that strange things happen in Adventure Races. The race isn’t over until you cross the finish line and despite the fact that you may think that your team isn’t doing too well, you do not know what the others are going through and your team may be doing much better than you thought!

One element that we found lacking though was some good mountain biking sections – especially coming from the Dark n Dirty crowd. but all in all we had some excellent pre-Swazi training. Thanks a million for being out there in the bushes and giving us the  opportunity to have a good time and put in some quality training we wouldn’t otherwise have been able to. So, herewith then congratulations to the Tshwane AR club team for coming up with a race combining some of the tougher elements of AR racing within the confined space of 60km’s of racing! That is quiet an impressive feat. Not to mention the fantastic atmosphere with fires, coffee, welcoming smiles and great sponsors!

Author: Adele Esterhuizen | Team A2A | Ystervark en Hoona Tand | 9-10 July 2010 | Wilge River, near Verena

Despite its small size and publicity this Ystervark and Hooona Tand took us through some spectacular places and provided a sustained challenge both on the river and in the mountains. It matched if not exceeded my experience on much bigger races. As I write this report my body has post race aches and pains associated with more prestigious endurance events yet it was only a 17 hour effort.

Clinton and Thursia Hardenberg and their supporters – and there must surely have been many – put on a well planned and executed event.

I have hope, and faith, that Clinton will take over the role that Darron Raw and the Swazi have played the past ten years feeding our needs. Aside from enthusiasm and a keen sense of adventure he also has those key attributes needed by a race director : a streak of cruelty and the ability to lie with a straight face about what lies ahead.

I just hope the big sponsors wake up in time before someone else takes the rights to this jewel of the future.

RACE REPORT:

Team : Bloed en OMO
Liesl “Chicken Licken” Hanekom
Piet “Kentucky Fried Hooona” Lombard
Jan “Mr Rooster” Bezuidenhout
Abel “Plaashooona ” van der Merwe

Once again Bloed en OMO sports two novices.

In the spirit of the new democratic SA, Plaashoona and Mr Rooster adopt the attitude that it is potential that counts not qualifications as regards Chicken Licken not being an experienced  mountain biker. While we wait for the start, Kentucky takes her for a quick orientation spin around the parking area where she learns about gears and night riding.

Phase 1: Paddle, Hike, paddle
An hour before midnight we’re off, boats on backs down to the Wilge for a quick upstream paddle, some foot borne CPs then a paddle back to the camp.

Plaashooona and Mr Rooster survive the launch and with clashing paddles catch up to Kentucky and Chicken Licken who are patiently idling up ahead.

Then it sinks in – either we are in front or we’ve headed in wrong direction. Some quick calculations confirm the former. D@#$&, now we have noone to follow and Plaashooona must, for the first time, do some serious navigating. This is clearly punishment for remarks in earlier reports about “teams rushing about like headless chickens at the start”.

The paddling turns out to even tougher than expected. Drifts of mist reflect our headlamps back like camera flashes, making reed covered backs difficult to see. Each twist in the river is a surprise event resulting in frantic paddling and screams of turn, turn.

Then the river becomes constricted into a narrow, fast flowing channel, dotted with clumps of reed and submerged tree branches. The Mr Rooster and Plaashoona pair takes strain. Mr Rooster having zero river and almost zero flat water experience, while Plaashooona lacks K2 coordinating skills. Despite all the shouting and screaming we tip over, desperately clutching paddles and boat as the river spits us back downstream. Eventually we’re back in the calmer water and miraculously find a foothold amongst the reeds.

Chickens is not ducks. Water does not run off their backs. Or bellies. And they smell when wet.

Life has suddenly become serious as hypothermia is not friendly and the many layers of warm clothing have turned into a sudden mass that steams when eventually stripped off at the transition.

To our surprise we find TA1 and we set off for CP1 just as the kayaks of the hounds reach shore. A trail of lights follow us to CP2, CP3 and CP4. Back at the kayaks our PFDs have sheen of ice crystals.

Plaashooona swims three times and Mr Rooster four times on the way back – the fourth on the account of Plaashooona launching the boat before Mr Rooster is properly seated.

A pre-requisite of Bloed en OMO membership is to forgive easily.

