Action Stations

The next two weeks are going to choka bloc full for all the Team members. This weekend is the Karoo to Coast Mountain Bike race of 105 km with Jeff and Jeanette taking part. The route which sounds like it should be down hill is not at all and there are some really tough climbs but both are hoping to do well in this event with Pennypinchers as the title sponsor for the first time this year.

The Otter Trail Run takes place next Saturday (25th) where I will be slogging it out . I will be buoyed by the fact that I have through generous donations from freinds,family and associates been able to raise over R6500-00 fro Die Stereweg day Care centre in Plett.The money is still trickling in and if you want to see who has supported me with this drive or pop in a couple of rands please go to http://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/james-stewart .

On Sunday the 26th Jeff and Rhona will be starting the Southern Storm a six day long stage duathlon race around the Crags and Plettenberg Bay. Watch this space for updates during the week.
Chris will be working 24/7 during this time as part of the organization which is run by Magnetic South and I am sure will be fitter and more tired by the end of it than his team mates who have taken part

A little pay back

THE OTTER TRAIL RUN 2010 AND DIE STERREWEG DAY CARE CENTRE

The 25th of September 2010 will see the second running of the Hitec Otter Trail Run. After only one edition of the run the race has already climbed to the top of the list of runs to do and entries were sold out within days of opening. The 42 km run takes place along the Otter trail which is normally a 5 day hiking trail and is regarded by hikers as ‘very beautiful but strenuous. The tree in natures valley where hikers who have completed the trail traditionally hang up their boots is full of worn out hiking shoes and boots that bears testimony to the toughness of the trail.
My affair with the Otter trail began in 2004 when adventure racing legend John Collins conned me into trying to run the Otter in a day with his girlfriend of the time. No one else had tried this before. He would also do the run but would run on his own. I had run one half marathon in my life at that stage and was not quite sure what to expect. Off we went blind leading the blind as John disappeared over the rocks (a familiar sight to a lot of people). By half way I was cramping and starving and by the time we reached Bloukrans we decided to call it quits. The surf was rolling into the mouth and we were both exhausted.
John finished the first unofficial Otter run and I did not.

This plaque is hidden on the trail somewhere

This haunted me until 2009 when with the permission of San Parks we were allowed to officially prove that the Otter could be run in a day. This time a lot fitter and more experienced along with my Pennypinchers Adventure Racing Team we completed the run in a shade over 8 hours.

The start of the first official "Otter " recce

In August 2010 I was offered an entry to do the Hitec Otter Trail Run I kicked myself for even hesitating 5 minutes before accepting the offer. So why try and run the Otter Trail in a day when it can be enjoyed over a 5 day period for a fraction of the price and a fraction of the pain. My answer is simple and as cliche as it sounds it is because we can. Last year I gave a couple of people advice on their training and race strategies and they all finished the Otter .This year will be the same except I will be out there running too, not wondering how my chargers are doing and will they make it.

Jeannette was out with the Magnetic South Team to check out the route and also to bring back information to me about the route!!! This is what she had to say
"How lucky was I to be part of the scout team to check out the otter trail run for the big otter run that magnetic south is organizing in September. we started at 6am on Saturday with the same conditions that the Otter runners would be facing tide and time of the day only thing was that we had to start with our head torches. All I can say it is tough and you will be sore even if you are super fit but what an experience fynbos in full bloom it is the best trail run out there. it took martin and I 6:30 (of moving time IE not including quite a few breaks) we didn't go out to break any records just to run and check it out but even with our conservative pace it was still nothing to laugh at. I'm glad today that I wore my Rocket Compression Tights for the whole run cos I'm able to walk like a normal persons on Sunday which I'm sure I would have not been able to if I hadn't wore them. The Otter run is a truly beautiful, inspiring run it makes you work hard but at the end of it one finishes with a smile to have accomplished it and witness such stunning views makes every pain worth it. Enjoy it" Netski.

