Merrell Eden Duo 2010

With the Hitec Otter and Southern Storm under the belt we had a super strong and psyched up Team ready to take on the Merrell Eden Duo. Things sometimes happen that are completely out of your control and in the in the lead up to this race two of our stalwart team members lost their Mothers in two separate but totally unexpected incidents. Our condolences go out to Jeannette and Chris and we know that the time we all spend together over the next few months on “our Playground” will help to lessen the load of your loses. This left Rhona and I as the only full Pennypinchers pair for the Duo but with some juggling and emailing Jeff hooked up with fellow Southern Storm competitor from George Tony Conlon. Tony had a great Otter run and is an experienced Tri Athlete and Iron Man finisher. This would be his first venture in to the abyss of Adventure Racing.

The Eden Duo is a great race for anyone who wants to start adventure racing and with various distances and even a relay format there is definitely something for everyone. Jeff and Tony would be entered into the Vets section of the Classic section and Rhona and I would try and defend our Mixed Pairs title. The mixed category turned out to be where the racing was going to be with John Collins and Hanile Booyens racing together and the Merrell Adventure Addicts Don Simms and Tatum Prins. We would have our work cut out if we wanted to be any where near the podium , there were also another 27 Teams racing in the Classic race over 150 km.

The race starts with a short run across the Wilderness beach to the old Choo choo Train tunnel. As usual there was a lot of banter and we settled in the front bunch. Just before the path up to the railway line the pace picked up and the bunch split, I asked Rhona to hang in and hook in to the smaller faster pack. This was a good decision as there was a narrow section where we had to slide down 10 meters of ropes on the other side of the tunnel and a bottle neck was sure to form after we went thru. The upstream kloofing was beautiful and after just under 2 hours we popped out of the river onto the Saasveld campus for the first transition onto our bikes.Here we saw team mates Jeff and Tony changing and getting ready for a leg that they would enjoy both being good riders.

Feeling good coming into TA 1

The thirty odd kms of single track and then the climb up Montague Pass seemed to go well and we both arrived at Herold Wines feeling great. After a quick transition and a kit check we set of just behind Tatum and Donavon. (I am not sure who was more surprised them or us). The 25 km hike/run over the mountains back to Saasveld is spectacular. The mist came in and we went into a quiet zone and rAn down the mountain back to the Kaaimans River and up to Groenewiede.
Our seconding crew of Dael, Erez and Teva were waiting with bikes and cold juice for the 35km bike leg to Hoogekraal weir for the paddle across Swartvlei. The ride was tough for me after the pounding and fast run over the mountains and I was only to happy to be in the boat for the hour paddle across Swartvlei.I spared a tought all be it just a small ONE Jeff and Tony neither of them great paddlers at this stage.

Sedgefield Caravan park in sight (maybe some work on our timing required)

This was really were the make and break point of the race came we were faced with a 21km run along the beach from Sedgefield to Wilderness. Rhona's husband Jan and his partner top Knysna cyclist Paul Miklewood had caught up with us in the transition and were desperate to hang on to our shirt tails for the beach run. Rhona would have none of it and slowly increased the pace as we rounded Gerrikes Point. At this stage we had moved into third place in the mixed but also in the whole race as well. Our goal was now to hold onto the third place overall and make sure no men’s teams over took us on this second to last leg. The tide was pushing in but for the most part we had hard sand and were able to run the whole way except we I pleaded for a walk to try and eat some food.
The mist along the coast was great because it hid the long flat stretches of beach that often make a beach run physiologically difficult and before long we arrived at the Touws river Mouth where we had started the race about 13 hours earlier. We had beaten the threatening tide and now my thoughts did go out to the teams who still had to do the hike with the pushing tide. It did push them closer to the dead whale that we did not even see on the beach and they had a fun scramble over some rocks with the help of a ropes crew.
It was still light when we jumped into our canoe for the last short paddle up to the finish. At this stage the adrenaline was pumping and the goose bumps were up. I knew that no one could catch us now unless one of us fell of the perch (and even then!!!).
13 hours and 42 minutes of hard racing saw us finish third over all in an amazing race. Rhona was as tough as nails, super organized and a great racing partner. Our seconds Dael, Erez and Teva were fantastic. This is the first race I have done where I had ice cold juice on every leg and sat under the opposition’s gazebo as if it was our own due to the negotiating power of Erez. Thanks Guys.
From our sponsor’s side huge thanks as always to Pennypinchers in Plett Sean I think we did you proud this weekend. On the nutrition side I had very little “normal food” to eat as we seemed to be racing out of my comfort zone all the time. I ate tons of Gus and drank the GU Brew the whole race although I did go to water and GU for the last leg. The Helle Hansen tops were all used with the new “HH Warm” with the merino wool was perfect for the kloofing leg and the HH cool short sleeve worked for the rest of the day. The Blue Steel anti chaffe was great and allowed me to do the whole race in running shorts instead of changing into cycling shorts for the ride legs. My BIGGEST mistake on this race was I forgot my Rocket Compression sock and tights. I now fully realize the benefits of these. My calves took huge strain during the run legs where e I know if I had had my SOX I would have been a lot better of. The stiffness I had on Sunday morning was with out a doubt made a lot worse by me not having my tights to sleep in after the race. BIG LESSON LEARNT!!!!!!!!!.