We arrive at CP5 just ahead of Land Cruiser to be informed that we are the first team in. Then I remember the old wisdom : “If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something”.

Carrying the K2 laden with wet clothes the 1 km back to the start, the missing bit comes to me: we’re getting competitive and losing our sense of fun.

Phase 2: Bike, hike and bike
So we have a leisurely transition. Kentucky and Chicken Licken take a hot shower while Plaashooona huddles under a blanket at the fire waiting for feeling to return to various appendages. Mr Rooster amuses himself by looking for dry socks.

An hour later, the hounds have all gone, and we leave camp for an easy MTB to CP6 and TA3 – except that our stupid navigator in one of his ever more frequent episodes of confusion converts one centimetre of map to 1 km on the ground and we hurtle past a 5.1 km turn off.

I shudder to think where Bloed and OMO would have ended up had there been a turn off at 10,2 km. But, with some fortunate assistance we recover and find TA3 and continue on foot to CP7 which is easily found at the waterfall.

CP8, a “kloof” is more difficult to find since the heading indicated by the compass yields a steep climb so we veer to the left towards a stream which must surely be more in keeping with a kloof. But the stream flows uphill according to our interpretation of the map.

Back at CP8 Plaashoona pulls out his secret weapon – a philatelist’s magnifying glass complete with built in LED lamp. The team is awed. Except that it is water logged despite the Ziploc bag. A few shakes and it works but the map is too coarse to yield any clues about a kloof. Kentucky breaks ranks and heads uphill and finds the kloof.

The kloof is a deep rift in the mountainside with shear granite sides higher than our lamps can reach. Gut feel tells me it must be beautiful and a privilege to be climbing it. It’s a hard and relentless scramble of several hundred meters – in the vertical dimension.

We eventually break out into the open roof of the mountain, steam pouring out our collars. Where now? There is no obvious “spur” and we must surely have covered the sufficient distance to have reached CP8. Indeed, we are disappointed to not be face to face with CP8.

The problem with kloofing – especially kloofs that don’t show distinctly on a map – is that aside from obscuring all distant reference points, they force one in a direction which is not necessarily that of the next CP so that when you exit you do not have the foggiest idea were you are in relation to the two CPs or how much directional and distance adjustment is required.

Seconds later groups of lights, four here, eight there, even groups of twelve, come bobbing up out of off the black void of the valley like the torches of Amazonian tribesmen looking for heads to shrink or New England villagers intent on witch burning.

Minutes later, satisfied we also do not know where the h#@$ we are, they disappear in the direction of a slither of moon and murky red glow of the coming sunrise. They all head for a deep valley. On the other hand, our instinct is to keep to the ridge line in search of the so called spur. We scoff some snacks and follow them down, at discretely heading 30 deg to their left so they don’t feel we are following.

The night air is broken by the sound of breaking branches and black jacks being wrenched from their pods.

Then Chicken Licken barely spots a flickering red lamp straight ahead, half way up the next mountain side. It’s in the last place I would have expected a spur and definitely much further away from CP7 than expected. It must obviously be CP10.

When we get there its CP9. CP10 is easily found in the expected place. Daylight, as always, makes a massive difference to navigation.

Back at TA3 we re-mount the bikes for a tra-la-la ride to TA4 and our waiting kayaks at the caravan park.

Phase 4 : Long Paddle
The third paddle leg includes numerous rapids and suchlike. This proves too much for Mr Rooster and Plaashooona who swim at least four times before they work out a winning strategy.

B&O catch up to team Lava idling on the river bank. Later, at CP15, we cruise past a rather dispirited team Land Cruiser.

Confidence at a maximum we take on the final weir and make it through with a crunch and a shout. Once again it’s a 1 km portage back to camp. This, I thought, was a cruel touch but we are chirpy, our clothes almost dry and the sun is shining warmly on our backs.

At the final transition we discover that Bloed en OMO are once again the leading (official) team. Drastic action is required as this could do irreparable damage to our reputation and result in unrelenting pressure in future races.

So, we have some food and tidy up our campsite while Plaashooona thinks.