"What is going to be special for me this year is that I have decided to try and raise some money and awareness for an amazing day care centre in Plettenberg Bay called Die Sterreweg. This Centre cares for 24 disabled children who have basically be discarded by all but a few in medical and social circles. These kids can’t do what we do and for them taking a few steps or learning a new song is far more of a challenge than for me to go and run 42km and climb 2, 2 vertical kilometers in one day.
My challenge is to go out and do the Otter Trail and beat my time of 8 hours and at the same time create awareness about a small group of kids who also do things because they can even if they are only a few steps or a new song. I will be taking about 55 000 steps on the 25th September 2010. In my mind I want to take each step for those kids at Die Sterreweg. With this in mind why don’t you join me and donate money in increments of 55 to this really amazing place. "James

Click on this link and do the deed
http://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/james-stewart

Or check out this little havens web site on

http://www.sterreweg.com/

Swazi Extreme 2010. Team Aieesh.com does it again

When it became clear that the PpART was not going to make the “Big Trek” to Swaziland for the final running of the Swazi X I popped off an email to Shane Raw founder, captain and manager of the Swazi based Aeeish.com Team to see if they had any late withdrawals like they had last year when I joined the team three days before the event. As bad luck would have it Shane had just broken his arm (“he fell off a ladder”) and the team was a member short. After some emailing and slow communication Shane picked up the pieces and got the team organized. The Team for 2010 would be Hillary Pritchford (paddler and more recently trail runner), Deon Bruss (retired paddler, farmer and adventurer), Gordon Johnstone (clothing manufacturer, mountain biker and paddler) and James Stewart (farmer, adventurer and super-sub).
After a lot of logistical nightmares the four Team members arrived at the start venue Nisela Lodge just south of Big Bend in Swaziland. Here we met up with the other new member of the Team Jaco Strydom our last minute second from Pretoria (and what a second we uncovered here, his contact details will remain the property of the Team for now.)This is what he had to say on his blog Seconding for the team was just about as hard as doing the race. They arrive by canoe and 5 minutes later they are fed, rehydrated, refilled, changed into cyclists, and on their way. Then we pack the boats and the camp and charge to be at the next transition point before them, get their running gear ready, food and water ready... and so on through the day (and sometimes into the night).Along to help Shane with his broken arm and Jaco with his broken foot was Shane son Braden (what a bundle of energy he was).As usual the evening before the race got gobbled up repacking vehicles and sorting out the maps for the next day. I think we were definitely the last team to hit the sack on Friday night.

It was all too soon when the alarms and Jaco kicked us out of bed to get us up to the start by 5:45 am. The race briefing was quick and after a count down the race started well for everyone except us. Hilary and shot back to the car to get a chest strap for Deon’s pack. There was a mad dash of towards CP1 at the end of the old airfield a couple of kms away. With a confident bearing on the map we went straight there and had already over taken some of the teams who had bolted away. The next couple of checkpoints guided us through some bushveld and across some sugar cane fields. After running with Team Thule (which included Knysna local Kate Southey "This years race was much like the experience you have as a child when you have your first 'gobstopper' - there's no easy way to the end, you just keep going until it's done. The Swazi was one monster gobstopper that took teams through 3 days of non-stop racing, up and over the Lubombo mountains by foot, back over by bicycle and almost into Mozambique by canoe") for a bit we parted company with them as they started doing the Pro Course while we headed into Transition One with a couple of teams ahead of us. The next cycling leg took us through more cane fields and cattle farms to the start of the paddle leg on an irrigation canal. With warnings about low bridges and “flumes “we set of to catch up with the other teams that were ahead of us. With some quick portaging and good paddling (to be expected from this team) we took out first at the end of the paddle leg and were heading for home. An Op point that was opposite a disused road that was shown as a proper road caused us a bit of a delay but we got it in a few minutes and then with compass in hand took the tiger line thru the bush to the finish . The cattle paths were not to overgrown and the gamble paid off and we arrived 25 minutes ahead of the “Silent Assassins”. Day one was in the bag but where were the curved balls from Darren we asked as we relaxed in the camp????

A quick portage around on of the low level bridges helped us into the lead


During the evening the Pro teams came and went from the camp. Most of them already with the hollow eyed stare that one gets after a long day on the trail. We were fed and watered by our trusty seconds and hit the sack early excited about the fact that tomorrow had a 17 km river paddle through the Usutu Gorge.

