Wild run for Walker
His training has involved running up to 100km a week around Southbroom’s hills, golf course, beach and rocks, usually carrying a 4kg backpack.
CLEVE Walker of Southbroom is running the Richtersveld Transfrontier Wild Run – a 200km stage race taking place over five days starting on Monday, June 13.
Cleve used to run about 6km a day, mainly to exercise his border collies.
Late last year, other runner members of the family proposed to do an ultra-marathon.
As it happens, the choice of race was narrowed down to the Richtersveld Wild Run; however, Cleve is the only family member still in the running.
His training has involved running up to 100km a week around Southbroom’s hills, golf course, beach and rocks, usually carrying a 4kg backpack.
Mowing 3000m² of lawn and pulling his golf trolley also formed part of the training.
“The Wild Run is through fabulous country, and runners only have to carry their supplies for the day and not all the other necessities such as camping equipment. We will be fed three meals a day and there is even a cash bar in the evenings,” says Cleve.
There is only one daily checkpoint: runners have to reach that within a specified time and fill up their water bottles before completing the next half of the stage at greater leisure.
The race starts at the crystal fields of Sendelingsdrif, and the 60 plus runners have to find their own way through the ancient arid landscape of the Ai Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, passing through the famous giant boulders of Tatasberg, crossing the Orange River into Namibia and running along the Fish River Canyon to the finishing line at the Ai Ais Hot Springs Resort. The total climb is 4500 metres.
