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The Merrilyn Smith 10Km 24 Mar
With 2Oceans only a week away, Sundays 10km race through Newlands,
was just what the coach ordered. The idea was to get the legs
running, and to see how much rest is needed in this last week.
The 07h00 start was great, early starts week in and week
out get to you. We lined up at UCT's middle campus and set
off down the hill before a climb onto the freeway.
Things flattened out after the next couple of km as we ran
past the Presidents Cape Town Residence and Newlands Forest.
The road turned down Paradise Rd and the pace picked up as
we headed down to Claremont and turned back through Newlands.
To break the long climb up we weaved through the suburbs
which made the climb easy. By 6.5km we were on Newlands Ave
and running down the leafy lane. Running was easy and my group
of 3 were well inside target time and taking no strange, well
all but me.
Down Dean street and back to UCT along the Main Rd, with
only a short climb to the Cricket Oval and the finish. Doing
a bit of Coaching at UCT, I had a birds eye view of the organization
of the race. Well, with a week to go I was afraid that it
would be a disaster, but like only students can do they pulled
off a great race.
Ratings: (Out of 5) 
The course: 4. It is really nice running a race in
ones backyard
Marshals: 3. They did their job but maybe a few more
needed bibs
Handouts: 2. On finishing we all received medals
Cost: R12.00 That's a good price.
Value for money: 3. Good price and good prize money,
but no spot prizes
Other People's feelings about the race: 4. Every one
I spoke to said it was
well organised and enjoyed their run, last year a couple got
lost, but this
year no such problem.
Total score = 16 out of 25
My feeling about the race: 3. With only 400 runners
I feel UCT should do a
drive at the schools and push the race as the final tester
for 2Oceans
Next week The big one 2Oceans 56km & 21.1km
The Milkwood 21Km 17 Mar
Sunday the 17th and we were up early to drive through to Kommetjie
for the start of the half. There had been a 15km race in Elsiesriver
on Saturday, but I didn't have 2 races in my legs for the
weekend and I thought Milkwood would be a better bet.
The start was a little problem, as the organizers started
the race down the road we were to run up. After lots of shouting
they managed to move the mass of runners back over the start
line. The gun went and I shot off into the lead, this didn't
last long as the top runners got into their stride. I settled
down into and easy pace.
With Oceans only weeks away I was only out on an easy run.
My training group soon joined me and we ran through the early
km's at 4min/km. At 3.5km we turned out of Kommetjie and headed
up the first hill of the day. With Slangkop to the right and
the poor suburb of Ocean View to the left we made our way
to the coast. I had to let my running group get away from
me as I ducked into the bushes, after a heavy night. I set
about closing the gap. The running was easy as I went through
Misty Cliffs and on to the turn around point at Scarborough.
I didn't turn, but ran on straight... Just a little advice,
stay away from mountains of Garlic, Chilies or Peri-Peri,
they could fight back when you don't want they to.
Getting back onto the route was easy, as the marshals had
LOUD bibs on. Back on route and heading back, I had
given up the idea of finishing as a team, they were still
on track and running at 4min/km. Dehydration suddenly hit
me, I don't know if it was the 2 pitstops or the vast quantities
of alcohol, but and I needed something to get me going again.
With the back markers still heading out I was trying to look
good, but I think I looked more like 'Death Warmed Up'.
Thanks to the water tables and a fix of sugar, compliments
of Coke, I was feeling better. Running past the turnoff to
Ocean View, we started the last hill, Kommetjie pass. No problem,
only 2km of climb and then, down the pass and home, the finish
line on the school grounds.
Ratings: (Out of 5)
The course: 4. Mountains, and the Ocean.
Marshals: 4. They did their job in loud visible bibs
Handouts: 4. On finishing we all received wooden medals,
and the first 500 entries also picked up a plant from the
sponser.
Cost: R28.00 I'm not complaining
Value for money: 4. Pre-enter and your value goes up...
Other People's feelings about the race: 4. Not the
fastest course, but 3 guys I spoke to ran PB's, so I don't
know, but they will be back and so will the rest of the field
Total score = 20 out of 25
My feeling about the race: 3. OK I wasn't feeling good,
so go by what the others said...\
Next week 10km, Merrilyn Smith Another week another race...
Coleman Foods 10Km 09 Mar
Sports' fever hit Cape Town this weekend with Test Cricket,
Super 12 Rugby, ABSA Athletics, the Pick 'n Pay Argus Cycle
Tour and not to mention the Colman Foods 10km race.
After watching the Big Boys on the track Friday night, I
went to sleep with great plans for the 10. As you well know,
you can only run as fast as training allows, and my training,
as good as it's been was not going to let me run fast without
a rest week.
I opted to help a friend run a PB, his aim to break 34:45.
With the 06h30 start, the weather was perfect and it was all
systems go for a fast time. The gun broke the morning silence
and we sped off, out of the Industrial area of N'Dabeni into
Pinelands.