Braden gets ready for the paddle on day two at our well organised camp

Day two started with a quick bike leg down to the river where our K2 s were waiting. There was an unsupported transition from the paddle to a long 20 km hike so we needed two carry quite a bit of water for the paddle and hike legs. Our boats were loaded and we headed down to the river about 10 minutes a drift of the Silent Assassins and a couple of the faster biking teams. Within 5 minutes we came across all the teams that were e in front of us at a weir. We portaged over the weir quickly put in and paddled through the rapids at the bottom of the weir. Here we paddled with Kobus and Donovan and Carter from Team Jabawock for a bit. Hilary and Deon’s paddling experience now came to the surface and their lines around the sand banks and through the small rapids were sublime. It was not long before we were soaking up the isolation of the Gorge and extending our lead.” The second day started easily enough with Jamo and Deon slowing us down telling Hilda and I not to rush. The second leg was a paddling section on the Usutu which was spectacular’’ Gordon.

After about two hours I pulled out the map and suggested that we should start looking for the banner and the marshals for the take out. A dead crocodile caught our attention and a bit further down stream we asked a local if he had seen anyone with a bakkie and trailer. No was the answer. The transition on the map was marked as couple of hundred meters from the Mozambique border so I suggested we carry on to the border just in case the map was incorrect. There is no fence, rope, pile of stones or landmines that demarcate this border we found out a couple of kms down stream. “ I think Jamo had a wicked little plan up his sleeve and sent us on a sightseeing mission into Mozambique, this wasn’t the end of the world until we had to paddle 4km back upstream. Then it did become a problem. Besides the fact that we had to paddle against a very strong current we were egged along by a wild looking local with long dreadlocks and a stick who was chasing us, all I could hear was panicky gasps from Hilda who feared for our lives. As it turned out he was a just a friendly fellow trying to tell us where we had to get out!” Gordon
Swaziland is certainly one of the most beautiful places I have been and km seem to tick by without us even noticing – the paddle was stunning – a bit too stunning as we decided to add a few extra km onto it – Mozambique is wonderful as well, first time I have paddled across the border and it wasn’t even that hard J anyway back to the race – being about 25min ahead of the rest of the field – our little excursion set us back an hour. We hiked hard! We each had our ups and downs but the team pulled together fantastically the focus was truly there!
We turned and slogged our way back against the current which had bought us so swiftly into Mozambique. Over an hour latter we arrived at the transition to see the banner in the tree where we had stopped and Hugh Raw there to check us in and load our boats. With clean socks and a roll from our packs we headed up hill out of the valley about an hour behind the Silent Assassins and Swazi Moto who despite paddling sit on top fluids had also beaten us to the take out. The hike went well with us taking every opportunity to use the cattle tracks to short cut the road and get to the transition. The last bike was short and fast and we managed to over take Swazi Moto who had punctured and had forgotten about a check point on the way. The day ended with us only 23 minutes behind the Assassins. We would go into the final day with everything to play for.

Shoes drying after the hike out of the Usuthu Gorge

Day Three arrived and we were given our maps just after first light. This meant a lot of work to do before we set out on what would be the toughest and longest day. We were glad it was going to be long this would give us more time to reel in the race leaders and then hammer home the advantage. The day would only have two legs a short hike which would include an abseil and a pothole jump and then a long bike leg. The hike went well and soon we were at the abseil in second place.

We abseiled down a small portion of this massive Gorge

We had lost the early race leaders after we decided to contour around a valley instead of going thru it just after the start. After a bit of adrenalin we set of to the transition through the bush taking some not so well worn paths and picking up a couple of scratches along the way. The transition went way too quickly and I left not having eaten or drunken much having been focused on the next 5 pages of maps that would take us to the finish.

Shane makes one of his awesome "one armed rolls"

