Cancelled! Midnight Hell Run

So much for that, the run has been cancelled due to rain washing the road away making it impossible for cars to drive the runners down to start the race. I can hardly believe it after all this training. I would probably have died, but still I at least wanted the opportunity to die!! Maybe next year, but somehow I doubt it.

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Ok so I guess I’m going to die a very miserable death, but nevermind I’ll try anyway.  Here is the course profile and just in case you think I’m joking, check out my name in the list of entries. This little sucker is 38km straight up a mountain and I have to thank Brink for suggesting I try it!

I started training in October and really started running a lot when I got the to the US around the 23rd. Since then I’ve done two half marathons: Gansbaai in 1h59 on the 12/31/10 and then The Kloofnek Classic in 1h54 on 1/30/11.   Kloofnek is steeply uphill for the first 4km (300m + elevation change) and then up and down for the next 12kms and then straight down for the final 4km.  I could not believe I broke 2h00 on that route, since my aim was around 2h10.

Needless to say I’ve never done anything more than  21.1km and this 38km run in The Hell – which for our non-SA readers is a place really called The Hell (”Die Hel”) and not just some cruel joke on the runners – is going to be quite something. The only good news is this race really has no serious time involved, if you finish you are good.  It starts at 9.30pm, so it is a night race, and it is always run on full moon, since there are more than  few ghost stories in that region and the idea is to escape the “ghosts” of Hell. Oh and did I mention it is an unassisted race, with essentially nada on the route (although the organizer claimed some water). I will rely on my trusted GU…me and my Espresso Love against The Hell.

T-5

Today I had a very good training run. This was my last long run and I did about 17km around Somerset West, including up Spanish Farm which is about 200m up in 1.5km, i.e. way more than 10% grade. Today, for the first time ever, I managed to go up without walking. I also ran in the dark, since the Hell run will be in the dark as well. One thing is for sure, even if it is above 20C in The Hell,this was around 24C today and it is was nothing. Good news is therefore that the heat should not play a negative role. We’ll see what the reality is. Tomorrow I’ll either take off or do a short run. I’ll also start the carbo loading.