tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102494255305151052024-03-13T06:48:13.223-07:00Distracted Designs and WritingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-39165288623675337322013-06-27T03:24:00.001-07:002013-06-27T03:24:58.674-07:00Obstacle obsessed<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since being introduced in 2013, the Warrior Race has taken South Africa by storm, with more than 21,000 warriors now participating in these challenging obstacle races. Four Warrior Races have already taken place this year, with four more to go; the next race takes place in Natal, then in Cape Town, followed by the last two in Johannesburg. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So why has it become such a hit so quickly? All is revealed in DO IT NOW Magazine's interview with Warrior Race Director, Pieter Swart, as well as his future plans for this popular obstacle race.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: What made you decide to start the Warrior Race in SOUTH AFRICA?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To get something new going in South Africa. I think that South Africans are, by nature, very adventurous, so I wanted to give them something different to the usual triathlons, trail runs, and so on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also saw that there was definitely a market for obstacle courses, so I started working on the concept in the middle of last year, and put it into action at the end of last year. And here we are now, almost 20,000 participants later taking part in all the Warrior Races.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: Did you expect the Warrior Race series to pick up this quickly?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No, not at all. My two partners came on board only after the first race. Some of them doubted it and the market, but after the first event, they said, "Ok, we're on now, there really is a market for it." The last event in June had 6,500 participants, and although it's winter, we still had 4,500 participants … not bad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're looking forward to the next events, which are being held in Natal and then Cape Town. After that, there's the Celebrity Challenge that we are doing in Johannesburg. We're hoping to attract 8,000 participants to that event.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: Will non-celebrities be able to participate in the Celebrity Challenge?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, definitely. Corporates will be able to 'buy' a celebrity in an auction, who will do the race with seven of that corporate's team members.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are hoping to get about 200 celebrities involved: sport stars, soap stars, well known business people, you name it. The day will be normal, with the 8 km Rookie race being used for this event, as it's just for fun and charity. All the money we raise from the auctions will go to a nominated charity, which is why we are hoping to get a lot of people coming to this event.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: What are your future plans for the Warrior Race?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, we aren't going to change too much. We'll have some upgrades and in terms of the obstacles, we want to keep on improving and bring in new ideas, because the moment you become stagnant, you'll lose your feet in the market. We also want to add two more races to the 2014 calendar year, to make it ten. We would like to have two races in Cape Town instead of one and also another race in the Eastern Cape, such as Knysna.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We receive a lot of requests to have the race in various other areas, but we need to grow the team steadily, as there is a lot of construction and management, something people don't always realise. We currently have a team of 25 people who work constantly for five weeks to get a course done. It's a lot of work, so we will see what happens next year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: What is your aim for the Warrior Race?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have the National Championship in November this year. We are also aiming to reach an overall number of 40,000 participants who took part in all the events this year. Next year, I am aiming for 50,000 participants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: Your biggest challenge?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In every race there are two issues. Firstly, to get marshals is difficult because a lot of people are interested, but then two days before the race people call in saying that they can't make it. This makes it difficult for us because you need to have marshals at every obstacle. But we are working on this for future races.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Secondly, when we build the obstacles and can see that it's not going to work, we then need to bring in an engineer to help and give us advice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: What would you say the best fitness is for Warrior?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Big guys don't do very well and I think it's their heaviness that holds them back. I would say that a moderate type of build is beneficial for Warrior, and the perfect athlete for the Warrior would be someone who does CrossFit and runs about<br />
