Team: Chris Pretorius; Tony Huglin; Elsie Bezuidenhout; Carl Scholtz
Seconds: Ronel Scholtz, Morne Kotze

With only Chris having previously participated in race of this length, it was with some trepidation that we set-off from Pretoria early on Thursday morning.

The accommodation logistics had been previously arranged by Carl and instead of camping at Malkerns Country Club, we had decided to book into Sondzela Backpackers in the Mlilwane Nature Reserve, which proved to be a 20-minute drive from the Club.

Having registered and collected our race packs, it was time for Chris to transfer the CP’s and Transition points from the pre plotted master maps to our two maps. This was accomplished with relative ease and we double & triple checked the various points plotted on the 2 maps. In tidying up I almost threw our meal tickets and the hiking map for leg 3 in the trash. Fortunately a last look at the race instructions and our grumbling tummies saved the day (Phew… Major disaster averted).

After supper we returned to Sondzela to re-check our race kit, finalise our route planning and hopefully get a couple of hours of clank free sleep.

Having to be at the Malkerns Club at 05:30 and wanting to ensure that no mishaps occurred along the way, we decided that we’d all meet @ 04:15 to pack the trailer & load the bikes. We eventually left at 05:00 and arrived at the Club just in time.

Upon arriving at the club we were issued with additional instructions including the co-ordinates for CP’s 3, 4 and 5. In order to spread the field Darron introduced an orienteering exercise. CP’s 1 and 2 were to be located by following a series of magnetic bearings leading teams past seven orienteering points. In our eagerness to get started our team literally missed the plot. Plotting the orienteering points far to casually. At 06:10 the race got underway. What followed was a rather amusing case of follow the leader or three blind mice if you like. The entire Sport and Pro field took off down the main road, everyone following everyone else with most teams not exactly sure why or whereto. Confused teams running this and that way marked the next hour or so.

We finally managed to find the 3rd orienteering point where we were met by another Sport team fully convinced that it was CP1 and that someone had stole the punch. They promptly took-off in the wrong direction looking for CP2. At this stage the penny dropped, together with some of the other lost teams we revisited our instructions did some quick recalculation employed the compass and 5 minutes later we clipped CP1. From this point onwards it was plain sailing to CP2 and OP1 from where we swam across the Dam to CP3. Carl, Elsie & I didn’t bring our PFD’s on this leg and neither did we have flippers, but Chris had both since he swims exactly like a brick. As the water of the dam was relatively warm the swim didn’t prove too daunting a task and gave an early indication as to whether our dry-bags lived up to there name or not. Satisfyingly, they did! Having clipped CP3, it was off to CP4.

CP4 was located on the Southern side of an island in the Lusutfu River hanging from the crossbar of the goal on a football pitch. We found the island spot on without any difficulty. While crossing the river we did almost lose Elsie as she slipped from our grasp when she lost her footing, but didn’t travel too far down the river before she was able to scramble up the bank. She did however mange to donate two juice bottles to a down stream community. We found CP4, but the description of a football pitch bears no resemblance to what we envisaged a football pitch to look like. We are still trying to figure out why anyone would build a football pitch in the middle of an island with no apparent access. From CP4 we then hiked up to CP5s which was a beacon on the top of a hill and then back down to T1s. Much to every bodies surprise we arrived in 17th place. Not a bad recovery from a rather disorientated start.

The next leg, an MTB leg, started with the mother off all hills, well to be fair the first of many such hills, that saw most teams walking. We easily found CP7 and CP8 and then came the mother of all downhills. Daron wasn’t kidding when he said it would be XL Rutted, rocky & extremely slippery, this downhill would have had guys like Burry Stander crapping themselves. How I wished they had invented ABS for MTB’s. Only Elsie managed to draw blood and we still managed to pass a number of teams going downhill! Chris fell and managed to bend his derailleur, ironically this resulted in his gears shifting cleanly for the first time during the race. We clipped CP9 and arrived at T4 in 8th place. How we gained 9 positions remains a mystery.

After having a warm pasta meal kindly supplied by our trusty seconds, we then set off on a hike which we soon realised would take a while to complete. We located CP10s next to a tributary that came crashing down over some massive boulders. Tragically we could only get a glimpse of our spectacular surroundings in the light of our headlamps. The journey for CP10s to CP11s tuned into a bit of a procession with various teams joining each other and going in every direction. At CP11s we decided to take a “Tiger-line” straight over the mountain and drop down through the kloof towards CP12s instead of following the other teams around next to the river. At this point our new friends Team Whatever joined us. Later on Team Whenever who made a point of playing leapfrog with us for the rest of the journey joined us. On descending the kloof we stumbled across what could possibly be described as the worst effort attempt at road building ever seen. Nevertheless, this “road” took us straight down the kloof and popped us out directly on top of CP12s. Having clipped CP12s we took a breather and after 20 minutes or so, which shall be remembered for one of our team members emptying his stomach, we continued onto CP13. On the way we met a couple of Pro teams (USN & Team Jeep) coming in the opposite direction. After clipping CP13, Chris having been sleep walking for the past half hour decided that the sleepmonsters were too close for comfort and that a power nap of 15 minutes should keep them at bay.

