Ultra Africa Race 2013

If I may use only one word to subscribe the race, it would be SURVIVAL.

This was definitely my most difficult race to date. The combination of insane heat, high humidity and dust. Maybe it was a good thing that I don't really do my homework before a race - maybe I would have never entered this crazy race.....nah...I would have.

16 Brave runners from all over the world ventured in to deep dark Africa for the Burkina Faso adventure. This race toook 'lost in translation' to the next level. Broken English was spoken between runners, but in the end you knew exactly what the other person was saying. Lets call it the language of the Ultra runner.....Aaaahh, Ouch, Aaaahhh, Ouch, %^&!!!

The BRAVE ones

We were such an awesome mix of people - Argentina, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, South Africa, Burkina and Cameroen....and some funny place called Luxembourg??

The race was held in the South West of Burkina Faso, in the Banfora area. A lot of dirt roads, little shade, warm water and many small villages. And a lot of very friendly locals that were always willing to give you some water to cool down. Those little pit stops at the villages saved many lives!!!!
The Italians were always in front, so by the time I got to a little village, the locals already knew the drill. "Bonjour madam, l'eau pour la douche, s'il vous plait" "merci madam"
It was so ridiculously hot, that I really had to have very long and hard conversations with myself. Anything can happen out there, and dehydration is a reality. So I was always trying to be conscience of my body the whole time and how I felt at any given moment. Because tomorrow will be another long day. And I am going to finish this race!

Water pump in the village

Ingrid having a 'shower'

One of my collegues asked me 'so what do you think of while you run' - to be quite honest. Nothing.
or maybe, only one thing - don't die.

OK, now I sound like a drama queen. Yes, the race was very difficult. Yes, I slept in a tent and no sleeping mat. Yes, my feet where shattered. Yes, I had to carry all my food etc on my back. Yes, I LOVED IT!

it is difficult to explain to someone why I do these kind of races.....mentally unstable does pop up now and then....

maybe I want to see how far I can push myself, and after this race I know I am physically and mentally tough enough to face anything that comes my way.

There is so much to tell.....but let me tell you about the race...

A typical day in the Ultra Africa Race:

3:00am - wake up.....because the sleeping pill only works for about 6 hours. toss and turn. fuck, I should have brought a sleeping mat.
aaaahhh, now I have to pee.

3:30am - try and sleep a bit more....no success

5:00am - get up, start the 'stove' and make some coffee. I promised Timo coffee in bed every morning. he was too busy dying, so like a good race wife, I make the coffee. men!

6:00 - 7h45am - check if yesterday's blister is looking better. cool. merthiolate did do the job.
get dressed (smell my race shirt....shit, why do I do that....it stinks) a well, nothing like wearing the same running shirt for 5 days.
pack and repack my backpack. I'm sure I have more stuff in this bloody backpack than yesterday. It's not getting any lighter!!!

Fill up water bottles (with the 2 liters......only 2 litres......do they realise how f%ing hot it is)(i'm going to die)(No, I can die when I get home....it will be to much of a mission to get my body back to South Africa if I die in Burkina)
Ipod - check
sunscreen - check
Vaseline...... - check

8:00am - let's run party people.

8:15am - fuck I'm tired - think I will walk for a bit.

8:17am - just run for peet's sake. or try and run more than you walk. 50 counts run, 20 counts walk...and repeat

8:20am - might as well take a picture because I am walking AGAIN.

8:22am - fuck it's hot

8:23am.......and onwards......

this race was a serious mental challenge from the word go. I had no idea how long a day will take me, I had no idea how far I've run and how many km's still to go. Pffff.
The CP must be here somewhere.....and then the familiar face of Christene, with some water....only 2liters....Jerome will be driving up and down with extra water if you do need more. Duh??? Yes.

and Jerome or Vincent were always somewhere patrolling the 'streets' of Banfora. And they gave me some xtra water without me having to point a gun at them.

aahhh..... a ice cold coke will be so nice right now. TUN!!!! Really, we are in the middle of nowhere....and you mention COKE! aaahhhh, these Luxem-burgers!