15 to 20 km a week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: Most extreme obstacle?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All Warrior Race obstacles have been varied, but the most extreme one so far is the 'Tazer' obstacle, with 10,000 volts running through various wires of which Warriors are required to run through, in water, to get to the other side.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: Worst injury?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The usual broken and fractured ankles. The issue here is that a lot of people don't know how to run on a trail. People are used to road running, where they run on their toes, which makes the ankle unstable and this can lead to injured ankles.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another issue is that once the whistle goes off, people become silly. They don't look where they run, they rush the course, and aren't very careful, which leads to injuries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To help avoid injuries, every obstacle is tested by various members of the Warrior team for safety precautions and to make sure that participants have a chance of completing them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Q: Benefits of taking part?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The benefits gained from obstacle courses are that this is an all-round form of physical exercise; and apart from requiring both mental and physical abilities to overcome the obstacles, team work is essential to overcome some extremely difficult challenges throughout the course.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look out for the next Warrior Race, which will be held in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, on 3 August 2013, and has a total of 4,000 participants competing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Warrior Race statistics:</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• 60 tons of wood is used in each race.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Close to 8,000 man hours, if not more, are spent on each race.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Each race requires approximately three weeks (120 - 130 hours) of excavation work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Clay soil is preferred for the Warrior Races because when clay soil gets wet, it becomes compacted and extremely slippery, thus making the obstacles much harder.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Warrior Race #4 fast facts:</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 'Mud Monster' was improved by adding for the Warrior #4 by adding an extra mud hill, making it a total of seven mud hills to conquer. The first water ditch was 2,5 m deep and took a TLB two days to dig.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 'Wounded Soldier' was reintroduced into the Black-ops course, and is where Warriors need to carry a 20 to 30 kg bag of sand for 100 m and back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 'Belly Buster' was introduced and is where participants are required to get onto their bellies, grip the wooden beams, and pull themselves up and over by using the groves that were cut into the wood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 'Tazer' obstacle was introduced, with 10,000 volts running through various wires, which participants had to run through to get to the finish line.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 'Yellow Mamba' was introduced and is based on the previous races' slide obstacle, but now participants have to slide for 5m, fall for 3m, and land in water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How obstacle courses started</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before obstacle courses became a trend as a form of entertainment, this form of all-round exercise was originally used as a way of training in military forces throughout the world. As early as the Roman times, obstacle courses were used to train soldiers, then the Greeks adopted this way of training, particularly rope courses, for their soldiers. In the 1900s, the French military made obstacle courses a standard form of training. From them onwards, obstacle courses grew and were used all over the world for military training.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Obstacle races vs. obstacle courses</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is a difference between obstacle races and obstacle courses. Obstacle races are competitive, whereby participants are timed and held to a strict standard of performance. When participants cannot complete obstacles, they are required to do burpees as a penalty. Obstacle courses are not competitive or timed, therefore participants can skip obstacles if they do not want to do them without any penalties.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-43353453384637363682013-06-27T03:20:00.002-07:002013-06-27T03:22:05.533-07:00Kinetic Gear Series #4: Through the Lens<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Using your legs for trail running, your whole body for mountain biking, your arms for kayaking, your team skills for the obstacle course, and your mind for orienteering, the fourth adventure race of the Kinetic Gear Series continuously tested your strength and mental state. </span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Held at Emmerentia, in Johannesburg, on Sunday, 23 June 2013, the team formats consisted of male pairs, female pairs, mixed pairs, and school pairs. The race consisted of 25% trail/road running, 65% on/off road cycling, 10% paddling, and an obstacle course, all of which challenged the physical and mental capacity and teamwork of the participants. Basic navigation skills were important, as participants raced on an unmarked route from start to finish, and getting lost was not an option if you wanted to be in contention for the fantastic prizes to be awarded to the teams first on the log in each category, after the five races in the 25 km Kinetic Adventure Race Series.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Registration</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arriving early at Emmerentia on Sunday, the 109 teams competing were required to register themselves and then received a pack containing the rules, instructions, a punch, and bibs, as well as goodies from various brands.