Day five. Thick fog and light rain have been the order of the day. The big story, of course, is Silva’s squiggly-wiggly tracking route as they tried to find their way in thick fog (could barely see one metre). The first part of the hike seems to progress very swiftly but then there are cliffs. Once you’re down them things get easier again but this stretch really caused this team (and certainly others) many problems. I’ve heard talk that Silva were walking with stones in their hands and each time they got cliffed out they would toss a stone and listen for it to see how steep the drop was.
And while Silva were drawing circles on the tracking, Raidlight were travelling away from where they needed to be and Cyanosis and Tecnu were closing in. Definitely check out SleepMonsters.com for Rob Howard’s reports on all this excitement as he has been in the thick of it.
I was far from the action at T4 (midway camp) where everything was quiet following Pure Adventures’ arrival last night. The first I knew of this excitement was 6am phone call from a good friend in KZN who wanted to know if I knew anything more as he was watching the spiralling track of Haglofs Silva.
My aim for the day was to head back to T5, where I’d been the previous afternoon. I knew that the teams I’d seen at the abseil – WCAD, Olympus, Black Diamond and Castle Lite – were sleeping and that they’d been joined by a bunch more; Energy, Indabushe, Fox on Fire, part of Charnas, SXM, PennyPinchers…
I spoke to race director Stephan around 20h00 (I think) to find out who was there and he replied, “Who is not! There isn’t space in the tent for the bikes and crates with all the teams who are here and sleeping.”
Soren and I were aiming to head back out there, hoping to catch his team, Merrell Denmark.
But word came through via Stijn Laenen (Charnas) at T5 that Merrell Denmark had booked themselves into a chalet at the Injasuthi Camp. They were all down with varying degrees of vomitting and/or diahorrea so they figured a good rest out of the cold would help. They were also able to help Issy Adventure who came past. They took in the team, fed them pasta and got them warmed up before they headed out again.
So, we got to stay in during the night, sleeping at T4. But in the morning we were back out, on the road.
Shortly after we got to T5 (mid-morning), a three-person Rusty plus one-person Charnas team arrived. They were informed of the change to the route where they would be transported to Sterkfontein Dam and kept there until morning when they would cycle – with other teams – directly to he finish at the Orion Mont-aux-Sources hotel. Although they were up to cycling, they realised that they’d just be out here way, way too long.
We went off up the road to the base of the abseil to wait for any teams coming through.
There we saw the abseil guy, Jakes. He has some funny stories to tell about the teams that he saw and how racers would get to him and just fall over, curling into a ball on the ground to sleep. They were falling asleep on the ropes too. Fortunately he belayed the worst of them, helping them to get down the bigger drops.
The abseil point was closed down from last night once he fog and rain came in – just too slippery on the rocks for teams to go through safely. He left instructions in a marked off area for any teams coming through that way, directing them safely down the spur and on to the road.
We gave ourselves until 12h00 to wait there and fortunately just before our ‘cut-off’ Merrell Denmark approached from the road.
It seems that the section from Injasuthi Camp to a CP up top – before going to the abseil – was difficult and when Merrell Denmark woke up in the morning to thick fog they decided to walk straight out on the road, from Injasuthi Camp, to T5.
“Our mountain navigation is not so good for this in the fog where we cannot see. It was a better idea for us to walk to transition,” says Mikkel Hansen.
But they had seen Issy heading into the fog earlier in the morning.
The stories from this good-spirited team! They’ve become experts at the types of leaves of the Drakensberg. There’s only so much toilet paper that can be carried before it runs out – especially when all four people have upset stomachs. Say no more, say no more. This aside, they’re in excellent condition and are looking forward to the group cycle in the morning.
To fill you in on this… All those who came in and went out of T5 during the night did go out on the cycle ride to T6. With the few CPs removed I think that the route was about 140km in distance; only 20km shorter than the original route. (I’m not sure but the CPs were something like 34, 35, 36, 37?).
By sunrise this morning (Friday) there were eight teams that had not made T5. They would be transported by bus to T6 – at Sterkfontein Dam – and then held there until morning. It would take all day (and more) to collect all teams at T6 and the bike boxes need to be transported up to the dam. It is around 120km from T5 to T6 on some road sections that are more potholes than road. The truck needs to make three trips and buses need to be available to transport the teams. One thing they all have in common is that they want to get to the finish. Yes, they know finish is relative as there are so many different courses on the go but it is still nice to complete this very long adventure under your own steam – regardless of how much shorter or further one team or another went.
I’ve been here at Sterkfontein Dam since late afternoon and there has been a lot of action.
Olympus got on the water 16h04.
Black Diamond and Castle Lite came in together – this partnership seems to be working well for team navigators James Lea-Cox and Adrian Saffy. They started the paddle together. Keeping the teams together for the hike would really be a good idea, if Silva’s track is anything to go on. The paddle is around 12km and these teams (also with Fox on Fire) got on the water at 17h15. Conditions out there are windy and cold – a la Sterkfontein style. I really hope it dies down for them with the coming of night.
SXM are in transition too but they gladly missed the 18h00 cut-off and will cycle through in the morning to the finish. Also Warriors. Their one member – I think he is JD Eskelson – is really battling with muscle cramps. Izaan de Jager, from CQS / The Big Swing, was here (she withdrew at T4 with nerve/back problems) is a physio and she got to work on him, releasing the spasms. But, the team decided not to rush and to get caught by the cut-off.
Lots and lots of stories of adventure from the teams in the hall. They’re tired but there are still smiles and regardless of how their race course has changed, they’ve enjoyed the route, the challenges presented and their experiences.
Teams Energy, Powerbar and PennyPinchers were still en route to the Dam by the time I left the transition hall after sunset (I’m in a chalet on the other side of the peninsula). I should see them for the group cycle at 6am (Saturday).
By this evening we still had no sign of Issy Adventure, Ballyhoura and Here be Dragons at T5 – end of the hike.
And, dare I say that we’re not entirely sure where Pure Adventures are… They left T4 (midway camp) at about 2am (Thursday). They would have cycled into Winterton and from there been on the race course cycle route. BUT, none of the teams coming through from T5 (from Winterton they’re all on the same route) have seen them on the roads or Bezuidenhout’s Pass.