Spur Adventure series - Shongweni

March 25th, 2007 by Conrad Stoltz

Spur is committed to getting kids outside, active and hungry! That’s exactly what happened earlier this morning at Shongweni Nature reserve- just outside Durban.

I was the Spur mascot- just without the Indian feathers and face paint. And was lucky enough to be paired with the National Schools Adventure Racing Champions. Matthew and Jason from Kloof High. They raced as a 2 man team and I was the 3^rd wheel. Kind of a participating spectator. Anyway, what fun we had.

We started with a 100m sack race, but once the giggles were over, we hit the trails on foot, and quickly started gaining some serious altitude. The boys were in the lead and on fire; I was riding the caboose, keeping a close eye. “Shorten your strides up the hills” and “work the arms” were some tips. Soon they got a lecture about pacing. (Start conservative, and finish strong) Just when we got bored of all the huffing and puffing, we hit an amazing kloofing stage, where we waded a long stretch of river, leapt from rock to rock, and tore through thick undergrowth and thorn bushes. I loved it.

At the end of the 5k run we got to a 200m water crossing. Aw, we were going to get our hair messed up after all. For safety sake, each had to cross the dam with a small inner tube, which, once placed just below the hips, made swimming with tekkies and cycling kit quite relaxing.

No relaxing once we got on the bikes! These kids were chomping at the bit to burn some rubber. Cycling is their best event, and so is mine! Between huffs and puffs I managed to give them some tips on climbing, (spin a small gear, keep your upper body relaxed) riding the flats, (turn a bigger gear smoothly) and down hills. (Look far ahead, brake before the turn, practice your skills, and Conrad’s Golden Rule of Speed: let go of the brakes!)

The course was absolutely amazing, a bit of everything- hills, single track, forest and sand. We even saw impala and wildebeest during the race, and afterwards I saw zebra, giraffe, and 4 rhino really close up.

Jason learnt 2 lessons for the price of one: 1) You never have your bike worked on the day before the race. 2) A new chain on an old cassette works nicely on the work stand, but once you ride it, the chain will jump, and you will get annoyed.

None the less, we creamed them all, and rolled across the finish line 1^st, which gave 5FM clown, I mean “announcer”, Kevin Fine, ample opportunity to make fun us, our friends, and our hair. (Mine anyway)

I was amazed at the number of school kids at the event, (big teams from Kloof High and Hillcrest) and wish I had the option of Adventure Racing as a school sport!

Train hard.
Eat right.
Have fun.

See you at Spur Adventure, Tokai. April 15. www.spur.co.za

Conrad

PS. Did I mention my team mates Matthew and Jason were beasts? Team picture:

Rhinos