Having been told that the hiking trail to CP14 was indistinct and hadn’t been used in a while we decided that the best way to reach CP14 was to retrace our steps through CP12s, which we duly did. After passing CP12s we studied the hiking map & decided to again take a “Tiger line” straight up the valley following the river rather than trying to find the hiking trail that supposedly led to the top of the mountain past some view points. After some initial bund bashing this decision paid off when we stumbled across an intermittent trail that took us most of the way to the top of the valley and the dirt road leading to CP14. Towards the top of the valley Elsie and I started questioning the direction of travel convinced that after crossing a river we had made a U-turn. Perhaps some sleep monsters? Fortunately Carl & Chris managed to keep us going and we were all treated to a magnificent sunrise in the saddle at the top of the Valley. One of those moments that makes it all worthwhile. From there it was a straightforward hike down to CP14 and then onto T5 arriving at approx 8:30 am (total time taken 17 hours). Amazingly we arrived at T5 in 3rd place, which can only be attributed to Chris’s superb navigation throughout the night.

Climbing onto our bikes for the serious MTB leg, we set off from T5 towards CP17 that was at a school. The initial part of this leg climbed up a tar road and ended in a T-Junction. Whilst Chris was studying the map, Carl got off his bike and sat down on the side of the road, balanced his bike against his knee and promptly fell a sleep. When Elsie called out his name he woke with a shock almost falling over with the bike on top of him. This leg involved a seriously fast downhill on a recently built road. Turning off onto a dirt road to reach CP17, Carl got a puncture, which due to the large piece of glass embedded in his tyre, necessitated fitting a tube. Within the space of 200 meters, it was my turn to pick up a puncture. As I had tubes it called for an immediate replacement, but before we had a chance to put the tyre back onto the rim, this tube punctured too. Borrowing a tube from Elsie, we managed to get going after losing a half-hour and clipped CP17.

Back onto the tar road and it was a comfortable 10 km’s or so of relatively flat riding before turning off onto a dirt road to reach T6. Then the real “fun” started, a 10km climb in the heat of the day that took its toll on some tired legs and bodies with many a hill being walked. Eventually arriving at T6 after almost 6 hours on the bikes. Fortunately, we arrived with 3 hours of daylight still left and still in 3rd.

Exiting T6 we passed Cyanosis coming in the opposite direction and whilst waiting to abseil we watched as the Red Ants jumared up the side of the waterfall, with PJ being particularly impressive. We all climbed into our harnesses and began the abseil, all attached to each other. At this point Elsie became very quiet and very pail, but she seemed to recover very quickly once we got to the bottom. We clipped CP22 and then started the kloofing leg down to CP21. This proved particularly daunting as the rocks were extremely slippery and great caution was taken. Thankfully we completed this section whilst still light. We clipped CP21 and exited the kloof along a ridgeline that rose to the top of the mountain and exited onto a logging road that took us back to T6. At this point Team Bell Equipment had overtaken us and we now were in 4th place.

Climbing onto our bikes again as darkness overtook us; we descended the hills that had previously taken their toll whilst climbing up 3 – 4 hours earlier. We reached and clipped CP24s and arrived at T7s for the transition to the paddling and last leg with our seconds missing. Getting out the cell-phone, we contacted them and the Marshall directed them to the transition area. 10 minutes later they flew past as if they were competitors in the Total Rally with the trailer bouncing all over the road and after scrambling for the cell phone and pointing out the error of their ways, they eventually reached the transition area.

We then hiked through the plantation to CP8s without too much trouble. Some other teams were rumoured to have gotten lost on the 2.5 km hike to the paddle put-in, spending more than an hour & a half searching for it. As we were about to start manually pumping up the crocs, a 12v electric pump arrived attached to a Toyota Hi-Ace. Brilliant! The paddle leg then began and so did the cursing, I am sure Darron’s ears burnt terribly. During this leg we coined a new AR phrase “Aquatic Bushwhacking” This novel AR discipline can best be described as the result of trying to force an inflated couch, two sleep deprived hallucinating adventure racers, an infinite amount of scratchy thorny branches and some slow flowing muddy canal water to simultaneously occupy the same space. In the first half hour we had three mandatory portages. The portaging became less frequent (or maybe we just didn’t see the bunting anymore) and we made relatively good time (or so we thought). The paddle did provide a few interesting moments when Chris and Carl tried to scrape through under one of the many low bridges and Chris almost stuck his hand into a hornets nest. As the evening wore on and night turned into early morning, so too did sleep deprivation begin to have its effects. After Carl complaining for the umpteenth time to Chris about crashing into the side of the canal. A sleepy Chris is rumoured to have confessed to Carl that he really was concentrating on dipping each blade of the paddle in the water every now and then.

We eventually finished the paddle in the early hours of the morning and after carrying the crocs for 500 meters, we crossed the finish line at 03:05, to a rapturous reception from our seconds and the few hardy individuals still awake, as the 2nd placed team and 4th placed overall.

Ronel & Morne, one couldn’t ask for more commitment and encouragement from a support crew. Both of you were superb!

Chris, your navigation was spot on and decidedly made the difference to our finishing position. Elsie and Carl, you both were superb teammates.

Thanks to Darron & his team, Swazi Trails, Ark Inflatables, McCain and all other sponsors for a superb and magnificently organised race. Our thanks also to Compass Sport for the loan of the paddles.

See you next year! «