2011 saw the third running of this great charity event.  I did it in 2010 as well, but never got to writing about it.

In 2009 I managed to complete 6 laps.
In 2010 I put my name down for 8, but only did 7 as I ran out of time for the last one.
In 2011 I put my name down for 7, and did all 7, just in time.

The first Platteklip Challenge was a pretty chilly day, with low clouds all morning, the second was a warmer day with clouds coming in later in the afternoon. The third felt like hell!

Starting at 7:05am, we headed along Tafelberg road and immediately you knew it was going to be a tough day.  The heat and dry air were to be the biggest factor.

As always, the first lap is the race and I was going for a win.  Without Tatum there, I didn't know who my competition would be.  Smiling politely at all the girls at registration, it was hard to work out who was fit and fast.  I got to the top first, but not without a challenge.  I had Gaby Cloete 10m behind me for most of the way up, keeping my heart rate pumping and adrenalin going - I didn't want to let her pass me!

Towards the top I noticed I had started pulling a bit of a gap on her, with less than a 2min difference in the end.  My time up was about 52mins.

Racing over, the whole day slowly unfolded, with the heat getting hotter and the pace getting slower.  I drank over a litre of water on each lap - mainly at the top cable station and then sipping on my bottle on the way up.  On my second lap I was already pausing for a moment to catch my breath and cool down, crouching in bits of shade where possible. 

The Cableway supplied us with great food - muffins and sarmies from the cafe - so I ate proper food all day, and hardly touched an energy bar, which is good for endurance events like this.  Bos Ice Tea had also come to the party and I found the tea totally refreshing - just what one needed!  After 3 laps I picked up a Rehidrate sachet from my car and drank that on my way to the 4th.  

After my 5th lap I was met at the bottom by my parents who had been waiting in the heat for me to appear, my dad regretting wearing jeans on the day.  Mike was also there, in his running kit, ready to accompany me on my 6th lap.  Going past our cars to the base, he got 2 Magnum ice creams out of his car, which we shared with my folks.  Death by Chocolate or death by heat... hmmm

Mike had cycled quite hard earlier in the day, so he didn't have fresh legs, although he still bounded up the Gorge ahead of me, grateful he was only climbing it once.  I was grateful to have his company.  The field of Platteklippers had spread out very quickly, so after my 3rd lap I had been going at it on my own.

There was the usual amazement and support from the locals and tourists who had happened to climb the mountain on the same day, which did provide conversation and a distraction from the heat and tiring legs.  I had a wonderful experience when 3 Platteklippers just ahead of me had stopped to talk to a guy coming down with his son.  I heard him saying "this song is for you" and suddenly burst out into a few verses from an Opera.  Platteklip has very good acoustics, and to be half way up, on your 5th summit, on a hot day, to hear such beautiful opera was quite spectacular.  Goose bump stuff.

My 7th lap was in question by the time Mike and I got to the top.  Not from a lack of time, but energy.  We headed to the cable car, got my Bos on the way past and then sat at the bottom with a sarmie for a few minutes.  By this time I was recovered enough to feel that the 7th was in my reach, so off I went.

As the day had progressed, a shadow had fallen over the top of the Gorge, and by the time I did my last lap, at 4:30pm, about half of the climb was in much appreciated shade.  Slowly I made my way back up, pausing every so often and noticing the salt marks on my clothes from all the sweat earlier in the day.

Anyone who has completed any form of endurance event, knows the feeling of joy when it's over, and my last cable trip down was spectacular!

My joy was made more later that evening when the few people who have done all 3 Platteklip Challenges were given a Bos hamper (more tea, yay!).  I was also awarded first prize in both ladies categories: fastest to the top and most summits completed.  I walked away with a bundle of goodies, including a floating trophy and two Cable Cards, so I can use the cableway for the next year whenever I want.  Nice!

One can't forget the whole reason for the day: raising money for Watoto Babies and the Wilderness Search and Rescue.  For them, their gain was a total of over R420,000