The Big Five Marathon/Half Marathon South Africa  2005

In June 2005, I had the opportunity to go to South Africa for the first ever Big Five Marathon. The run went through Entebeni Private Game reserve about 2 hours from Johannesburg. I stayed at Wildside Camp in Entebeni Private Game Reserve. My accommodations consisted of a tent with real beds, electricity, private bath and shower and electric blankets. There were lodge accommodations available for those not wanting to stay out in the bush
Our days prior to the marathon, consisted of daily game drives where we were able to see Big Five (Lions, Leopards,Buffalo,Rhino, Elephants) and many other animals. We also went on a bush walk and took a wild helicopter ride..

The marathon and half marathon went right through the game reserve. There were no fences, rivers or any baracades between us and the animals. The half marathon (23K) started up a very steep incline for about 2 miles and then continued through a challenging hilly course. The scenery was amazing. I saw many impalas, wildbeasts, zebras and other animals. I was forced to stop at one point because a rhino was standing in the middle of the trail. I watched as zebras and wildbeasts made their way across the bush. When I finally made it to the finish line, there was a giant ostrich there to greet me.
For a first time having this event, I was very impressed with the organization. There were aid stations every 3 miles. Park Rangers were everywhere keeping track of the animals and making sure there was no danger. There was medical assistance available and a helicopter just in case something did happen.
The day after the run there was an incredible banquet with food, drinks and a live band.
I completed my trip to South Africa with a trip to Victoria Falls, a spectacular site The whole experience was amazing. I would highly recommend.

Sue Rudolph
Owner
Amazing Running Tours

Big Five Marathon  2006

I arrived at Johannesburg on Tuesday morning and met David Kenney (New York), Steve Middleton (Queensland), Noelle Sheridan (California), Ellen Straver (Amsterdam) and Bob and Sue Bundschuh (Missouri) at the Airport. We reached Entabeni game reserve at 3 pm and a ranger took us to our tents. I was assigned tent # 17. The tent was quite fascinating and had all the amenities. My roommate Colin Smith (Houston) arrived along with Maria Wood (New South Wales) at 4 pm. Colin had spent 2 months at an East London township and was very familiar with South Africa. We were the English speaking group and the rest of the runners were all from Albatross Travels based in Denmark.

The winter in South Africa was very severe this year. The night temperatures were in low 30's and day time temperatures were in high 40's to low 50's. I did not have any winter gear with me as I had packed all T-shirts and shorts. Luckily I was able to buy some winter clothes at the game reserve. Every night we would meet by the bonfire and exchanged stories while drinking hot chocolate. After dinner, one of the rangers escorted us back to our tents as the lions visited the camp site all the time.

The very first night at the tent, we heard some lion roaring at a distance and it was getting closer and closer. In about few minutes we could see a lioness outside our tent. Colin and I were really scared and did not utter a single word. She walked around our tent (aren’t we lucky?) just to tell us that we are in her territory. The next day morning we could see her paw/foot prints all around our tent. The next few days we did some morning and evening game drives. The game drives at sunset and night were spectacular. The night sky was beautiful and we saw so many stars and planets. We saw many animals including lions, leopards, rhino's, impala's, buffalo, wildebeest, elephants, giraffes, jackals, hyenas, zebras and more.

The Antarctica Marathon is in February 2007 and I decided to stay at the back of pack to avoid any injuries. Steve and Sue decided to join me and we called ourselves the 'Tea Ladies' and ran together for most of the marathon. The start and the finish line were both situated at Lakeside Lodge. After the start, the marathon route took the runners past Ravine side Lodge, the Entabeni Monolith and further on to the lower plateau. Back on the upper escarpment, the route took us through “The Loop” where we ran through a small valley on a circular route of about 6 km between the valleys' two rock faces. There was a slight climb and corresponding descent as we exited the valley. The running surface was reasonable with scatterings of stony patches. There were rangers posted at every 3 kilometers and the water stops were at every 4/5 kilometers. Our route took us through the valley. On the lower plateau the route took us in”lion land”, before going up through the valley once again. We reached the end of the valley at the 39 km mark and entered the home stretch. We ran halfway down the ridge with a wonderful view out over the Plateau's lake. The route climbed steeply the rest of the way towards our goal and the surface was bad, consisting of hard uneven stony ground with plenty of large rocks and stones of all sizes. I had the adrenalin rush for the last 2 miles and started running as fast as I could and finished very strong.

I had such an amazing time; I did not want to leave South Africa. I loved the simplicity, nature and a peaceful/quiet life at the game reserve. 4 years ago I ran my first marathon in memory of some lives lost to cancer. 2 years ago I seized upon a moment - I took a chance in my life and made a new goal - to run marathons in all the 7 continents and I have one more to go. Lot of you has asked me about my plans after completion of races in 7 continents. Life is all about taking chances and having no regrets. I will seize upon another one of those moments and will simply follow along and play my part. After all, God does have some mysterious ways.
 

Have a great Summer!

Ram Gnanadesikan
 

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