As I soak my aching feet in soothing strawberry bath salts and ponder over my achievement of finishing another 21.1km cross-country marathon. I completed the Vital Run/Walk for Life 21.1km race and the following is my account of my experiences of the race.

Vital Run on the Expresso Show

At the crack of dawn as early as 4:45 am, myself and four runners from Itheko Athletic Club, made our way to Somerset Wine Estate. We arrived there early which afforded us a chance to register with ease and make my way to the starting line. I enjoyed my pre-run chat and I made a few new friends from Om die Draai, Topform running club and a runner from Correctional Services, we shared running tips and funny anecdotes.

I spotted Vladmir Kotov, a prominent runner and winner of many races and there was speculation among the runners that this was going to be a tough one with many steep gradients.

Course Map

The moment the gun went to signal the start of the race, it was climbing hills for the first half of the 21.km race, it took me the first 5km to orientate myself to the altitude and get breathing rhythm correct. The partly cloudy weather conditions was in my favour. This cross country terrain had many muddy puddles due to overnight rain the prior evening and the course was dominated by steep inclines, but had the odd flat surface at regular intervals. Click here to view scenic photos, courtesy of Itheko Athletic Club.

The Experience

The panoramic views of the Boland Mountain range was majestic as I passed dams and forest trees. Vineyards, pear orchids greeted runners while we made our way to the 11km mark. The remaining 11km of the course was a very a very treachorous one with loose pebbles, steep declining gradients and there was a general consensus by speaking and over hearing other runners comments that this course was unforgiving and very challenging. I ran the last 10km with a runner from the Strand running club at a steady pace, for the last 3 km I ran  and crossed the line with Barbara from Pinelands running club.

The Vital Run/Walk for Life was organised by Run/Walk For Life WP Athletic Club and Vital was the chief sponsor for the event. Albeit the usual traffic congestion getting into the venue, the logistics of the race was handled well with ample water points and parking was well catered for. I finished the race in 2:17:03. The race was a good experience and I will be back to do the race again, it was noteworthy enough that I had to pen my experiences in this blog post.

These are few pictures I took while in Durban.

As the dust setttles on the finishing straight of the Safari Half Marathon 2010 I gather my thoughts to pen this blog post on my experience at the race.

Results
I completed the Safari Half Marathon 2010 race (21.1km) in 2 hours 17mins.

Race Details
The Race took place in Wellington and was organised by Top Events who did a good job in putting this race together. This race is an annual event and Elana Meyer, a prominent female runner set a record of 01:13:46 in 1993 as she is featured in the Safari Half Marathon Hall of Fame.

This is what the Safari Route looks like.

Racing Conditions
During the first 5 – 10 km’s of the race the minimum temperature of 15 degrees was cool until the sun came out and the mercury peaked at 30 degrees which was a challenge to all runners. At every 3km’s there were well stocked water-points, providing the runners with Pepsi and water which kept them hydrated as they made their way over the many steep inclines and gravel tracks.

About Wellington
Wellington was formerly known as Limiet Valley or Wagenmakersvallei (Valley of the Wagonmaker) and the French Hugenots settled here in the late 17th century. Wellington is famed as being the chief producer of Safari dried fruit, who was the main sponsor of the Safari Half Marathon.

Find out what Wellington has to offer if you are keen
on touring the place, click here

The race route passed through many rural villages, cows in the meadows and we were suprised by the smells of chicken and horse manure while farm workers and small kids from the villages cheered the runners on. The atmosphere was very jovial and upbeat as we passed brass bands along the way.

I had decided to sleep over in Wellington with my wife and 2 other friends and their families at a self catering apartment which added to the race being a relaxed one without any last minute rushing about.

Start line pictures

Race information
As an entrant to the race you had the following options:

• 2 x 10 km Relay
• 5km Walk
• 10 km Walk
• 21.1.km Half marathon

I am part of  a running club called Itheko and we had many participants in the race and we managed to run the race either in pairs  or in small groups which proved to be very encouraging. It was an awesome experience as you near the finishing straight, as your club members jeer you on to the finish line. As a novice runner, this is my second half marathon since the Two Oceans Marathon and I intend to participate in the Safari 21.1km Half Marathon every year. Viewing the beautiful valley scenes and being greeted by the warm cheers of the quaint farm folk makes me want to come back again. As a runner I am on a quest to attain the following:

• To gain a greater fitness level
• To increase my running milleage
• Stress-free lifestyle through running
• To improve my finishing time
• To have fun

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