The West Coast is a fascinating area. There's not much there, but it is full of life all the same, and it offers some wonderful experiences. I headed up to Langebaan on my own on Friday night to visit an old schoolmate, and to run the West Coast Half Marathon. The last time I was up the West Coast I went to see the Spring flowers in the Nature Reserve, Postberg area, a spectacular sight to be sure. A few months later it looks very different. Fewer colours and quite sparse. The fact that it was overcast at the same time, made the lagoon and even the bushes look dark and grey. Running through the reserve was lovely. So quiet and empty. Often I find myself surrounded by runners that chat away all the time. But here it felt like the scenery made everyone go quiet, which made for a relaxing, chilled run. The first half of the route was gravel, and then eventually we turned onto the main tar road that I drove on last time I was there. It is a relatively flat area, with a few undulations, but then there was a 1km climb right at the end. It received a lot of moans and groans, but when on the hill itself it didn't seem that bad. For myself, I hadn't trained much and was planning on taking it easy. I got into a happy pace and kept going until the finish line, only realising later that I'd run the entire 21.1km without slowing to a walk at any stage - a first for me. One of the guys that was with me did a PB, and he also seemed relatively chilled. I think it's a good spot to get fast times, generally. Next time I wouldn't mind doing the full marathon, it must be even more spectacular. There wasn't much much in terms of a festival area to keep one entertained, but being only 8:30 in the morning, I quickly hopped into my car and was back in Cape Town by 10:30 - more than enough time to spend the rest of the day shopping. For reasons unknown to me, they are changing the date the Marathon is going to be held. Next time will be 17 March 2007. The Weskus Marathon, Full and Half. Rich and I are both doing the half, running through the West Coast National Park in Langebaan. Although it's best in flower season, it is a spectacular area. And of course it's always a pleasure being allowed to run through a nature reserve. Where: Langebaan When: 9 December Who: Rich and Inky Why: Rich is running his first race since his knee was damaged, Inky, well... Entries close 30th November More information at Enteronline