(In my next life I will be Ryan sandes....don't think he is much of a walker during races like these....one day.....)

Apart from drinking a lot water with added electrolytes, I tried to eat at steady intervals.
My 'running food' consisted of Racefood (super tasty nougat), Jelly beans (they don't melt) and dates (just to get some food in my stomach)

+- 3/4pm - the camp site must be here somewhere....yes is should be here.....OK, this is the little 'town' mentioned in the road map book......hallelujah!!!! the familiar green banner of Ultra Africa!!!!

First things first.....recovery 101.
Get 'stove' and fuel block. Make tea. Drink tea. Eat Parmesan cheese. Gonna puke. Lie on my back.
Make soup. Drink soup. Think I'm dying. Nope. Just tired.

Lucky for me, I recover quite quickly after a long day on the road. So within an hour or so I had enough energy to go and make some more boiling water.....don't feel like this Sweet and Sour chicken....according to Cecile 'it looks like something we feed our dogs in France'....thanks!



Team Espanol

Carlos in the kitchen

Fire almost burning....or not

FORCE FEEDING!!!!!

6:00pm...EAT....don't want to....EAT. mmmm, this Bobotie is quite nice....you want to taste Timo?

6:10pm to 6h59pm. laugh at Ollie and Tun's jokes.

7:00pm. aahhhh....Sleeping pill time

7:25pm. SNORE!!!!!!!

Between the time you reach the camp and going to 'bed', there are a lot to do. Everyone is busy making dinner, sorting out backpacks for tomorrow and then 'movie time' ie. fixing blisters. Hahahaha, our campsite looked like a refugee camp every evening. Body's lying everywhere!!!
and Isabelle looked like she really enjoyed 'fixing' blisters.

Ollie's sexy feet

Some runners where in more pain than others, some runners could not finish the race because of very bad blistered feet. But almost everyone had a smile on their faces everyday. A smile makes everything better. Even if it is just for a minute.

Anatole's daily saying "don't worry, be happy"

And how true is that!
If you let your mind go to that dark place, you will really struggle to get it back.
Mind over matter!!!

even though this was an extremely difficult race, I loved it!!!
The camp life, the new friends and a lot of dirty jokes....thanks Tun....the number 71 will never be the same.

And to my wingman/race husband....Timo....what a lovely honeymoon we had.
But next time I will choose the honeymoon destination. OK!!!

Now I will rest for a while...a week or so....because Sahara Race-Jordan is around the corner.

lots of positive vibes from a sunny Stellenbosch.

the infamous WEST

(I'll do another blog post on the travels in Burkina, Ouagadougou, Bobo and Banfora)

Uber cool-ness

and that is how I roll!

Cool people only hang with other cool people....

in the last week a few exciting things happened. I've got RaceFood on board in fueling the desert engine and also the Red Sock movement!

Racefood - an ultra ordinary energy bar.
What I like about racefood is:
1) it weighs only 28gram
2) 86 Cal, ok it is less than an Gel....but racefood is all about sustained energy.
and sustained energy is what I need for multi day desert events.
3) it's small (when you have to carry every thing you need for 5 - 7 days in the desert, weight and size is what matters) (you see, size does actually matter)

go and check it out.....you won't look back!
www.racefood.co.za

and on Sunday, I met this crazy cool chick
at the Jonkershoek Reserve in Stellenbosch.
I was drinking a cup of tea, feeling a bit sorry for myself because I was so tired. I already ran for about 4hours with my 8kg pack and had another 1h to go.
We started chatting about my backpack... I noticed her red socks and said that I've seen some peeps in Stellenbosch running on Fridays...

long story short...the Red Sock movement

"they are a movement dedicated to making a difference, being passionate, inspiring to others and being inspired, staying positive, remembering friends and expressing yourself!" thanks Julie, for being your enthusiastic self!!

Now this is exactly the kind of people that I want around me....and I will be crossing a few deserts with my new red socks!

picks to follow soon!!

ok party peeps, POSITIVITY all around

Block weekend #1

I spend the better part of the weekend with my dearest friend. He never lets me down, he is always there when I need him. We don't always like each other, but we try. We only have each other you know. So we have to get along.

