There is something strange and slightly eerie about travelling upon one of South Africa’s most pristine and scenic trail runs at night‒ perhaps because you can’t take in the sights along the way. But that is what approximately 140 racers did at the third Salomon Featherbed Trail Run of the day, the night run.
Crossing the lagoon on the ferry ride to the start of the route was a frigid affair and most survived with feeling in their fingers intact but it wasn’t a good sign for the longer distance runners, when the engine fell off their boat, luckily there it was a twin engine boat and the surviving motor, carried us safely to the jetty, where we tramped to the start, to set off on a short loop that would disperse the field. The revamped route this year, was tougher, with an even bigger climb and contained even less tarmac, and the dark night made it more difficult to traverse the sandy terrain.
I traversed this route with my usual adventure racing partner, Brandon Wilcocks. Had it not been for him, I think that this run would have been a far spookier affair, with only the bobbing of lights in front and behind and the occasional overtaking and bail to break the reserve’s silence, instead of the rather less serious time of cursing each time we slipped off the path or fell into a hole and discussions about anything and everything. This is definitely something I’d recommend you’d do with a friend.
Finishing 1st for the Coelacanth run again, in a time only 2 minutes and 15 seconds after the time he posted in the morning run, was Ryan Sandes, unfortunately he did not claim the trophy for the best time of the day because he was beaten by runner Juwayne Fletcher, who in the afternoon, posted the best time of 58:07, beating Ryan’s morning run of 59:23. The first lady in for the Coelacanth night run was Susan Sloan, narrowly beating Jeannie Bomford. Brandon and I finished in 1:19:55, lightly bruised in place 26/27. This is a must do event for anyone wanting to start trail running…
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