Written by Leo Sorensen
So the idea all started through a good friend of mine Dylan Weyer. He mentioned that Ultra Trail Drakensberg were doing a lockdown version of their event. The lock down version went like this: your entry fee is a voluntary donation to the Wildlife ACT and Southern Lodestar Foundation. The original events (160km, 100km, 62km, 30km, and 21km) were still scheduled to happen, but at 10% of the original distances as people ran around their gardens or houses. .
At Quest, we are lucky to have a lot of space to run, even during lock down and I thought it would be a good challenge for the Quest boys. So I decided to challenge myself to run the furthest that I ever have run before. I had always dreamt of doing hundred miles (160km) at some point. I thought well let's just give it bash on home turf. No better place to complete 100 miles than the Kaba Valley where I have had the privilege of spending seven years of my life in this beautiful part of the world. I marked out a 16km trail which I would have to run ten times.
Sheila Musto had the idea of running for a cause - to raise funds for a charity. I thought is was a great idea - we could raise funds for the UTD charities, Wildlife ACT and Southern Lodestar Foundation, but we could also raise funds for our local community in Alexandria who are struggling due to lockdown.
It all started at roughly 16:30pm on Friday the 24 of April. The goal was to run through the night and try complete the 160km's in 30hrs. The first 42kms were quite fast completing them in roughly 5hours and I thought to myself I better slow down, as it's uncharted territory. You never how you going to feel later on. The furthest I had run before was 65km (UTCT). Anyhow, I just kept ticking over. I had my loyal friend Gareth Greenwood who bravely joined me in the early hours of the morning to do a lap. He really lifted my spirits and it was great to have the company.
In many respects I thought a lot about my adventure races and what they have taught me. I've found that the nights are always a struggle. They are lonely and one is often tempted to quit and just give up. You begin to think “What am I doing this all for?” The doubt creeps in. At that particular moment it's important to silence the inner critic. I always find I draw on the Lord in those moments and find He always strengthens me with promises from his word. You take heart and remind yourself to keep going because you can and it's a privilege to run. However, the night also provides good opportunity to process things. It allows one to reflect on what's important. Running has always been something that brings a lot of joy to the heart, mind and soul. It is why I run!
Eventually morning came and greeted Gareth and I with a heavy down pour of rain. Nothing like wet and cold to get you going in the morning. Eventually the clouds cleared and the sun came up and we had an amazing morning. I found myself singing and my energy levels were good at this stage - I had completed roughly seven laps. I knew the Quest boys would be joining at some point during the day so I was looking forward to having some company on route. The Quest boys had been tasked to do two laps - 32kms, but many of them decided to increase the distance and run a marathon distance - 42km. I was very proud of the way they took up the challenge. The Quest boys who are at home during lock down also put in a great effort to run the distance in their homes.
I recall my 8th lap being the worst of them. I’m not sure why but it just didn't feel that great. I was really needing a lift. My loyal friend Gareth joined again for the final two laps - lap 9 and lap 10. Gareth ended up completing his longest run ever, running 48kms and I was super proud of him. To have him run with me on my final two laps was so special and to have the support of the Quest boys really helped me through to the finish. I was grateful to have finished in 25hrs and 15mins.
It was a such a special day out with everyone giving their all, memorable day indeed for the Quest family. Thank you to everyone who supported me, to those who donated and who joined in on the day.
If you would still like to donate, these are the details:
https://www.givengain.com/cc/utd2020-lockdown-edition
Or else, please give a contribution to food parcels for our local community. You can pay the money into the Quest Africa account, with the reference DONATION.
Account name: Quest Africa
Bank: FNB
Account No: 62048081781
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ
Reference: Donation