In the final mix of results it was John and Hanile first, then Tats and Donovan in second and Rhona and I third. Jeff and Tony gutted it out over the final few kms and finished 14th overall. Special mention needs to be made of the up and coming boys from Oak Hill High School in Knysna where Jeff and I have been putting in some hours with the kids. Brandon Wilcox and Harry Marshing aged 16 and 17 finished in 9th place overall. Well done boys.

Otter Trail,Southern Storm and Fish River Canoe Marathon

The last week of September and the first week of October has seen the Team fully involved and out there.

I opened the week of activities with the running of the Hitec Otter Trail Run on the 25th. On the Friday before the run you do a 4.7km time trial from Natures Valley along the beach and over the hill to Salt river and then back along the coast. Home town advantage played into my hands and with out to much effort I got a good time despite feeling like I had a ton of bricks in my chest and my heart was racing way above the norm. At this stage I thought the Otter was going to be a hike for me as there was no way I would risk running with my heart racing like that. Home to bed and a huge dose of of Vitamin C and some pasta. My alarm goes at 4:30 and my resting heart rate is back down what a relief. After the normal Oats and coffee its into the car with the two chopper pilots who are staying with me. Both are nervous as hell with Allen having trained for the race in a security village in Nigeria on a 1,7km lap with three flights of stairs up and down in the middle of the lap. (both finished the race happy).

The race started at just after 6 am with the weather cloudy and cool which was how it stayed for the rest of the day. Once I had passed the first hut I got into my own zone and concentrated on walking hard up the hills and running when ever it was flat and downhill. My frozen water bottles and Camelback were giving me a nice cold mix of Gu Brew and iced water and three Gu s latter we reached the Gu Munchie point (after about 22km) where I refueled with Gu chomps and a banana. The second half of the race is a lot harder in that it becomes hotter and dryer and I started to catch up with some of the people who had shot past me earlier in the day. After Bloukrans River there are just two climbs and some flat sections before you get to Natures Valley where the floating bridge and the finish line awaits. With a last burst of energy I made it across the bridge to the finish and felt great . I had achieved what I had set out to do that is to finish the Otter Trail in under 8 hours ( my time 6 hrs 49min) and also I managed to raise R13 520-00 for Die Sterreweg Day Care Centre in Plettenberg Bay. Finishing this race is tough and everyone who finishes deserves a huge pat on the back.

The last challenge of the day

Two Days latter the Southern Storm kicked of with the Otter Run and was followed by 4 more days of running and cycling around The Crags and Plettenberg Bay. Jeff had entered at the last minute and Rhona was there to defend her Veteran ladies title. Rhona had a storming Otter and laid down the gauntlet to her competition by running the trail in 6hrs and 5 mins. This lead was followed up with four days of great runs and steady biking to easily win the title again and in fact saw her snapping at the heels of the top Ladies as well.

