I didn’t see any other Satorians at this race on Sunday morning (sorry if I missed you) so I thought I’d let everyone know what a great Cape Town race this is. And what a challenge!

It was the perfect day for a run, bright, clear and wind free. I was feeling fit when we started in front of the City Hall and headed off towards District Six, where there was lots of climbing and great views over the harbour. There was more uphill on Buitenkant St leading into Gardens and then beautiful easy running down through Government Ave. Then, more uphill. All the way up Wale Street and into the Bo-Kaap.  (We were sent in the wrong direction somewhere up Wale Street and missed out at least 1km. However, Itheko had organized a 21km, a 10km run, a 10km walk, a 5km fun run and a big walk, so it’s not surprising there were some mix ups with directions!)
Here I would like to congratulate the organizers of the race for finding a near vertical road in the Bo-Kaap for us to stagger and wobble up. It would have been hard to drive a car up here in first gear but there was a very useful hand railing near the top.

The view over the city from here is fabulous and the support from the spectators was great. We then ran through the colourful streets with death defying down hills and cobbled up hills, then along High Level Road to Three Anchor Bay and through the park near the new stadium. By this time my legs were jelly and unfortunately we had to cross the pedestrian bridge that takes you across Buitengracht St. I just clung to the railing and tried not to fall. After this I was able to hold a medium pace to the finish using will power alone. If we had run the full 21kms who knows…?

Next year I will recognize the word challenge and treat the race with more caution. But it is a very, very enjoyable run so make sure not to miss out.