Yolandi du toit

MTN National Marathon,Clarens

The fourth round of the MTN National Marathon Series took place in the quaint little town of Clarens. The venue for the event made for an ideal family getaway weekend to the country side.

Under a clear sky and on a wonderfully unusual ‘warm’ winter’s day the Ultra Marathon (115km) Elite men were set off at 7:15am and the Marathon (75km) at 8:30am. The reason behind this is to have both distances finish around the same time.

The ladies field in the 75km event had their own start 10min ahead of the rest of the participants.

In MTN Series races ladies are always given a separate start to give them the opportunity to have their own race.

As we left the start line I was prepared for a warm up during the neutral zone as is the norm for a neutralized section. Theresa Ralph had other plans and took off as if we were in the final kilometres of the race.

This determination saw her, with Karien van Jaarsveld stuck on her wheel, moving away from the rest of the field within the first 5km. I knew that it would be difficult, almost impossible to keep up that speed for the entire 75km. Therefore I decided to tap of a bit instead of trying to stay with them and blow up towards the end.

Behind the leading duo I found myself alongside team mate Nicci Grobler and Su Don Wauchope.

The 3 of us worked together during the first section of the race which was mainly on rolling terrain.

On reaching the bottom of the first long climb I spotted Karien van Jaarsveld about halfway up the climb. I’ve learned that the ideal place to close or open gaps on riders is mostly on a climb and for this reason I decided to put in an effort to regain contact with Karien. I managed to ride up to her on my own, passing her as well on the steepest part of the climb. I was happy to crest the climb with a fair gap on the rest of the field as there was a technical downhill single track awaiting us.

This single track is no ordinary trail as it is actually a hiking path high up in the mountains laid out along the escarpment. The views from there must have been incredible but I didn’t dare look as a small mistake might end in me skydiving without a parachute – not a sport that I am particularly fond ofJ.

Route marking on these trails are very difficult as we ride over rocky surfaces. I must have missed one of the little white arrows painted on the rocks and carried on straight instead of turning right. By the time I got back onto the route, I found myself behind Karien again.

As we were still on the very technical downhill section I managed to pass Karien for the 2^nd time, despite a small crash which left its mark on my elbow.

On reaching the bottom of the trail around half way into the race, I couldn’t spot anyone in front or behind me. With Theresa Ralph in the lead there was still a lot to race for and I continued fighting on.

With none of my competitors in sight it was difficult to gauge the speed I had to ride at to make up time or not to lose time. This meant I had to ride at my limit until the end. The rough terrain didn’t help my situation making me long for a full suspension from start to finish. I managed to hold onto my position to the end, crossing the line in 2^nd place. Theresa Ralph’s ride gave her a well deserved victory with Karien van Jaarsveld rounding out the podium in third place.

Although the course was extremely rough and challenging, I have to say well done to the Advendurance team for putting together a well balanced course.

Final Results

1^st Theresa Ralph (Biogen)

2^nd Yolandi du Toit (bizhub-FCF)

3^rd Karien van Jaarsveld (Team MTN/ Quebeka)

4^th Nicci Grobler (bizhub-FCF)