Phase 5: Hike
B&O stroll out on the final hiking leg, strategy in place, Plaashooona drops a few cutting remarks at the clearly broken Land Cruiser encampment about their manliness and general state of hygiene. Some aspersions are also cast about expecting a better performance from a team that includes an ex Bloed en OMO member.

Twenty minutes later they came trotting past pretending nonchalance. We neglect to tell them we plan to call it a day at CP17 and watch them suffer into the distance. At CP17, we decide to bag CP18 just for the fun of it.

At CP18 it takes discipline to turn around as we know CP19 and CP20 are just over the mountain and the horizontal distance back to the finish is hardly more than that of going back. Minutes later we wish Lava well on their journey.

PS : Jokes aside, our respects to Land Cruiser and Lava. The Bloed en OMO batteries were rapidly running flat at the end. Hats off also to the teams who tackled the last stage in the dark.

Lastly :
- why did the hooona cross the road?
- – to clip the CP!

Author: Abel van der Merwe | Team: Bloed & Omo | 9-10 July 2010 | Wilge River, near Verena, NW Prov.

South African adventurers are accomplished; many of their achievements are documented as World firsts and records. Our adventurers have traversed and circumnavigated countries and continents; they’ve rowed across oceans; scaled mountains; cycled extraordinary distances and descended rivers. In October, for the first time, 12 South African adventurers come together to tell of their recent expedition experiences at FEAT, a dynamic and captivating evening of time-limited presentations.

FEAT, Fascinating Expedition & Adventure Talks, is an evening of time-limited presentations where each adventurer speaks for seven minutes – no more, no less – focusing on an aspect of a recent expedition. Striking photographs illustrate their words, which tell of emotions, challenges and discoveries – of people, places and themselves.

feat – noun, a noteworthy or extraordinary act or achievement, usually displaying boldness or skill

Created by adventure racer and writer Lisa de Speville, FEAT brings South Africa’s adventurers together. “Most people would love to embark on an expedition; but they feel tied to ‘real life’,” she says. “It takes a different, special kind of courage and drive to abandon socially accepted norms of home and work to set off – often solo – on self-motivated and self-organised expeditions. Whether the adventure involves oceans, countries, continents, rivers or mountains, these achievements are extraordinary. I’ve yet to meet a person who is not captivated by tales of these adventures.”

Speakers at the inaugural FEAT are: Alex Harris, Andrew Kellet, Cobus van Zyl, Darron Raw, Kyle Meenehan, Mandy Ramsden, Marianne Schwankhart, Mike Blyth, Peter van Kets, Pierre Carter, Ray Chaplin and Riaan Manser. Their presentation topics cover the disciplines of mountaineering, kayaking (river and sea), big wall rock climbing, paragliding, adventure films, ocean rowing, adventure racing, ultra distance mountain running and long distance walking.

FEAT aims to publicise the achievements of South African adventurers, bringing their outdoor experiences indoors. FEAT is the ultimate armchair adventure experience.

The inaugural FEAT event will be held in Jo’burg on Thursday, 7 October 2010, at the Wits Theatre in Braamfontein. Tickets are only available through Computicket. Ticketing opens on Monday, 2 August 2010.

FEAT is made possible by its sponsors – Biophys, Buff, CAPESTORM and Hi-Tec – and media partners, www.AR.co.za and Go Multi Magazine.

For more information, visit the FEAT website at www.featsa.co.za

I’ve  been sewing my own AR Mini-Gaiters for about six years now and in this time fellow orienteers, trail runners and adventure racers have asked me to make pairs for them. I’ve outsourced the sewing part and retained my design to make these AR Mini-Gaiters available to you.

• One size fits all thanks to four-way stretch lycra. BUT, girls, if your ankles are smaller than 21cm, please let me know. Also if your shoe size is smaller than UK5 or 6, let me know when you order. This is unusual (I’ve only encountered one thus far).
• Attaches to your bottom lace by folding over a Velcro tab (see picture). Elastic in the bottom seam keeps your gaiter from coming off your shoe at the back – it just works.
• Available in black, silver-blue and some other funky patterns (see images below)
• If you go off-road most weekends, including AR and other multiday events, you can expect to get one year to 18 months from your gaiter. If you get a little hole in the fabric, which can happen depending on vegetation and terrain, just close it up with a few stitches (or superglue if you can’t sew…).

