The Coastal Challenge
Day 2: Feeling the Heat
Lisa de Speville (Photo: Sergio Pucci.) / 18.01.2005
Monday, 17 January 2005It was a dark and stormy ... err ... windy night. The wind picked up yesterday at our overnight stop in Garbaza and continued howling throughout the night. As a result most runners had a rough night as their tents whipped back and forth in the wind.
At 03h30 a repeated gong sounded, which I presume was our wake up call. It was struck again at 04h00. I figured that as we had a 06h00 start, I wouldn’t leave the comfort of my hammock until 04h30, which seemed to be the sentiment of the camp. We should have a word with race organization tonight so that we’re not again subjected to premature wake-ups.
A beautiful clear morning, we set off from Garbaza along a dirt road, skipping onto the beach for only two short sections today. The front runners sped off, in what looked like three clusters, disappearing out of sight within the first kilometer. I was in a group of about 5 runners on the first section, running at an even 7min/km. The sun had been visible from 06h30, low in the sky, leaving shaded blobs on the roadside. We crisscrossed the road keeping to the shadows, out of the glare.
There is no doubt … this is a runner’s course. We were on flat, open road for much of the first 20km, with the exception of a beautiful 4km beach stretch. I’m talking blue skies, calm sea, fishing boats dotted on the water and an expansive crescent of sand. The breeze blowing was cooling but it whipped sand across into our eyes. My shades proved a protective essential.
As with yesterday, the road surface is hard, compact and covered in gravel and small stones. There was little change in gradient until after the second aid station at around 20km. It was just before this aid station, on the side of the hill, that I found a local washing his car with a hose pipe. There’s little doubt that I wasn’t the only runner to take advantage of the water to rinse off my face, which at this stage was gritty – sand sticks to sweat with ease.See All Event Posts
