As the grey afternoon clouds started making their way towards us, we soldiered on, filling goodie bags with body wash and deodorant, placing our banners and flags strategically in the shower zone, creating the ultimate shower experience, and then… DOWNPOUR.
As a Cape Townian, I grew up with winter rainstorms. No big deal. But this, this was apocalyptic! What I’m told, is that this was a typical Drakensberg afternoon thunderstorm. Over the space of two hours we had 60mls of rain. Now, I’m no meteorologist, but I can tell you that 60mls of rain is a lot of water! Huge puddles developed within minutes, mere centimetres away from our tents. That’s right. Tents.
But can a little inclement weather stop a crowd of 700 eager runners from gathering in a beautiful barn, excitement building, ready to get their Salomon shoes covered in mud? Absolutely not.
Both the Lamb (8km and 10km) and Ram (18km and 17km) routes were simply spectacular. The views from the mountain tops, the single track along cliff edges, the fresh forest smells, the varying terrain and the challenging distances were what everyone was up for – mud or no mud, hill (and there were some HILLS!) or no hill. Even the river crossings were warmly welcomed as it gave us a chance to rinse our shoes off.
The water stations en route were top notch, thanks to the USN team, and once everyone had returned to the race village covered in a champion-like combination of mud and sweat, it was GO TIME for the shower experience.
NEW, AWAKE, FRESH and CLEAN were the star performers of every shower. Khwezi the Kingfisher hung out at the wash basins, and our lotions were a wonderful post shower treat. The sights and smells of that shower walkway were unmistakably ‘Pure Beginnings’.
It was truly a joy for the Pure Beginnings Team to be at Glencairn, not only to spoil the runners, but more so to participate in the event. We had so much fun (like SO much fun). From the early morning coffees, to the spectacular scenery, to the afternoon naps, the delicious and abundant food and the evening entertainment. Glencairn was top notch.
Thank you to Tamika and her team for allowing us to take over the shower station, and to share our love of safer, watercourse friendly and biodegradable body products.
We hope to see you on the mountain again soon!