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Finding your way</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the teams had been briefed, they received a map for the first leg of the race, the 4 km trail run. After discussing the route, teams raced to various checkpoints set up along the route, where they had to punch the letter displayed onto their checkpoint list. Some teams got lost during the trail run because instead of following the maps they received at the start of the race, they followed other teams. This stage was quite difficult on the ankles and knees because there were a lot of loose rocks on the track, so you needed to keep focused to remain sure footed. The track also had various inclines that looked tiring, but this didn't stop the teams from giving it their all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Into transition</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before the start of the race, participants had to put their bikes, helmets, and anything else they would need to complete the race, into the transition zone. The reason for this was that each stage finished at this point and participants could then move onto the next stage, which in this case was the mountain biking stage. This stage included a varied range of single track, steep hills, gravel roads, and sealed roads.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Feeling lucky?</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every team was given a checkpoint list, which listed all the checkpoints, a clue, and four random letters of the alphabet. Of the four letters displayed at each checkpoint, only one was correct one. Only once the teams had punched in the correct letter, could they move on to the next checkpoint. This photograph shows a participant punching the letter 'J' on his checkpoint list during the mountain biking stage of the race.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Aqua action</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once participants had completed the second part of the run from the mountain bike transition zone to the dam, they were given another map for the kayaking stage, which showed where the two checkpoints were on the dam. Many of the participants struggled here because the wind had picked up and created a strong current that teams had to paddle against. Pictured here is Team 'Shirts and Giggles' paddling back to shore after retrieving the two checkpoint letters and having completed the 2 km loop around the dam.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Nearly there!</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once the paddling stage had been completed, some of the teams had to use their remaining energy to sprint to the obstacles course, which was just before the finish line, in the hope of making up some of the time that had been lost during the kayaking stage. Roughly 100 m from the dam, the route to the obstacle course became a difficult incline and tested the participant's endurance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Don't slip</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of the participants struggled to get over this obstacle because it was very unstable with everyone trying to get up and over as quickly as possible. And when the other participants started pulling on the net from the other side, it became very difficult to get a good grip on the net with your shoes. Being tired after kayaking for 2 km against the tide also didn't help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All participants were required to wear helmets at some of the obstacles, such as this one, to avoid any head injuries in case someone fell or slipped down the obstacle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>We won!</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The top three male teams proudly stand on the podium. (l-r) PS.BERCO, Sugar Monsters, and Cyanosis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Results</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Male:</b><br />
Sugar Monsters: 1:33:26<br />
Cyanosis: 1:34:31<br />
PS.BERCO: 1:44:12</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Female:</b><br />
Joule: 2:14:49<br />
S and J: 2:17:38<br />
STING: 2:17:41</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Mixed:</b><br />
What the Hell: 1:46:57<br />
Team to Beat: 1:49:35<br />
eLEMONation: 1:52:23</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>School:</b><br />
Kompas Sport: 1:54:14<br />
PS.Bambi: 1:58:13<br />
NoriesStofstokers: 2:02:03</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-83103922720250084272013-05-30T07:27:00.005-07:002013-06-27T03:21:58.861-07:00Conquering the Comrades Marathon<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Around 18,000 athletes will be competing at the Comrades Marathon, the world's largest and oldest ultra-marathon race, which is taking place in KwaZulu-Natal on Sunday, 2 June 2013.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now in its 88th year, this marathon starts from City Hall in Durban at 05h30 and finishes at the Cricket Oval in Pietermaritzburg at 17h30. The distance for this year's race is approximately 86.9 km, but due to the race alternating between the 'up' run (89 km), starting from Pitermaritzburg, and the 'down' run (87 km) that starts from Durban, it varies in distance every year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>History</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This ultra-marathon was started in 1921 by World War I veteran Vic Clapham who asked for permission to stage a 56 mile race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban under the name of the Comrades Marathon and for it to become a living memorial to the spirit of the soldiers of the Great War. So with this in mind the Comrades Marathon was born with a goal to 'celebrate mankind's spirit over diversity'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The Comrades Marathon</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Starting off with 34 runners, of which only 18 runners completed the Comrades Marathon, this annual race (with the exception of a break during World War ll) has grown to a staggering 18,000 runners, with more than 300,000 runners who have completed the race up until 2012! Bill Rowan won the first Comrades Marathon in a time of 08h59, and his name is used for one of the medals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Qualifying criteria</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being such