Finished Rhodes Trail Run on Saturday. Mavis Bank was steep. Yes everyone tells you about Mavis, and how uphill she is and how tough she is and so on and so forth. However, what is often left out is a few other uniquely Rhodes things, like the three river crossings, the "cattle track"and wild rose bushes and the camber all before Mavis (at 23km). So by the time you get to Mavis bank, you are softened and shredded properly. Mavis bank (2500-2600meter above sea level) also takes your breath away (ie there is no oxygen up here). After that there is still another 28 km odd to run. Yes there is some gravel road (always uphill) until Tiffendals, then about 6km of rolling lawn (Lesotho style) cattle trodden grass clumps, twisting your ankles forcing you to walk or use poles to stay upright. A sigh of relief, gravel road and 15km downhill to home. Downhill. F%$^#@, concrete cliffs to slip, slide and trip on for 6km. Even a landy would not ride this on a good day. Next year I bring a couple of beer boxes and slide down rather. Last 8km a running pleasure, pity the knees were totally wrecked by that concrete road. And we were lucky as the snow is coming a week late. Champagne weather. (ps not really as all those bushes were full of green shoots which made them grab and claw at you as you ran past, over and through them).