My backpack. My friend. My enemy.

Pack-training is not always the most fun to have out there - but a girls gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
Part of the preparation for a multi day event, is race simulation. That means training with your backpack (+-8kg) in similar terrain to the race.
By day 3, my shoulders were stuffed, my legs where hurting and my feet where cramping. NICE.
Just the way I like spending my Sunday. Sometimes training is no fun at all, but plain hard work!
Slogging up hills with a backpack filled with 1kg rice packets, while your family are having eggs benedict and you are having trail mix for breakfast.

Weirdly enough....I couldn't imagine spending my Sunday any other way.

Anyway....next stop Burkina Faso for Ultra Africa!!!!!!

Running for 5 days in a row, anything from 30 to 50km a day, with your life's belongings on your back.....and wait for it....wait for it.....a freakin stove. A stove. Really. And a mug or some sort of contraption to cook your water in. That will teach me to read the fine print before entering a race. hahahaha.

The "stove" I'm planning to buy is quite a cute little number. It only weights 11.5grams. How cool is that. I won't be able to prepare a 5 course meal with it, but it will surely do for a cup of tea and rehydrating the delicious freeze dried meals I'll be taking with.

I think every girl should get one of these. It is 2013's must have item. Esbit is the new Prada.

Shit, I have so much to do before I get on that plane in November. Plotting and planning and packing and re-packing. Right, I've got some online shopping to do.

signing out. Westie.

Running the Fish river...the mere mortal way

On the 22nd of June +/- 50 normal people ventured into the canyon to 'run' the Fish River Canyon. There were 2 distances to choose from, 65km and 100km. Obviously I chose to do the 100km, because how bad can it be. The distance did not scare me, not even the terrain....but running in the dark was a whole different ball game. With a headlamp, GPS and a map. I had NO idea that I would be so useless in the dark and I  wasted a lot of time being 'lost' in that canyon.

ok, lets start at the beginning.

The night before the race we camped next to the canyon, WOW, what a view we had! Spectacular to say the least. We arrived at the campsite at about 3pm, so there was enough time to sort out food, kit etc that must go with on the 100km fun run the next day.

 

Mathilda

 

Tinus from AEP went through the route map step by step.....note to self: LISTEN to the race briefing. Don't think you will 'figure' it out when you get there....doesn't work like that. The minute that sun sets over the canyon, you are on your own. And it is scary.

In true Namibia style, we got treated to a meal good enough for kings. Mission: Stuff my face! and mission accomplished. I never do carbo-loading before a race...I prefer protein loading and then wash it down with some olive oil. Perfect fuel for a long day out on the trails!


The next morning we were all up early and ready to kick that canyon's ASS! The first 10km was a nice gravel road all the way to the hikers descent....and this is where the race really started. The descent into the canyon was my favourite part of the whole race. I just love technical downhills, it was touch and go a few times, but I made it into the canyon without falling on my face or breaking an ankle.

Canyon crawling

For the next few hours it was boulder hopping, rock hopping, sand shuffling and trying to find the quickest way to the next point. I ran with David for the first 40km, and it was good to have company. We got to a runnable section and all I wanted to do was go for it. It think it was the first time in hours that we there was a footpath. I felt strong, and David said I should go. If I knew that the canyon would be such a b#tch, I would have tried to move a bit quicker when the sun was still shining. Because when the darkness sets into the canyon.....I did lose my wonderful sense of humour about 10mins after it got dark.

That smile looks a bit fake!

 

 

Note to self: 100 lumens head lamp is NOT the way to go. Next time I will take a light that's got enough power to light a small country!


So, I got 'lost'. I knew that Willie was behind me somewhere, and thank goodness, I saw this light coming towards me....WILLIE!!! It's better to be 'lost' in the canyon with someone than on your own. After trekking spoor for what felt like forever, we found our way to the checkpoint where we could fill up on water.

We just got to the checkpoint, when 3 more headlamps came crawling up the single track. Right, so the furious five began the long march to Ais-Ais......I had no idea how many km's we still had to cover, but a least we were five now.  I prefer to fly solo when racing, but this time I was very happy to have some company!!

