2013 - Race Report : Su Don-Wauchope

The course is spectacular with a mix of road and trails, ups, downs and awesome scenery. There is a long waiting list of runners hoping for a spot amongst the 300 or so athletes on the start line. Luckily for us, First Ascent as race sponsors had a few Wild Card entries which Iain and I snapped up as soon as they were offered to us. Iain was the defending champion from 2012 and, not only wanted to defend his title, but also have an opportunity to race the full course as the 2012 event was short coursed due to heavy snowfalls. 

 

We were blessed with a “warm start” and very good conditions for Rhodes; about 3°C, dry, sunny, snow-free roads and shallow river crossings. We both opted for conservative starts along the roads out of Rhodes with Iain easing his way to the front up the long climb towards the first water station at Kloppershoek. From here Iain ran side-by-side with Sydney Speelman, a local Barkley East runner, to Mavis Bank check point. Unfortunately, Sydney did not have the necessary compulsory equipment and was forced to sit out the one hour time penalty at Mavis Bank farm. Iain continued alone up the kloof and the infamous Mavis bank, thus winning the King of the Kloof title. Iain then settled down into a comfortable pace extending his lead consistently over the next 30-odd kilometres and enjoying the scenery and landscape he had all to himself. While his time up the Kloof was not the fastest in the race’s history, he did set the fastest time to Hoogenoeg Ridge and he comfortably set a new course record by 16 minutes. 

 

I, on the other hand, was a little less disciplined and got overexcited charging up the sheep paths in the kloofing section and power walking my way to the top of Mavis Bank in 4th position overall and breaking the Queen of the Kloof record by about 8 minutes. I also set a new best time to Hoogenoeg Ridge. Towards the end of the race I ran out of legs and was passed at the last water station, 9km from the end. Nevertheless, I still managed to finish inside of the old course record and was greeted by an ecstatic Evie Raubenheimer who I think had been anxiously clock watching on my behalf. 

 

If you are not the proud owner of a Rhodes Snowflake number and are not on the waiting list, I’d strongly recommend that you get your name down and enjoy sipping sherry in the queue at race registration, the hospitality of the residents of Rhodes to dealing with the extreme weather conditions of a race that heads up onto the Drakensberg escarpment in mid-Winter. This race has the perfect blend of old school charm and the unique ability to bring together hardened road runners and trail runners.

 

 

The Don-Wauchope’s Rhodes Run packing list.

We are constantly asked what we have packed, what we are running in, what we are eating, what time we go to the toilet, the list goes on. So here are our “pearls of wisdom”: 

 

Su:

1. Don’t necessarily take or wear as little clothing as Iain does. He runs the entire way and moves at a faster pace than the rest of us. If you are going to stop to take some photos, wait for a friend, soak up the scenery or just take a break you get very cold very quickly; you need to be warm and it is likely you will need more gear than Iain! 

 

2. Base layers are all important. We both ran in the First Ascent Derma-Tec Seamless Top. No matter how cold or warm the weather on race day, this would have been our base layer. It is the perfect addition to your running wardrobe. 

 

3. Iain also wore the First Ascent Men’s Switchblade Short Sleeve over his base layer to provide a little extra warmth and protection on his chest and a pair of First Ascent AR-X shorts. 

 

4. I wore the First Ascent Ladies Expresso Tee over my base layer and my favourite First Ascent ¾ length Ladies Glide Tights. It is great to have your legs covered with some protection when negotiating spikey bushes and thorny brambles that are found along the way and the Glide tights offered ample protection. 

 

5. Hydration is very important and we both love our Nathan hydration packs. Very comfortably to run in with pockets for snacks and space for compulsory gear. We took along the First Ascent neoprene hose so that if the weather had been cold we wouldn’t have had a problem with our water freezing in the tube of our hydration pack. 

 

6. First Ascent Apple Jackets were packed in our Nathan hydration packs in case of colder conditions. These would have offered adequate protection on a “normal” Rhodes Run day. These jackets are extremely light making them perfect as a “windbreaker” in terms of compulsory gear at any event. 

 

7. Happy feet = happy trail runners. Iain and I both race and train in First Ascent’s double layer socks, I slipped on a brand new pair of Innov-8 Gore Tex shoes and never had even an inkling of a blister. These double layer socks are the bomb. 

 

8. We had additional gear if the weather had been more extreme including: First Ascent Dry-Lite Jackets, First Ascent Powerstretch tights and the First Ascent Soft Shell earmuff. We took along two pairs of gloves (the thermal liner glove and the Soft Shell Glove) to Rhodes based on the principle that layers is warmer than one thick item and more versatile.