an incredibly tough ultra-marathon (with a total of seven athletes that have sadly passed away whilst running this race), only athletes over the age of 20, who have completed a qualifying race, can run the Comrades Marathon. To complete the race, an athlete has to reach five cut-off points in specified times as well as not exceed 12 hours overall. The route is clearly marked with signs so that the athletes are aware of how many kilometres they have left to complete the race. Athletes run along the roads of KwaZulu-Natal, which is marked by 'The Big Five' set of hills appearing in the following order; Cowies Hill, Field's Hill, Botha's Hill, Inchanga, and finally, Polly Shortts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What to expect</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After 30 km, your body will start eating away at your protein stores once it has used up all the carbohydrate supplies, as well as sweat out roughly 4,5 litres of liquid. As a result of this, athletes are likely to lose between three to five kilogrammes during the race. To avoid losing too many carbohydrates and fluid, make sure you balance the carbohydrates and protein consumption during the race, as well as drink plenty of water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your Achilles tendons will rise roughly 55,000 times on each leg! Fourteen percent of the athletes will experience dizziness during the race. Hydration is therefore important, as the average athlete's body temperature will rise to 40 degrees celsius within the first two to three hours of the race. A good way to avoid heatstroke is by throwing some water onto your head now and then.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cramping is most likely to occur during the run but athletes can avoid this by taking Slow-Mag tablets a few months before the run and blisters are common once your stride becomes less efficient. One can easily avoid them by wearing moisture-wicking socks, wearing decent running shoes that have at least 100 km mileage, and using petroleum jelly on your feet and in-between your toes. Lastly, the most common places of chaffing are the thighs and nipples, but there are easy solutions for this. Use plasters for the nipples and Vaseline for any high-chafe areas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Handy tips post race</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After running more than 80 km, your body will definitely feel it the next day. The best idea once you have crossed the finish line is to consume plenty refreshments, shower, dress warmly, wear your medal (be proud of your accomplishment), take pictures and collect your tog bag. The first three are extremely important as your body isn't in a very good state and therefore has very little fight left in it. It is normal to feel nauseous, dizzy, tired, and sore after this enduring race, so lie down for a while with your feet elevated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As your body has suffered, milk is said to be one of the best solutions for rehydration, as it is bland (which is great after a day of nothing but sweet things) and high in protein, which your body needs. The next step is to find something to eat as this will speed up the recovery process. Lastly, make sure you urinate within two hours of completing the race as this is a sign that your kidneys are functioning correctly. If you do not urinate by the next day, see the doctor as your kidneys might be damaged from this strenuous race.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although this race is tough on the body, knowing that you have competed in and completed the world's longest ultra-marathon makes it so worth all the blood, sweat and tears. And of course, there's the bragging rights that go with it for months, even years to come.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good luck to all the competitors for this upcoming Comrades Marathon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><b>*Sources:</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.wikipedia.com/"><b>www.wikipedia.com</b></a> | <a href="http://www.comrades.com/"><b>www.comrades.com</b></a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.alsoranrunners.info/"><b>www.alsoranrunners.info</b></a> | <b><a href="http://www.mh.co.za/">www.mh.co.za</a></b></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-35416103000568391322013-05-22T07:41:00.003-07:002013-05-22T07:44:49.307-07:00Conquering Your Fears<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; font-size: 16px;">"This is it," I tell myself. "It's now or never." Standing in my fluffy socks, now adorned with ankle harnesses, and wrapped up in a bright red straight jacket, with red and orange tinted sunglasses to complete the look, I hesitantly shuffle forward until my toes curl over the edge of the platform. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wind is moving the platform and I start to panic as I can't get a good grip in my socks. My heart is pounding, my breathing is short and quick, and I close my eyes. I hear Sizwe Mathebula, a staff member, in the background saying, "Don't worry, I have you, and remember to not look down." That is all I hear as I jump head first towards the ground, 100 m below me, in-between the artistically-painted Orlando Towers in Soweto, Gauteng.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I plummet towards the ground, I open my eyes and try to take in everything as it rushes past at speed … upside down! Just then my blue bungee cord tightens, pulling me back into the air before I plummet once more towards the ground! Being light, I unfortunately don’t bounce as high as some of the heavier people, but I still go pretty high! With the wind racing through my hair and the ground drawing nearer, I jubilantly scream out, "I did it! Woohoo, I did it!"</span></div>
