You. Are. Amazing.
As. You. Are.
Stronger than you know.
More beautiful than you think.
Worthier than you believe.
More loved than you can ever imagine.
Passionate about making a difference.
Fiery when protecting those you love.
Learning. Growing. Not alone.
Warm. Giving. Generous.
Quirky. Sexy. Funny. Smart.
Flawed. Whole. Scared. Brave.
And so, so, so.much.more.
Be Strong. Be Confident. Be You.

~ Tia Sparkles Singh, 2011

On Women’s Day, 9 August 2019, Benita & I lined up for our 3rd Totalsports Women’s Race. In association with Pink Drive, the Totalsports Women’s Race is committed to raising awareness and education around breast cancer as well as improving the services available to women across South Africa. We #runtogether and #runstronger with 23 000 other women, through the streets of Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.

As always, Registration was painless at Canal Walk, kudos to the Team! Your entry fee includes a Totalsports Shirt – I have never owned so many shades of pink shirts! They are fabulous for that early morning runs in the dark. No-one can miss that colour! Race morning saw a huge pink wave descending on the Grand Parade. The start is in the shadow of City Hall and after much #selfies and whoop – whoops and warm-ups, the race started.

The route never disappoints. Running through the Gardens, District 6 and Woodstock is almost a fast and flat route. You see, at the point where the 5km split off the route, there is a nasty hill waiting for the 10km runners. The first year it was a real struggle to get up it and I have since then promise myself that I will not suffer. Well, I did suffer but so did many around me, and the comedic chirps made it more bearable. Like last year, I will promise again this year that next year I will not suffer! The downhill makes up for all the lost time and we went flying down.

The next few km’s went by uneventful, until it was time to hit the last long hill at about km 7. A bit of coke went down well and we attacked the last hill with vigour. I love the last 2km of the race, as it is pretty much downhill.

But.

Just after km 8, the 10km runners join up with the 5km runners and walkers. In my mind, this is a hectic intersection as runners need to swerve left, right and centre to get past walkers that take up the whole width of the route. Not sure what can be done, but I personally feel that the 2x distances need to be kept separate. I lost a lot of time trying to get past hundreds of 5km participants. I am all for enjoying your morning out, but I tend to become very competitive in the last 2km of a race. The merge caused huge loss of focus and concentration.

Finishing on the Grand Parade is always a nice experience, especially with the number of supporters next to the road and finishing chute. I wear my pink bracelet with pride and am looking forward to next year’s one. Where The Hill and I will meet again.

My husband and I are currently training for the last few races of the year:

• CT Marathon 10km Peace Run
• Silver Queen 10km (the best medals ever!!!)
• Gun Run Half
• Winelands Half

And somewhere we will up our mileage to start approaching the 30km mark.

I hope to see some of you at our Club’s annual Race: SATORI Camel Run on 1 September 2019. (This beautiful yet challenging 16,1 km (10 mile) road/off-road run takes you through the heart of rural Noordhoek and environs, past equestrian estates, up the very challenging double hump of Cape Point Vineyards and through working farms.)

Until my next Race Review:  Happy Running!