KAEM - quick summary

Before I headed off for KAEM, I quizzed a coworker who used to live in South Africa about the country to get some tips. She was asking how the race went, and I thought the quick summary I gave her was also a pretty decent overall snapshot of the trip to post here. So, while a full race report is in the works, here's a very brief snippet of the experience:
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> Hi Bruce,
> I thought of you a couple of times wondering how you enjoyed your time
> in Africa. Did you find the temperatures extreme or did you manage to
> lope through? How did the race go and what did you end up doing on
> your one day in scary Johannesburg?
> Aren't the Augrabie Falls something else?
> I would love to hear about your trip and what you thought of that desolate area.

Thanks for thinking of me!
It was an interesting time down there, certainly enjoyable, but I can't say I would rush back. What a long trip to get there - 36 hours each way! Joberg was definitely not a highlight, just a big dirty city with that constant overhanging threat to personal security. I think I was most struck by that aspect: the locals who thought we were mad to walk a 1/2km from the hotel to a restaurant or take a taxi, and the fact that the SA athletes had to assess their odds of getting mugged on training runs, to the point of one guy who would always do his training carrying a pistol. That's all pretty scary talk, although we never had any negative experiences. As for Johannesberg, we did try to get to the Apartheid Museum and Gold Reef City, but they were closed at the time (Monday). We did go to a Casino for lunch that had a really good bird and snake zoo - although the Casino was an over the top Vegas imitation (quite the contrast to the extreme poverty close by).

The heat wasn't bad, it sounded like we got lucky with some cooler weather according to what the locals said. It did get over 50C in the direct sun for a few of the days, but I didn't have any particular problems with the dry heat. It rained before the race, which caused a massive hatch of blackflies that invaded our eyes, ears, noses and mouths and occasionally bit us as well (I'm glad I brought a headnet!) However, they only lasted a couple of days so we didn't go too crazy. The countryside was quite beautiful, though not spectacular - I was reminded of places I have been in Utah/Arizona. The Falls were definitely pretty awesome, they must be incredible when the water level is higher. We were surprisingly close to civilisation as our course bounced towards or away from the Orange River, along which were quite a number of vineyards or farms/ranches, though we were out in the barren desert most of the time.

The race itself went well for me, after a slow and painful start. The first two days I had a tough time in the sand, and also developed a very sore back from the pack I was carrying. However, by day three I had smoothed out my running style and rearranged my pack to alleviate the pain, and was running well after that and had a couple of very strong days. Overall I placed 15th of 73 starting athletes, which I was quite content with.

The camp life was fun, we spent a lot of time at camp and under the tents. We had to carry everything we needed for the week, and were only supplied with large group tents and water. Generally we were under the tents to stay out of the fierce sun, but it was also a very social place to hang out, eat, and chat or joke with the other runners. It was good getting to know so many people over the course of the week.

Everyone asks about wildlife, and I did manage to see a number of larger beasts: there was a baboon in our camp at Augrabies Falls (he even went inside some people's cabanas to steal food!); springbok; a herd of zebras running across some hills; and on the last day, there was a two-metre long black spitting cobra that slithered across the road in front of me as I was running. I saw some ostrich on our bus ride as well.
(photo is the tail end of the cobra heading into the grass! )

So, in summary, it was a fantastic trip and I am really glad I went. I think the overall highlight for me was meeting the other athletes and the friendships and camaraderie that we experienced, above the race itself and the countryside.

Thanks for all your tips and advice before I went, it was much appreciated. :-)

You can take a look at some of my photos of the race and trip at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lonerunman/sets/72157622655321298/

cheers,
Bruce

Kalaharie Augrabies Extreme Marathon (KAEM) – The Background

I am sitting in the airport lounge in Sao Paulo, Brasil as I write this, and I'm really not sure what time it is any more. The joys of international travel and circuitous routings take me to Johannesburg from Vancouver via Toronto (8 hr layover), Sao Paolo (7 hour layover), to JNB; returning I go via Frankfurt (6 hour layover), Seattle (4 hour layover), and home at last.

But it is worth it – I am heading to the Kalaharie Desert in South Africa to run a stage race that I have been looking at for several years. I first came across KAEM when looking at a European race calendar that lists stage runs and ultra races; the French calendar has a more global perspective than the usual race lists we have in North America. We are pretty enthusiastic for 100-milers in our continent, but our fellow athletes in other parts of the world have a very different perspective on ultra running. 100 miles is typically pretty long for them, but on the other hand, they don't bat an eye at running for several days in a row carrying their own gear over rough terrain. While Western States is a bit of a rite of passage for we New World types, Marathon des Sables (MdS) is de rigueur for our counterparts in Europe. Neither approach is better, they are just different, and we can certainly learn from each other.

MdS is one of those destination races that for better or worse has a lot of hype around it. I get the impression that there is a bit of a circus aspect to it, and frankly, wayyyyy to many people participating in it for my tastes. I am a grass-roots, small-scale kind of guy, so while the challenge of MdS appealed, the hoopla and massive participation were detractors (and the price – ouch!). There must be alternatives out there. So KAEM jumped out at me when I was perusing the race calendar: it is modelled after MdS, has been said by past participants who have done both that it may be harder, is put on by a couple who seem to do it for the love of the sport, is cheaper, has a fraction of the participants, and doesn't have helicopters flying over the runners taking video for a DVD. And no guys running in rhino costumes!! It looked pretty good to me.

After completing a number of 100-milers, I was seeking to push my boundaries and find a new challenge, and stage racing seemed to fit the bill. KAEM looked pretty good and I was anticipating it being my first stage run attempt, but then news of the Moose Ultra reached me. The Moose is a 6-day, 300km race on the Bruce Trail in Ontario, so it was close to home. It also had a slightly different take on the typical stage race, where the organisers provided breakfast and dinner, so you only had to carry gear and race food; most stage races like MdS and KAEM make you carry all your food for the entire duration, and only supply water and a tent. The Moose was a must-do for me then, being close to home with no language issues, and also making an easier introduction to stage running for me by supplying food. KAEM would have to wait.

As it turned out, the RD's of the Moose, Richard and Barrileigh Price, were friends with Nadia and Estienne, the RD's of KAEM. To promote each other's events, they offered their respective runners a draw prize of a free entry into the other race. In contrast to my typical lottery efforts, lucky me – I won the entry for KAEM!! I was ecstatic with the prize, and couldn't be more enthusiastic to participate in the race that I had been eyeing for years. I am most grateful to Nadia and Estienne for providing the entry – thank you so much.

The incredible Part Two of the race entry story is that my parents no longer fly, but had a pile of frequent flier points they could no longer use. They offered me the opportunity to book my flight to South Africa using their points, so I am very fortunate to be doing this 36-hour each-way journey in Business Class. Thank you, Mom and Dad for enabling me to get to the race and back in such comfort!

The rest was up to me. I was determined not to squander the wonderful gifts I had been given, and to make the most of such a long time away from my wonderful wife, who was unable to join me because of her work. I had to go and run my best, and enjoy every minute of this race.