The 1st km had a few turns, but by km 2 the turns were over
and the lead runners disappeared down the road. The 3rd km
took us over a bridge and into Thornton. This road seemed
to be the only one with a bit of traffic on, however we had
no problems as we were not going to cross it.
My aim had been to run at 3:25's and take my friend Jacov
with me, hoping that he could hold on long enough to come
home with a PB. After a few more kms of "easy" running
through Thornton we climbed over another bridge and back into
Pinelands. With 3 km to go Jacov left me for dead and headed
for home.
I thought the roads as we came back into Pinelands would
cause a traffic problem, but looked like Pinelands was still
asleep... The last km took us back into N'Dabeni for the finish.
Jacov had run a 59sec PB and was over the moon. He wasn't
the only one to have had a good run, as others had also run
PB's. I didn't notice the marshals, so I took it that they
had done a good job as no-one went wrong and the traffic was
kept at bay.
Ratings: (Out of 5)
The course: 4. Not an exciting area, but the course
is fast and safe.
Marshals: 4. They did their job and stayed out of our
way.
Handouts: 2. On finishing we all received medals. Nothing
exciting.
Cost: R15.00 That seems to be the norm.
Value for money: 3. You got what you wanted a flat
fast 10km race.
Other People's feeling about the race: 4. I seem to
get the feeling that an
onslaught on PB's will happen next year.
Total score = 17 out of 25
My feeling about the race: 3. I'm not excited, but
if I'm running well I'll
be ready for a fast race.
Next week 21.1km, Elsiesriver on Saturday and Milkwood on
Sunday, I think
I'll take on Milkwood.
Koeberg 15Km 02 Mar
A 07h00 start, but that didn't give us much time to sleep
in, as the race of the weekend started out at Koeberg, a 45km
drive for us. Leaving enough time we set off for the race,
only just getting to the start on time. The mist had rolled
in from the West Coast and visibility was down to 50m, so
we had taken longer to get to the start than planned.
This mist was going to play a big roll in what people thought
of the race. With my legs still feeling last week's marathon,
I did not know if I would be able to hold a pace. The gun
went off and so did the runners. It took me 500m to catch
the first lady, but when I hit the 1km mark, I knew there
would be trouble as I was 10 seconds under target pace. The
lead group was just ahead and still running slowly.(Ha, Ha)
I didn't slow, but the lead pack disappeared into the mist.
Running in the Nature Reserve around the power station is
a nice run, but with the mist so thick you couldn't see the
Fynbos or the wild buck. OK, at one stage I did see a couple,
but no-one else seemed to see anything. (Maybe I was hallucinating...)
By 5km, I was still running 10 seconds a km to fast, but I
was not going to slow down, I know the gravel and soft sand
would take it's toll and I would slow and this way I would
have time in the bag (and I wanted a big bag). The
6th km was down hill and after the turn we headed back up
on the other side of the fence. On the way up I saw a few
guys flying down and catching me. I picked up a junior on
the hill and he pulled me along.
From 7 to 8 the track was a bit sandy and I was taking strain,
so when we hit the tar I was very relieved. My stride came
back and the running was easy. After about 500m the tar road
drifted down to the right and a gravel track went on straight...
I was keen to follow the tar, and started on down, the junior
slowed and shouted out "Which Way ?". Luckily, for
us the following pack was about to catch us and they knew
the course. So, onto the dirt we went. Now since the mist
was still 'as thick as pea soup' the next set of runners
couldn't see where we had gone, so down the road they went...
(5 minutes later the marshal did get to his point !!!)
The road came to a T-junction and a fence so they turned
left and found the course again, joining it from the wrong
side they had lost 4-5 minutes. After fighting the tails around
the Nuclear Power Station for 12.5km of the race the last
few kays on the tar were a blessing.
I often run back to see how my wife is doing, that was not
happening today as I was a broken man (happy with my time).
While at the finish with my Coke in hand, the 'long distance
runners' came in. They were not a happy bunch of guys. Chatting
to them afterwards they were trying to work out where they
would have come, or what their time would have been. Without
the mist one would have been able to see the 9km mark... maybe
next time.
Ratings: (Out of 5)
The course: 4. If you don't mind running off road this
is a lovely run
Marshals: 2. Missing in action !!!
Handouts: 3. On finishing we all received medals.
Cost: R18.00
Value for money: 3/5. I want to say 5 because 3 fast
club mates of mine had
run really well and with me running a little too fast we had
picked up a team
prize. Spot prizes were plentiful.
Other People's feeling about the race: 2-4. Some were
very upset, 16km
instead of 15km others loved it, and most just said it was
very hard. (maybe
the marathon of last week)
Total score = 14 out of 25
My feeling about the race: 3. It would have been too
hard for me had the
wind been blowing, so getting lost in the mist was fun.
DION
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