Xterra Shongweni – Battle Royal
February 5th, 2008 by Dan Hugo
The third and final Duesouth Xterra before the South African Xterra finals at Grabouw, will be held at the Shongweni Reserve just outside of Durban on Sunday. Its the second Xterra at this venue that moulds nature and sport into one as none other. Fraser Cartmell, the Scotsman I’ve been training with, is my pick for the win.
I am excited as much for my time in the reserve as I am for the race. In December 06, at the inaugural staging of an Xterra in this Msinsi Reserve, I was blown away by the wild life I had to share our course with. And I’m not referring to the median Natal multisport enthusiast either. Actual big five stuff. A heard of giraffe, wildebeest, buck and most impressively, rhino in the distance. I figured I could do without seeing that bit of the course on the pre-ride…
I’ll hopefully sneak myself into some accomodation at the waters edge again, and soak up the unspoilt feel of the surrounds.
(Some way down in the field at the innaugral Xterra Shongweni)
On the business front of the weekend, its a 1500m swim, hoping like anything for it to be a wetsuit legal one as I’m sinking like brick at the moment, 25km mountain bike ride, hoping like anything for it to be a super technical course, and a 10km trail run, hoping like anything for it to be all downhill… Three wishes arent a lot asked?
I am not swimming my best, not been in the pool enough. Biking coming on well. Settling into the rhythm of that new Epic this past week. It’s just unreal, its handeling, its forgiving abilities, its feel over rocky terrain. I felt on Saturdays 4h long ride in Jonkershoek for the first time since Totalsports Challenge on the 12th of Jan, that my legs were finding their own again. So too on the run, nothing radical, but bits of encouragement coming to the surface in the past few days.
It’ll be an interesting race, against Fraser Cartmell and Kent Horner, the two I think will be the ones to beat. Both of them will be faster swim/runners, and would prefer a lesser technical ride, and myself, well, I’m hoping for just the opposite. I won the last Xterra in the series a few months back in Buffelspoort, and also the first Xterra here, my first ever Xterra win actually, at that December 06 event. That said, I best conjure some magic from somewhere.
(Xterra Shongweni 06 bike course)
Dylan van der Merwe is making the trip too, as well as Pieta Swannepoel, both training partners of mine here in the Bosch. So there should be a few good laughs. Dylan and I were actually commenting in the week on taking out Petzel headlamps for the run leg, as there was a 700m, pitch dark tunnel to get through last time, but apparently there is a torrnet of water flowing down it this time, and the route will have to be altered.
I head up on Thursday, pre-ride the course Friday and Saturday, perhaps even scout a bit of the run on Friday, and face the music on Sunday morning at 10am.
Been meaning to note the eventful ride on Saturday: By the time I realised the black like across both jeep-tracks was slithering in some direction, it was too late. Downhill, 40km/h stuff, with nowhere to hide. Lucky the same so though for the serpent, which started coiling. I bunny so high, like climbing stairs in mid air… It wasnt the fattest one I’ve come across, but it must have been 1.2m at least in length. My heart rate was pulsing after that, and every gear felt effortless. But then I ran into some daddy guerelly baboon bigfoot which made the snake seem like a pet in my mind…
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