"We really are truly insane...", so said Beer Boy to me in an sms early this morning. Like me, he is also finding it extremely difficult to walk today. Stairs are proving to be more taxing than what we climbed yesterday and getting up off a low couch is almost impossible. Why do we do this to ourselves? It's all in the name of fun, and fun is exactly what you get at the Table Mountain Challenge. Organiser Trevor Ball always seems to be bursting with contagious energy and with a sponsor like the Crazy Store, all manner of craziness is on the cards. Trevor, looking resplendent in his Chicken Suit, was bouncing around at the Kloof Nek start line raising spirits and getting the crowd revved up for a good day on the mountain. His team was equally energetic and easily recognizable in jester suits, superman and clown outfits. At various points along the route you'd come around a corner and Elvis would be waiting to stamp your passport. The few hikers that were out and about yesterday were probably thinking the unseasonable heat had already gone to their heads!! Heat, this was one thing not accounted for in our training. The last two years we've had overcast, drizzly weather on the day - perfect for trail running. Yesterday, however, we had up to 30 degree heat, possibly more, and loads of sunshine. Apparently a lot of the top times were slower by 15-20 minutes mainly due to the heat. Thankfully it has been raining a lot in the past weeks, so all the mountain streams were running merrily with fresh, tasty, cool water. You really can't get better water anywhere!! The event is growing in popularity and there seemed to be almost double the amount of entrants since last year. I'm keen to see the results so I can compare numbers. There are other, tougher trail runs of similar length, that also offer solo or team options, but TMC has a certain vibe that makes it special. I think the imbalance of the 3 different legs opens the event up to trail running novices, allowing more people to get a taste of the mountain and off road running. (See here for my description of the route) I've been "training" for the event this year with my mountain biking "Team Crazy" mates (no connection to the Crazy Store). "Training" - we've done one, maybe two, runs a week over the past 4 months or so. Nothing hectic, and definitely not quite enough for any of us to pitch up feeling fully confident at the start. We all arrived with the intention of finishing, without dying. Due to the flu that's been running rampant recently, 2 of the team were 'man down' and unable to run. The Mad Belgian has been windsurfing almost daily and has hardly run since last year's TMC. Beer Boy only started running 4 months ago and has been told he actually doesn't have running muscles, yet. He's also still recovering from being knocked off his bike. Lizzie and I have been running fairly regularly and have enough running history to draw on. Lizzie, however, hates hiking and wasn't looking forward to much of the third leg. I wasn't feeling as running fit as I was last year, but relied on two year's experience of the event. So, all with our own excuses we arrived and were as ready as we could be for the day ahead. Inky, Beer Boy, Lizzie, The Mad Belgian I was quite surprised with my race. I felt strong all of the first two legs. Doing my best to run up all the hills, even if it was a shuffle, and to walk for the shortest time possible. I also had two girls, that were often just ahead of me, who I was using as my benchmark to keep pushing. The first two legs I did at least 5 minutes faster than last year, so I was feeling happy at Constantia Nek that I could indeed beat my previous time. Similarly to last week's race, I was feeling calm and confident the entire day, never getting upset or panicked. Throughout the third leg there were a few runners who passed me, but I steadily caught up with many more, both solo and team, and edged my way past. Along the way I chatted to a few people, including old friends I hadn't expected to see en route. Lizzie and I had left Constantia Nek together, but I slowly pulled away from her. Up Llandudno Corner I came upon Beer Boy who was already taking strain. Determined to finish what he'd started, he carried on. Along the top I eventually came across The Mad Belgian who was starting to admit that windsurfing doesn't necessarily help one's running! When I could run, I ran. When it was technical, I walked. When I came across a stream, I stopped to drink. The heat at the top was lessened by the breeze that came up but I was rationing my water all the same. My legs were feeling major strain by the time I got to Kasteelspoort and I was feeling rather tender on the way down. Keeping half an eye on the time, I descended as fast, yet gingerly, as possible and hit the Pipe Track running. I had about 25 minutes to get to the finish line in order to get a sub-6, so I paced myself and ran (or shuffled) the whole way to the end. I managed to cross the line in 5hr58, collapsing on the ground as I finished, but over the moon that I had made it in such a fast personal time. It took a while before I managed to stand up again and try to walk about. I could feel I had a few blisters forming and at least one toenail that was eina - I think it may fall off! Eventually Lizzie came across the line, followed by the boys. All feeling the worse for wear, but super chuffed for having finished with considerably minimal training. It's not for the faint of heart, and I think the experience all four of us have from mountain biking and events like the Epic give us the touch of madness that keep us going. On the way to the start Lizzie had said that some colleagues had shown great surprise that she was doing this solo. "But of course", was her response, "why take the shorter option when there is a longer one available!!" Today, unable to walk properly, all we can do is laugh at ourselves. As Beer Boy put it: "Laughing definitely helps, think I would be crying otherwise" We'll be back next year, no doubt. We are, after all, Team Crazy :)

My Race Stats Dist: 37km Ascent: 1665 Temp avg: 31 (being on my wrist, one can take off a few degrees for body heat) Temp min: 25 Temp max: 37 KCal: 3296 Overall time: 5hr58 Category position (Rambo Females 18 - 39): 10/48 Overall position (Solo Runners): 81/222 Overall Women (Solo Runners): 14/70