Team: Mark Human, Mark Anderson, Debbie Smith, Grant Frewen
Support crew: Karl Reisenaar, Eben Klynsmith

We arrived at Malkerns cricket club an hour or so before the sunset on Thursday afternoon and saw lots of teams set up and ready to race . Our first debate was where to pitch the tents .There was the cannery which was to feature prominently in our dreams that night and we tried to get as far away as possible but most of the good spots had been taken .... Early bird en all .

Thanks to Darron for the pre-plotted points . It takes a lot of stress out of the pre-prep and helps to negate any doubt about incorrect plotting when on the race and lost .And you don't have to run around with a meter long ruler either. I hope it will set a precedent to be followed. The briefing left us feeling ready and confident to tackle our first 120km Swazi-Extreme The dinner after was good good and thanx to the lady’s of Malkerns for that .

All rise at 5am (some earlier) and we gathered at the start for photos just before the start shout .5..4..3..2..1 Go! . So first up a little bit of compass work which made me remember cubs and sprouts days and recollection that it was just as chaotic back then as was charging around the sugar cane fields looking for little white posters . CP1 we located after zigzags, backtrax, double takes and "have you found it" to other similarly irritated teams .

A few clicks down the road and time to test the dry bag theory in the dam . Pineapple fields later and we were alongside a canal leading down to the river . This was fun as you could jump in and medium pace breast stroke and keep up with the walking/jogging team on the bank , what a jol . A few km down and Mark and I were ordered out by Debbie and Mark the fun was over and now it was time to navigate again .Through the cane and down to the river and onto the island which was sliced and diced by rivulets and streams that made the logic of the CP2 on the soccer post quite foreign . I suppose we were in Swaziland hey . We found it quite quickly (nice one Mark ) and saved ourselves and those who followed quite a lot of time . We contoured round and then UP a steep hill initialising the UP's and collecting CP3.Down to a dusty transition T1 and onto the bikes and UP.

This bike section was tough and hot and the downs extreme . Xteme ek se, its not often that I stop before going down and chicken out- phukkwaaaik - as did most I think .The line often dropped out of view. It was radical and if anyone rode it the whole way hats off .

Team Freegone arrived at transition T3 at about 4ish in the afternoon to find our chilled seconds ready for us and assisting other seconds as well . Karl has an affinity for blondes and none of us are blonde. We languished a bit, ate and drank and left 45min later in good spirits and ready for the large hike ahead .Alongside the river we joined up with Hugh Glynn Jones and Ngwenya glass and for the next few hours collected a couple of CP's, jumped across crevasses, tangled with thorns, lost/found the path but generally had a great time racing with another team but not really racing at all . This is what AR is awesome for camaraderie, spirit and understanding . The navigation here was tricky and at times I was quite disorientated, rivers everywhere and dusk is always a blurry funny time where the senses take a while to adjust to night mode .Towards midnight halfway UP a hill we left Ngewnya who had a very sick but tough Richard Shannon . At this point we were tiring and I was quite aware that mistakes which cost hours and heaps of energy are easily made here . We were headed on a westerly bearing to the hiker hut CP12 with CP13 a couple of km's below after which we would return to the hikers hut for a couple hours sleep before dawn and then pushing onto transition T4 .Its amazing how a westerly bearing can quickly become a north-easterly one. We finally located the hikers hut after a bit of unexpected intervention ( thanx for that ) and also located very comfortable mattresses which held me down and said " don't go its much nicer here than down there " And that was that .

After 4hrs shuteye and feeling great we set off for CP13 down in the valley .CP13 was at the riverside and manned by the local farmers kids .They had food and fire and a great location . Nice place to be a Marshall. Back up through the beautiful, green forest that was much better looking during the day . Up the steep side of the valley and bundu bashing a bit , UP the creek and down the hill , round and about we came out through a mielie patch and onto yes , yes a ROAD. And a school.

Couple of teams made the mistake here of taking the high road and into a different valley (we almost did as well) .Hhow shame .The low road led down to CP14 and a lekker house&home type spot that almost seemed surreal . No wonder Craig Dutton was here taking pics . We had a shower with the valley to view and that was cool .

The hike to T4 took forever it seemed only because we were out of food , low on energy ,feet really sore . There were a couple of jelly babies in the dirt about a km from transition and we all contemplated washing them off .Anybody else see them as well ??.

The transition was heaven and hell . WE ate lots , drank more and then did not want to leave . Emotions were high and we all considered not carrying on . That tent shade and comfort zone were a trap and the motivation from within and from your team here is what divides finishers from the ... ehhh non-finishers . Thanx guys .

The next bike leg was supa fast , loadsa fun .Then UP and after a brief encounter with the drunkest man in Swaziland .. the reverend .. no the king....no the hammerhead.. in conjunction with a comedy of errors we arrived at transition T6 that night in good spirits . It was 10pm and we decided to rest for the night and continue at daybreak ( thereby doing the paddle in the light ).

Lekker lil abseil , fast mtnbike descent to the last transitionT7(designer cheese and pastrami sandwiches for breakfast thanx Euben) and then onto the paddle . No white-water here just narrow canals , lots of bridges to duck and wasps nests to fear-Paddle pool stuff .I was hoping for a rapid or two and nearly got one when we opened a sluice gate …? Just kidding. A final portage to the finish and we rocked in an hour before prize giving , +/-56hrs after we had left .

XL thanx to Darron et al, there are too many to name and you all know who you are .Thanx too to the ropes okes who did not sleep a lot but remained quite calm and reassuring .1up to the chopper guy although a blustered Red Ants might have played it differently. In my opinion it was a finely tuned event deserved of its reputation as a premier race on the calendar .And big shout out to all the fellow racers who make this sport social as it is competitive, who make you laugh when you want to cry.

MASSIVE thanx to the 2nds without whom this would not be possible.

Finally my team mates: guys so glad to have raced with you and can't think of any other persons who would be better companions. We raced a good race with strong energy and it can only get better .

Forward and upward for Freegone.

Grant out. «