Between the five of us, we had 2 GPS's and a local. Pieter was our official GPS man! And he did a great job leading the way. Thanks meneer!!

17h41 later we saw Mathilda (the Windhoek Lager banner) and the finish line. It was a loooooooong day.

The Canyon might have won this round, but I'll be back to show her who is the boss!

This race is definitely a MUST DO for every ultra runner. The combination of terrain, navigation and running in dark made this the most brutal race I've ever done!

Be prepared for everything. If you are lucky, the Canyon will spit you out in one piece!

A BIG thank you to AEP (www.africanextremepromotions.com )for this epic event! You guys rock!!!

Namibia is nie vir sissies nie!

Until next time

Next stop Burkina!

Snow-chasers

In a few weeks time it will be me and the Fishriver Canyon in Namibia! I think I'm ready for the 15+hour stint in the canyon. It's only 100km, so I think I should be fine.....jip, lets go with fine....

I've got all the gear: kick ass Raidlight pack, the mother of all headlamps, rockhopping shoes and a GPS. Still have to get training on how to use that thing....but how difficult can it be, right?

anywoo, this past weekend was my last big push before heading to Namibia.
On Friday I did my 5hours in the Jonkershoek Reserve. Alot of single track, rock hopping and just having fun in my back yard.

Then on Friday afternoon we hit the road.....off to the Karoo for a birthday party. I knew it would be freezing cold, so I took my L3 Craft jacket for my Saturday run. Wow, what a kick ass jacket. I was cold, it was raining, but I survived. At one stage the rain was coming down so hard that I had to put on my sunglasses. It felt like needles going straight into my eyes. So I just told myself: Self, just pretend you are on a ski slope or something. But before the rain came down like there are no tomorrow, I was followed by the most spectacular rainbow. Pity I could not find the end of the rainbow to collect my pot of gold.

The next morning we were greeted by the following site. All the dry river bed, were not dry no more. We had to cross 5 'dry' river beds to get to the main road. But never fear when men are near. The convoy of cars left the farm for the next mission.....we are going to get us some snow!

 

 

Right, the first part of the day was already action filled to the max.....but that was not the end of it.
a Few of us decided to go to Sutherland to go and get us some snow. Snow is not something that we see everyday and it is not really something that we are very familiar with. In my mind, we will get to Sutherland, look at the snow(that is lying next to the road, not on the road)
Anyway, about 40km from Sutherland we saw the first snow. Everyone SUPER excited, taking pictures etc....right....we are going to Sutherland!!!!!

HA, so we thought!

Within minutes we were in deep shit, O I mean deep snow. I did not handle this being stuck in the snow business very well. We could not move forward, and really struggled to turn the bakkie around. We knew we could not go any futher, we had to turn around. Don't think I've ever been so scared. But like before, never fear when men and a 4x4 are near. The guys managed to get us out of the snow, and we were on our way back to Cape Town.

A real cooler box

Note to self: Buy a bakkie with 4x4.

2nd note to self: Never loose respect for nature.

3rd note to self: Snow is over rated.

Antarctica training
 

What a crazy adventure filled weekend!!!!

ps. I prefer deserts. HOT ones.

JMC Extreme-ing

Yesterday, me and half of the Western Cape's trail runners spend the morning in the Jonkershoek Mountains in Stellenbosch. OK, well, some spend a bit less time than others in the mountain. I was one of the few/many...de-bate-a-ble...that spend a bit more time going up and down the mountain.

The route was different than last year, more single tracks and a few km's longer. By the time I got to Swartboskloof(a mother of a climb to the top) I was already tired. and was already a few bruises richer. Nice!

What's the saying...."chick dig scars"

Half way up the climb, I was already over this whole race. The 20km road run I did the day before was propably not the best idea. But according to my program I had to do 2h. So, I did my two hours.
Then the mind games started....I did NOT feel like going all the way to the top, I did NOT feel like running 2h on the mountain, I just did NOT feel like running.

But I told myself "Self, just get to the top, and if you don't feel like running anymore, just stop, rock hop down the mountain and go home"

Oooh, but when will I be able to make up the missing hours in my training, I just don't have extra time to make up for missing training hours.

