2012 - Safe UTi Rhodes Trail Run : Barkly East Reporter

There is a phrase ‘Careful what you wish for, it might just come true!’

This must have gone through the mind of quite a few runners last week when they battled rain, sleet, snow and wind during the 24th UTi Rhodes Trail Run.

 

The picture most runners have of the classic snow covered Rhodes ‘dream run’ conveniently ignores the reality of driving snow and wind. And cold! Last weekend runners got cold on the road, very cold.

 

One would not have thought they were freezing as everyone was grinning and having the run of their life under the sheets of ice that covered them. Messages received from participants are clear that they thought the 2012 UTi Rhodes the toughest and at the same time, the most memorable.

 

The story behind the story started early in ‘race week’ when weather forecasts indicated that the weekend would probably have severe conditions with rain and snow.

 

Race Directors Evie and Darrell Raubenheimer created fall-back plans to ensure the race would go ahead “no matter what weather is thrown at us”. Their team was fully briefed mid-week on various route options and contingencies.

 

Registration on the Friday went well, with runners receiving the traditional complimentary sherry while waiting in the queue, and Evie and Darrell poker-faced as to what could be happening the following day.

 

“We had very little sleep that week, were up at 3am on Saturday and drove out on the route” said Evie. “Darrell was walking the rivers at 4am, checking depth and safety”. 

“We drove past our planned turn-point for the runners, up the first hair-pin bends towards the cement strip on Carlislehoek. The vehicle was slipping all over as the heavy overnight rain had turned the pass into a deadly mud track. At one stage we nearly slid over the edge”

 

“We decided on our route option ‘F’ ” Evie told your reporter. “It kept the runners off the high ground and accessible to our medical team. Route ‘F’ was designed to ensure a safe event for our crew and runners”

 

Runners were told at the 6:45am pre-race briefing of the route change.

Darrell outlined the revised course, stressing that the intention was to have a safe route. There were a few disappointed faces that the legendary Mavis Bank was not part of the revised route, and some runners felt that a run that avoided hills and was only on the dirt tracks would be too easy. A thought that was quickly discarded when conditions deteriorated further.

 

From the start Rhodes novice Iain Don-Wauchope took the lead. In different conditions it could be said that he showed a clean pair of heels, but the mud meant that he left deep trodden tracks through the slush. “He hurtled down the hill back to ‘Den Hagen’ slipping all over the road but he kept upright. It was quite a sight as he had arms outstretched like a tight-rope walker keeping balance” said Gary Robinson who was the Check Point 1 team leader.

 

Shortly after the front runners turned a Check Point 1, which was positioned on Carlislehoek, the sleet turned to snow. Don-Wauchope had built up a sizeable lead by the time the sharp end of the field hit the Naudesnek road and headed towards Kloppershoek.

 

The snow storm was hitting Check Point 2 at the Mavis Bank farmhouse with some force. “At that stage Darrell, who had reached the Check Point as the 2nd and 3rd placed runners were heading back to the Kloppershoek T-junction, contacted me via sat-phone and said that as conditions were deteriorating he was going to start a ‘rolling Check Point’ to get the field back to Rhodes before anyone got hypothermic” said Evie. “The ‘rolling Check Point’ shortened the run by an hour and more for every runner other than the front 17 who ran the complete route ‘F’ ”.

 

Event organisation decisions in extreme conditions are generally difficult calls, and only in hind-sight can decisions be evaluated. This bold and decisive move proved correct, as no runner needed medical attention at the Finish.

 

Don-Wauchope held on to his lead to win by 16 minutes from Casper van Antwerpen who was 4 minutes ahead of Ockie de Kock.

 

The revised route meant that run times are not comparable with previous years, especially as Mavis Bank, Lesotho View and the 2500m altitude thin air were not part of the 2012 challenge.

 

Vanessa Bowman, running her 2nd UTi Rhodes, was the only lady to reach the original Mavis Bank Check Point, and held off Sue Chapman to win by 14 minutes with Ebeth Enslin a further 8 minutes back. Sue and Ebeth both completed their 3rd UTi Rhodes.

 

As the DM Kisch ‘rolling Check Point’ inside one of the Ford Ranger support vehicles met runners it was clear that many were feeling the effect of conditions and the early turn gave them a noticeable lift as they headed back to Rhodes and warmth.

 

Rhodes pioneers Sham Singh and Danny Holton ran together the entire way to complete their 24th run. Both were enthusiastic that the event had not been cancelled but that for the first time it had snowed while runners were out on the road.

 

Sham Singh donated two new trophies for the event, for the first 50+ lady and man. The inaugural winner of the Reinhard le Roux trophy was Miema Murray and the Raubenheimer trophy was won by Willem Lubbe. Willem finished 4th overall.

 

The highlight performance of the day was unquestionably 73 year old Brian Key who finished 17th overall to win the 60+ category. He was followed home by Arthur Spickett and Peter Cross. Peter had made another special trip from his home in Massachusetts USA to run in our valley.

 

Our local runners both completed this year’s challenge, with Billy Mollentze wrapping up his 4th Rhodes and Graham Frost his 1st.

 

The true heroes of the day were the Check Point and Feeding Station crews who made sure the runners were looked after. Dave Walker and the Murray’s had their traditional pot of Karroo oysters, Tony Kietzman’s team looked after the runners above ‘Park Gate’ and the Buitendag’s and Jordaan’s provided sustenance before the finish in Rhodes.

On the outward section the remarkable Francois and Hannalie Nel stood in the wind and falling snow for their 24th run, helped by an equally stoic team. Before them ‘team Robinson’ had manned Check Point 1 and the Hunt team had catered for the runners as they turned out of the Carliselhoek road.

 

The much sought Chairman’s Award, for best feeding station, was presented to the team from DM Kisch who had set up their Check Point at Mavis Bank farm only to have it broken down and converted to the highly effective ‘rolling Check Point’.

 

Event partners who contributed to the success of this year’s event are logistics company UTi who assisted significantly, and First Ascent, Buff®, Ford Motor Company and Inov-8.

 

Colin Billau “We will all remember the adverse conditions we ran in and will have lots of ‘war’ stories to tell. Darrell and Evie had the runner's interest at heart and the change to the route was the right one.”

 

“Thank Darrell and Evie very much for organising and going ahead with Rhodes 2012! It was absolutely the correct call to change the route. Driving out on Sunday made that abundantly clear! Although I was initially a bit disappointed with an all-jeep-track run, thinking it would be boring, silly me!, the conditions on the route added plenty of excitement. It was absolutely amazing to be running while it was snowing!

Please pass on thanks to all the support crews, it is one thing to be running in the freezing cold, but to be standing there must have been jolly tough” said Jana Beckett of Cape Town.

 

“The race was great fun and well organised” added Hans Beuche

Of the 293 finishers 38 were awarded their Rhodes snowflake permanent number for having completed three runs.

Next year will be the UTi Rhodes silver anniversary run. We wonder what conditions the organisers will be faced with in 2013?

	Iain Don-Wauchope
	Image : Brenda Mollentze / The Reporter