Nearly 24 hours later. It's not the walking that hurts so much as the jarring transition from immobile to mobile (and, in the absence of extreme care, the reverse). But these are the aches you don't mind. They have no secrets and keep your memories vivid.
What a day! We are still overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support of our team. What started as something of a personal dream, then became a folly and finally a meticulously planned obsession, on the day became a something bigger and slightly more chaotic - but was all the better for being shared.
The most common question we get (and which we posed to ourselves, even while running yesterday) is 'would you do it again?'.
No.
We were, by any reasonable estimation, well prepared for the attempt, physically, mentally and logistically. But now that we know exactly what role luck played in our success, we could not start again and still be declared sane. The first step, and the commitment to finishing that goes with it, would be impossible to take. As it was, we were blessed with an unusual alignment of planets that made yesterday's run possible. It's quite clear we won a losing bet and it's time to leave the table. If someone else wants to give it a go (the whole lot non-stop, in one day), please contact us - we won't try to talk you out of it, but we will give you a clear picture of what you're letting yourself in for. At the least, you will need:
- a very detailed and almost intuitive knowledge of the Cape to Cape Track and surrounding areas to the extent that a) even in the dark you recognise particular rocks, branches and sidetracks; and b) you can work out the best possible route (for many reasons, some photographic, some safety and some practicality we did not follow the Track precisely). After years running the Track, these were skills we possessed and decisions we were qualified to make;
- a benevolent conjunction of tides and times. Even though we couldn't buy a single hard beach - and ended up running over 60km of soft, heavy sand, frequently on steeply angled beaches and even through waves - if the tide had been higher, the swell greater or the weather stormier, the task on the beaches would have been even more difficult. Also, in order to avoid adverse tides, you will almost certainly need to go South to North;
- a somewhat unseasonal weather pattern. We had all four seasons yesterday, with a steamy, hot summer lasting about 4 hours from 1 - 5pm, but overall the weather was fairly kind. On a more typical summer solstice day, with a temperature in the mid to high 30s, we would probably have failed;
- a willing crew with great off-road driving skills, good maps and true dedication. You probably will need at least 2 vehicles, as it is not always possible for a car to stay ahead of the runners while maintaining a reasonable distance between aid stops;
- a partner. It would be silly to try it alone. There are some very isolated stretches, abundant opportunities for taking a wrong turn or getting injured/collapsing, and a not insignificant chance of meeting local reptiles (we took this seriously - every car in our crew had first-aid kits and snake bite bandages - and although we had no injuries and never got lost, we did meet 3 snakes). Your best insurance is a companion. By the end, you will have a unique bond; and
- an enormous dose of good luck.
Our day was longer than planned - but probably no longer than it needed to be. Our priorities, on behalf of The Fred Hollows Foundation, were first, simply to finish; and second, to get the best possible photographic record of the Capes' coastline on that longest day - and apart from doing all this inside 1 day, we were not really concerned with the time. Accordingly we 'happily' submitted to the occasional request for a 're-run' or a deviation to provide better visual context/backgrounds/lighting, and took full advantage of each aid station (frequent changes of socks and even shoes were required). We even looked for birds' nests in the sand and stopped to watch whales at South Beach and dolphins at Conto's. While this is something less than an aggressive 'racing' strategy, it is probably the only one that would work. Having a higher purpose may have protected us from our own enthusiasm or stupidity!
Please check back from time to time for details on the book.
In the meantime, if any of this adventure has inspired you, please consider a donation to The Fred Hollows Foundation so that more people can see the sorts of things we have just seen - and which you will see soon, eloquently portrayed in the work of the outrageously talented (and fun) photographic team - scenes like this:
Break at Guillotine, 21.12.10. Image by Christian Fletcher
and this:
Leeuwin Lighthouse, 21.12.10. Image by Christian Fletcher