Once I got to the top, I ate something, and walked a bit. Wow, its SO beautiful up there, that I decided to carry on running. I am really glad I did. The best part of running on the mountain, is for every up there is a DOWN. and I LOVE the technical downhills. It was touch and go quite a few times, and if I did fall on the downhills, it would have been nasty.

Even though this was not my best race, I was confident in the downhills, and to me that is all that counts at the moment. I used my fancy new Inov8 Trailrocs....and they ROCKED!!

The Fish River challenge starts with a steep decent into the canyon...people better stay out of my way when I decent into that canyon.

Ok, back to the JMC.

I finished the race in a spectacular time of 5h19......hahahhaaha.....the guys who won the race, did the course in 3h!!

One day when I grow up I will also run that fast.

Now I'm just wondering.....if it took me 5h19 to run/crawl 35km....how long will the 100km in the canyon take me....O sh#t. I will have to take enough food for the midnight feast I will be having in the canyon. by myself.

me, smiling, before I realised there is a detour coming up.
 

65 days to go

I'm not sure how this happened....65 days to go to The Fishriver Challenge!!!!!!!

Training up to know has been a bit of a bumpy road.
First: sprained ankle
Second: Broken toe

I think my toe might still be broken, or something like that, but that is not going to stop me from training.

My visits to the Physio/Chiro is just a bit more frequent than other years. I believe, everything can be fixed. So just fix it!

anywoo, on a lighter note.

I'm at that point where excitement and fear are running next to each other, holding hands.
Suddenly there is so much to do!!!!!
Booking flights, booking accomodation, ordering new kit....wooohoo. O, and do we LOVE new kit.
My new shoes should be here next week. I'm sticking to my faithful friend - Roclite 268 from Inov8.
I must say, it is by far the best shoe I've ever run with. From the word go, I've never had ANY problems with those shoes. Love them love them love them.

My new backpack....I need to make up my mind this week which one to order. It will be one of the smaller Raidlight packs. I prefer the bottle system to the bladder. It is just alot quicker to re-fill when you are on the go. And I think I will be ON THE GO in the Fish. I don't want to be stuck in that canyon to long. It gets dark, very dark in there you know!

and because of the darkness situation, the organisers strongly advise to run with a GPS. Now my dear friends, for someone that can barely do 'left' and 'right'....now I have to do North/West/East/South.
So my training for the Fish will consist of running, Xfit and GPSfit.....hahhaaha.

10 Weeks to go!!!!

Can't wait!!!

the year of 2013

It took me a whole month to get into the year of 2013, and now, after 31 days, I can say, I AM feeling it.
You know that feeling where you know something fantastic is going to happen, but you have no idea what!
Now that's what I'm talking about.
Not the fear of the unknown, but the thrill of the unknown.

The 2 weeks of January was horrible, I could not decide what races to do this year. I was actually going a bit crazy. Gobi was an option, but bloody hell, the money! Where will I get the money.
Then I just breathed in and out, and chillax about the whole Gobi adventure.

So things started to happen.

Last year I came across 'Fish River Canyon Ultra' in Namibia(www.africanextremepromotions.com) 100km. one day. in the canyon.
Right, 2013 will be year of the Fish.

And I need my yearly Namibia fix!

This will be my first 100km event and I am super excited about it. I know I will be able to run the 100km in one day, but exactly how long that one day will be, I have NO idea.
The cut-off for the race is 24hrs.....now really, do I want to be running/boulder hopping/crawling for 24hrs....NO, I don't think so.

#from the website#
"The full 96km distance must only be undertaken by seasoned ultra distance runners, with experience in crossing, in parts, extremely difficult terrain as well as the likelihood of completing the course after dark. Event date is considered to coincide with full moons, nonetheless the canyon can be an imposing place after dark and requires athletes with sound judgement."

.....o my shattered nerves!

My new training plan kicks in on Monday, and then, good bye social life, hello mountains!

And this is how I kick start the year of 2013.

With a new goal.

Running the Fishriver Canyon.

NOW my year can start!