We turned of a farm road onto a rocky path that was fun to ride but soon became un-ridable even for our motor bike gurus Deon and Gordon. AS the saying goes what goes down has to go back up and we confronted a steep eroded path up the other side of the gorge where it was impossible to ride and the bikes were shouldered and we headed up wards. By now the Swazi sun was beating down and the temperature was rising but we were in the “virtual” lead and knew that it would be hotter in the valley when the others came thru latter. The never ending rolling hills finally got us onto a piece of tar road with the option of taking a slightly longer route thru the town of Steki and a garage with cold drinks and chips. Hilary and I were both feeling the heat and my quads had cramped into nice little balls. A liter of Sprite (for me) and Coke for the others and a couple of packets of salt and vinegar chips saw us on the road and dodging the Sunday afternoon taxis before we turned of the tar and back into the bush . This last 30 km were fantastic. We were in a long valley whose over all gradients was down hill with a couple of short climbs in between. As always the African sun which had risen so slowly in the morning before baking us dropped like a stone behind the mountains and had us rummaging around for our head lights. With the darkness came a couple more punctures and some silly mistakes in repairing them and once again we were under pressure to get to the finish.” we got onto the bikes thinking how hard could the following 70km be? Well it was tough and I think we all had our own personal moments of ‘hell’ during the course of the day. 4 punctures later and rushing to cover as much distance as we could while we still had light the sun went down and the stars came out and we still weren’t home. A bit of creative navigating by Deon and Jamo lead us up and down the course and a little over two hours later we were done after finally finding the last elusive point”. Gordon With only our head lights a couple of tumbles were inevitable but we were on the home straight and not even a chance encounter with a hippo was going to stop us (we never saw one but they were defiantly there). A short detour to the last check point of the race saw us ride onto the cricket field at Simunye Country Club to be met by our seconds and race organizers and start our stop watches for what would be a long 25 minutes to make sure we had sealed our victory. Half an hour passed with no other teams coming on t the field and the win was ours.

Gordon’s last chirp” Let’s just say things were a little bit more rushed than in previous years. I would have to put this down to the fact that my fellow team members were very thirsty individuals and worked on the very solid theory that the sooner we finished each day the sooner we could have a few beers. I was all in for that and had no complaints!

“I had big intentions to do some training or at least harden my butt and do a few rides before race day, as we all know how the second day on a sore butt is not nice. I will confirm that 2 pairs of cycling pants feels like an XL poo in your pants but it helps a little for a sore chaffed butt. I went into Swazi a little under trained and very conscious of the fact. I was relying on Gordon I don't run (I gallop), Hillary being a little slower on the hills because I knew she was wicked on the downs. I knew if I threw some random strategic doubt towards the direction we were going James might not falter but the others would slow down and check the map and I could rest. Well that all went out the window as we started, the team was so composed and solid and we went along at a steady controlled pace, the whole way” Deon

So Aieesh! Were victorious overall for the third year running and what a race it was, pity we cant race it again. Thanks to Darren, Anita and his team for making it happen.

“A big thanks to our super seconds – Shane (broken arm) Jaco (Broken ankle) little Braden (Adventure racer in training) and Tammy (the unseen Chef!) without these guys we wouldn’t have made it to the finish!” Hilary

To the whole team, Hilary,James, Gordon, Shane, Jaco, Braden and Tam.You guys are the best and thanks for racing with me and getting us to the end first.

Over and out ,I have finger cramp” Deon

All smiles at the finish line. We clean up quite well See below

From Left to right Shane Raw ,James Stewart,Gordon Johnstone,Jaco Strydom,Deon Bruss,Hilary Pritchford and in Front Bryden Raw

“

The Ups and Downs of Adventure Racing

What a start to to the week with both Jeannette and I being exposed to the realities of AR before we even got to the race in this case the 10th and final edition of the Swazi Extreme or the Swazi X.

Jeannette was phoned by her team mates on Sunday night to say that they will not be going to The Swazi X because Clint has not fully recovered from a mugging incident and they cant find a suitable replacement. This was a huge disappointment to her and this just goes to show the value of having a squad and looking after it.

My team Team Aishee.com called me in as a late replacement when its founder member Shane Raw broke his arm a couple of weeks ago.We are still facing the up hill struggle of finding another second to join us on the trip to Swaziland.

On the positive side I will be on my way this afternoon and there is no turning us around to defend our title in the final edition of the Swazi X. Jeannette and Jeff will be in action over the weekend doing the Om Die Berg Trail run in George. A tough 40 km of trail running faces them as they go up Tierkop and over Cradock Peak. We look forward to some good results and pictures from them.

Below is a picture of the victorious Team Aishee.com in 2009

"BIG FIVE" in Knysna

The “BIG FIVE” at the Knysna Oyster Festival 2010

This competition was introduced by Knysna Tourism this year and had the local multi sports brigade drooling. The thought of having 5 high class races in 8 days was mouth watering stuff but how many would rise to the challenge. From the PpART side Jeff and I were in and signed up with Jeff opting to do the Mountain Bike (85km) , Road Bike (100km), Featherbed Trail Run (15km), Xterra Full and the Forest Full Marathon (42.2km). I opted to do the same except swap the Road bike for the 18km Knysna Lagoon Canoe race.