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As I'm lowered to the ground, I am greeted by the staff and a large crowd who watched this crazy, blonde girl bungee jump in a straight jacket and socks, woo'ing her heart out during the jump. A staff member unhooks me from the rope, then takes off my body and leg harnesses and places a helmet on my head in case anything is dropped from the bridge above us. My whole body is shaking from the amazing adrenaline rush and I have an enormous grin that stretches from one side of my face to the other. I have faced my fear of heights head on and come out smiling.</div>
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<b>Before the jump</b></div>
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When driving through Soweto to get to the Orlando Towers, you can't help but notice the huge towers, covered in aesthetic images of the township, that dominate the landscape. As we arrive, we are greeted by the bold towers, festive music and smiling faces. We walk past the restaurant, where there are long tables filled with people either celebrating their courageous jumps or celebrating the bravery of those they had come along to support.</div>
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The jumpers are led away to a quiet area and introduced to everyone, but I am so nervous that I don't take much in. After I sign in, I'm weighed and this number is written on my hand along with my jump number. Thereafter, a vivacious staff member straps on my ankle harnesses, which the bungee cord will be attach to - and why I am wearing socks. A body harness is also put on as a safety precaution. Once we are all kitted up, we gather in a circle and are briefed on what to expect once we reach the top of the one tower.</div>
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Gathering in the open lift, my heart is now pounding furiously and I feel nauseous. The lift starts off at an angle and up we go in silence; I'm silently freaking out.</div>
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When we get to the top, the lift stops so abruptly that it makes a loud noise and one of the jumper's scream, which in turn gives me a fright! As we leave the lift, we are welcomed by music and smiling staff. As I volunteered to go first at the briefing, I set off across the sky bridge, suspended between the two towers, to the platform in the middle. The bridge is slippery and moves quite a bit because of the wind, and my socks do little to stop me from wobbling around.</div>
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Sizwe and Motswako, the jump masters, and Mfondu, the jump assistant, strap me up and double check each other for safety purposes. As I shuffle towards the edge, I am panicking so much that Sizwe tells me to sit down and gives me an awesome pep talk. With my confidence regained, I stand up and edge once more towards the end of the platform, until my toes curled over the edge, and then I jump!</div>
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This whole experience went really quickly and felt so surreal. From being strapped up on the ground to being told to jump, I didn't really have much time to take in the beautiful view, lovely paintings on the towers or even the conversations with everyone around me. My only disappointment was that it was mainly people from outside of South Africa who were jumping. It would be great to see more South Africans participating in this adrenaline-rush activity.</div>
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<b>Options</b></div>
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The Orlando Towers have various extreme options, such as rap jumping, power swinging, abseiling, SCAD jumping or the obvious, bungee jumping. A jump costs R480 and if you would like a DVD, then it's an extra R150. There is an option to book, otherwise you can just pitch up on the day and do the jump!</div>
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Going to the Orlando Towers was such an amazing experience, the overall vibe was fantastic, everyone was friendly and helpful and everyone seemed to be having a great time. I have always wanted to jump, but never had the courage to do it - until this opportunity came along! Thank you to Gary Crookes, from Blue Eyewear, for sponsoring my straight jacket jump.</div>
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So if you want to do something exciting, different, and extreme, bungee jump in a straight jacket because if you're crazy enough to bungee jump, you may as well show it!</div>
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<b>Other bungee jumping locations</b></div>
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If bungee jumping close to the ground isn't your scene and you'd prefer to bungee jump off a bridge into a gorge, the best place for this is the Blou Krans Bridge in Storms River. With a staggering 216 m drop towards the Storm River, this jump holds a place in the Guinness Book of Records for being the highest jump in the world.</div>
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Something I didn't know was that you can bungee jump from the Kings Kloof Bridge, in Krugersdorp! Although it's only a 50 m jump, this is still a great opportunity if you are closer to Krugersdorp than Soweto. Other activities available at Kings Kloof Bridge are foofy-sliding and bridge swinging.</div>
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Alternatively, there is a 65 m jump off the Gouritz Bridge, in Gouritz, Western Cape. When jumping here, you will be staring down at the swirling cold waters of the Gouritz River. There is also an option to do bridge swinging.</div>
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<b>dinFO:</b></div>
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• Rap Jumping, or known as Forward Abseiling, is when you can run down the side of a building facing forward.<br />
• Power Swinging is where once you have jumped, you free-fall for however many metres before the pendulum of the rope attachment will swing you up and out again.<br />
• Abseling, or rappelling, is a controlled descent down something such as a rock face or building.<br />