TEAM GAITERS

We’ll make up gaiters for your team (four pairs) in a colour of your choice.

And the cost?

Only R125.00 per pair.

Available through www.AR.co.za, Kinetic Gear store (Jo’burg) and Outdoor Freedom (Centurion).

Kinetic Gear, Rivonia (Jo’burg)
Exercise & Nutrition Centre, Rivonia. Cnr North & Rivonia Roads (the store is ground level).
www.kineticgear.co.za

Outdoor Freedom, Doringkloof, Centurion
Shop 21, Doringkloof Mall, Doringkloof
From the N1, turn from the highway into Louis Botha Ave. At the robot at Lupin street & Botha Ave turn left and drive straight into the Doringkloof Mall. The shop is around the other side of the mall from this gate entrance.
www.outdoorfreedom.co.za

www.AR.co.za
Your gaiters can be posted to you for an addition R25 for postage and packaging (registered; can fit two pairs in each padded envelope; 3-4 in bigger envelope – R30). To order, just drop Lisa an email (lisa@ar.co.za)  specifying quantity and delivery preference (by hand at events or postal; include postal address if this is your preference). She’ll respond with banking details and confirmation of your order.

HOW TO…

• Slip AR Mini-gaiter over your foot, wide end downwards. The gaiter with the www.AR.co.za badge goes on your left foot (so that the badge faces out).
• Wrap the velcro tab over and under the bottom-most lace. The bottom-most lace part is important because 1) you get more coverage from the gaiter over the top of your shoe, to prevent stuff attaching to your laces and 2) this creates maximum tension on the gaiter.
• Stick the ‘free-end’ to the piece sewn to the underside of the fabric (this makes more sense when you actually do it!).
• Pull the back of the gaiter over your shoe.
• The elastic in the bottom of the gaiter helps to create tension and to keep the gaiter on your shoe.*

Note: don’t pull the top of the gaiter high up your shin. It looks silly and it pulls the gaiter off your heel. The top is meant to sit around your ankle, above your socks.

* The only time my mini gaiters slip is when I wear them over my orienteering shin gaiters as the movement from the O gaiters makes them wriggle up – sometimes. Also, the back of my Salomon S-Labs is very smooth so occasionally they slip. To solve this, a tab of sticky-sided Velcro works a treat. For the rest, these gaiters stay down, over the back of your shoe. They just do.

Feedback

• “We kloofed Grootkloof last night. Crazy stunt we do mid-winter every year. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that your mini gaiters are superb at keeping gravel out of shoes. Normally by the time you get out the kloof your shoes are full of gravel – today I had hardly a stone!” – Tony
• “Last weekend I’ve run a running trail in Belgium. It was a trail over 60km and I wore my Gaiters. They worked perfectly!” – Paul, Netherlands (yes, we do send to countries outside of South Africa)
• “Please send two more pairs of gaiters….the rest of my bush crew would like a pair. I ran with mine last night…very cool, no sand irritating me,  no twigs and no muddy socks!!!” – Grant
• “Just to let you know, I have the gaiters and ‘hiked’ them in yesterday on a stunning hike along Chapman’s Peak, all the way up to the Peak and back… Cape Town has some truly magnificent walks! I’ll be recommending them to anyone who asks – they are perfect!” – Robyn, Cape Town
• “I’ve just come back from a 6km run in Tokai forest and can honestly say that the AR Mini-Gaiters are amazing!!” – Ray, Cape Town
• “I used the gaiters on trail run at Teak this weekend and they were awesome!” – Henri

Venue: Exercise & Nutrition Centre, Rivonia. Cnr North & Rivonia Roads (in the downstairs Energy Bar). Tea, coffee and other refreshments, as well as tasty food, are available from the Energy Bar – perfect for those coming directly from work.

Time: 18h30 – 20h30 (content starts at 19h00)

Theme: Kinetic Full Moon video (8-minutes) and then Swazi Xtreme 2006, Vlok & Fordyce video (52 minutes)

Your questions about Swazi Xtreme – what to pack etc – will be answered after the videos.

All welcome