July 3rd 2010 Jeff starts the Mountain Bike race in a batch 10 minutes ahead of me. I am relieved as Jeff has a history of breaking people he rides with. After 18km we reached the King of The Mountain spot and there was Jeff who said he was waiting for me (lies, he had broken his friend who was riding with him and he was resting). We rode the next 20 kms together with Leon taking big strain and after the fantastic single track of Petrus se Brand I left the two to finish at their own pace. Jeff was now in “good Samaritan “ mode, helping anyone blond and with a problem .The second half of the route was a great mixture of short climbs and some fast descents and then a fast forestry road section in to the finish. What a great route and highly recommended.

July 6th Jeannette, Jeffery and James all board the ferry to the start of the Featherbed Trail Run. Rhona ran earlier in the day. We decided to do the night run which we hoped might slow down some of the racing snakes not used to racing at night. The weather was icy and our excitement increased when one of the motors on the ferry broke a mounting and the” chirps about the swimming leg of the race was just about under way” were bandied about on the boat. This incident was well handled by the crew and we landed safely on the jetty of he Featherbed nature reserve. The run starts with a gut wrenching climb to the top of the western Head and then follows an 8 km section of single track winding down above Lake Brenton and spitting you out at the railway bridge for another 3 km of tough running next to the railway line to the finish. The finish venue was the Cruise Café with great food drink and an awesome vibe to end of a great run.
Jeannette shares the podium with two other AR girls Susan Sloane and Jeannie Bomford

July 7th a day off to try and recover as quickly as possible before the Xterra on Thursday. It was now that I was feeling the benefits of my Rocket Compression socks and tights. I had done the run in my socks and then slept in the tights after the bike and run and my legs really felt in good shape. The rest of me was battling with a sore throat and tiredness taking their toll after only two events but with a full work schedule rest was not an option. Jeff was in the same boat.

July 8th. The Xterra held at Pezula with the start finish area on the soccer field kindly vacated by the French after their early World Cup exit. The race a 3km run followed by a 25km mountain bike and then a 7km run would be a little short for the type of training we have been doing but good fun at least. Jeffery, Jeannette and lined up along side Rhona who was doing the relay in the mixed category. We all paid the price for starting too near the back and got caught behind the slower traffic up the first hill. The rest seem to wiz past and two and a bit hours latter we were all finished ,with Rhona and her partner winning the mixed relay , Jeff coming third in his age group . Broken after Xterra

July 10th the start of the Tri Nations Rugby and also the Knysna Forest Marathon. Jeff and I lined up for the full 42,2km while Rhona was at the start of the 21,1km that started an hour latter. What a great run the route follows dirt roads through indigenous and commercial forestry and the fact that we only ran 7km on tar makes this the marathon to do if you are an adventure racer or trail runner and cant stand thumping along the tar. Jeff finished easily under the four hour mark to finish his Big 5.I had a great run and bumped into Mark Loftus an old AR buddy and we ran the last 3 kms together. It was back home and into the Rockets and onto the couch for some recovery and Tour De France for the rest of the day.

July 11th this should have been a doddle for me to finish my Big 5 but the weather had other ideas. Sunday morning was cold, very cold and windy and raining. Out came the Helly Hansen Warm and a short sleeve underneath and off we went to Knysna to see how many people would brave this weather in order to paddle after a big night with the Pallertones . I was impressed to see that paddlers are still pretty hard core and there were about 70 people that turned up to do the race. The wind, rain and cold made for a challenging paddle but after just under two hours I was standing in the Knysna Yacht Club, dry and warm and happy to have completed the Big 5.

For the technos here are some facts:
Total racing time 14:09hrs
Total energy 14360 kcal
Total distance 188.2km
Ascending 3984 meters





What a great week it was 5 events in 8 days . All in all it was a lot harder than I thought it would be and a good rest has been the order of the day. I am sure the organisers have got a lot to think about in terms of the competition and all the different categories they opened themselves up to in terms of the BIG 5 event. The fact that so few paddlers entered may pull the event away from being a true multi sport event but then there are not that many multi sporters out there which is what makes us a great breed in the fact that we are prepared to go out and compete in sports that we may not be good at but we give them a go and enjoy doing it. So here's to next years BIG 5 still being a true blue multi sport competition and a few more paddlers doing a bit of running or riding and even more so the odd cyclist getting in a boat this summer