Rhona on Robberg on the final day

Jeff who is well know for not reading emails and getting race information arrived at the race not really sure what it was all about but after a great Otter Run his legs let him know he was in a multi day duathalon and was there to do well. There was a week of sms reporting on his progress and with me trying to give him splits and race info from the farm he was soon being ragged about his manager . It seemd to have worked because when the dust settled Jeff was the 4th male Veteran and he missed thrid by only 7 minutes which is not a lot after 6 days of racing. There will always be the what ifs when the margin is small but there is always next year.Jeff hits his stride up Whiskey Creek on day 4

I have kept some of the sms that were flying between Jeff and myself during the Storm and they actually make some sort of a race report.

Day 2 after the Otter "me sore , me raw, me broken, me love it"

Day 3 ( a bike out of Natures and a short hard run around Forest Hall) " Lekker bike ride from Natures around the mountains where i earned my first brownie points for pulling the girls around and finishing just behind the heavies.Our new home Forest Hall is full of people who look like they are walking on fire , cant understand why until I try to stand up . The Otter has made its mark"

Day 4 (kloofing and a ride) "cool day. started with a swim across the Keurbooms river and up past James's pump then an awesome run trough the bush to the transition.A nice bike back to Forest Hall. Rode alone but today my best friends were Gu , Blue Steel and my Helley Hansen cool top."

Day 5 (a long bike day with two short runs) " my best day yet. Great ride took strain on the runs"

Day 6 (short bike, half Robberg Run , Trail run through Plett) "Was just to short to make a difference to the overall standings .Good fun riding the "lettuce Loop' and then onto Robberg where we were done out of doing the full run but just as well because there was still a short run in town to follow. I was in my full Penny's kit looking like a school boy waiting for the bus, happy as can be proud and cheffed with myself for getting this far. The run through town had it all a waterfall,beach and HILLS but also spectators and a band.. We felt like world champs coming down the main road into town. The day finished with a great prize giving dinner. A great event."

Also out there behind the scenes were Jeannette and Chris keeping the whole event going they had this to say about the event.

Chris "Brutal six day challenge involving harsh trails runs and heart stopping mountain biking pushing every physical and mental boundary in the process" he just organised it so you can imagine how tough it was.

Jeanette as the sweeper who spent more time on the course than any athlete "To sweep was awesome , to have raced it must have been out of this world.Hard but not so hard you hated it every day but hard in a way that challenged each individual athlete in a most stunning and beautiful area."

To cap off the week Pennypinchers Plettenberg Bay owner Sean Gannon had an amazing trip to the Fish River Canoe Marathon with local partner John Elliot. The results show that they had an epic first taking a swim at Soutpans rapid and doing some damage to the new well branded Pennypinchers Adventure racing team boat. With determination and some inguinity they managed to nurse the boat to the overnight camp and do the necessary reapirs to make sure they would be on the start line the next morning. With the boat repaiured and the crew properly bruised the two finished the race in 672 position . There is big talk of a PpART K3 racing next year.

The Pennypinchers Karoo to Coast Mtn Bike Race

"I'm paying a bit for doing the Karoo to coast without to much training never think that this race is easy even if it is mostly on a stunning district road and supposedly down hill!!! Having entered late saw me start right in the back. I never knew that this race was so big I expected 400 cyclists compared to what I think was 2000 or so. The nice thing was that it was so well organized that you never felt crowded. It did bottle neck the 1st 15km along the jeep track this part took me 1:30hr due to mainly pushing the bike but everybody was in good spirits and was having fun. Once we hit the district road everybody dispersed amazingly and one had the downhills mostly to oneself making it fun to be able to speed down them at your own pace. It took me 5hrs and 8min and was good fun it's a stunning race for anybody who does not like to technical mnt biking but loves being out there. The views and the pass are amazing. Thank you to Pennypinchers for a super well organized race." Jeannette

Jeff also took part and finished just over an hour ahead of Netski and surprised some of the Knysna cycling fraternity by sneaking up from behind after starting in the last batch as well.

The lesson here is that one needs to become a licenced rider if you want to do well in these bike races other wise you do get stuck near the back of the field.

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/