• SCAD (Suspended Catch Air Device) jumping is where you are high off the ground, the staff member unclips the device holding you, resulting in you free-falling (in a sitting position) into a net which is used to catch you.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-46724235671722600242013-05-09T02:58:00.000-07:002013-05-22T07:44:23.500-07:00Mother's Day 2013<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">For nine months of chilling inside of your mom, to all the years she has taken care of the family, the animals and making sure that everyone stays on the right path all year long, Sunday, 12 May is the day to show your appreciation for everything she has done for you over the years.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what can one do for Mother's Day on Sunday 12 May? First, breakfast in bed followed by a small gift would be a great start! But what else is there to do once she is up and about? If you are still stuck for ideas, here are some suggestions:</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Something relaxed:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">• Take your mom to the </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> or </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>Kirstenbosch</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> for a lovely stroll or a picnic amongst the beautiful flora and fauna.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">• Book yourself and your mom in for a day </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>spa treatment</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Visit a few wine farms in and around Cape Town and offer to be the designated driver (if you are old enough, of course).</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Prepare a delicious three-course meal at home.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Visit the Noordhoek Farm Village, just out of Cape Town, which is suitable for all ages. Apart from being in a tranquil setting, there is art to browse through, top restaurants to dine in and plenty of activities to keep the kids busy whilst enjoying the sunset over a glass of wine. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Treat your mom to a naughty-but-nice Sunday consisting of a wine and chocolate tasting at the lavender-lined Waterford Estate in Stellenbosch.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Something festive:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">If your mother enjoys concerts and animals, the </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>702 Mother's Day Concert<br />
</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">at the Johannesburg Zoo is the perfect solution! Not only will mom get to enjoy the concert but the whole family can take a leisurely stroll around the zoo or have a picnic in the open grass areas. </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Freshly Ground will be headlining this year's concert, which will be taking place this Sunday from 9 a.m. through to 3 pm. The cost is R65 per person, R40 for pensioners and children under 13. Children under 3 years enter for free. No alcohol is allowed and there will be a variety of food vendors at the event. You are welcome to bring in a picnic basket. To purchase tickets, go to www.702.co.za and for more information on this event, contact Sophia Mtshali on email at sophia.mtshali@jhbzoo.org.za.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Another option is to treat your mother to the </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>Old Mutual Music in the Gardens Mother’s Day Concert</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">, which is being held in the beautiful Pretoria Botanical Gardens this Sunday. This concert is a day of celebration for young and old, with Chris Chameleon, Karlien van Jaarsveld and Jacques Du Plessis playing at this festive concert. To make this concert even better, ten lucky mothers will receive picnic baskets, valued at R500 each! For more on the Old Mutual Music in the Gardens music series go to www.dogreatthings.co.za and tickets are available at www.ticketbreak.co.za.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Something adventurous:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If your mom likes the outdoors, take her for a hike along with the whole family. Hikes are easy to find in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, but where can one go in Gauteng? The top three hiking trails in Gauteng are as follows:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">• </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>Kloofendal Nature Reserve, West Rand</b></span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This hike is in a beautiful and well-maintained conservation area, and offers various interlinking trails over the rocky terrain. This hike takes two hours to complete at a relaxed walking pace, but if you want to hike further, there are other interlinked trails. For more information, visit </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.footprint.co.za/kloofendal.htm.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">• </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>Uitkyk Trail, Magaliesberg Reserve</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">This trail is fairly strenuous as it is a 9 km, day trail hike that involves a steep ascent to the top of the Magaliesberg Reserve. Although it is a long trail, you won't be disappointed as there's a lovely waterfall, beautiful views of Hartbeespoort Dam and various indigenous bush to have a look at along the way. This trail is recommended for fairly fit people who have previous hiking experience. For more information visit www.jacanacollection.co.za.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">• </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, South of Johannesburg</b></span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This trail is a 66 km network of easy day trails, as well as a two or three day backpacking option if you want something a little more hardcore and have the whole weekend to spare. For more information visit www.footprint.co.za/suikerbosrand.htm.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For some hiking options outside of Gauteng, visit http://blog.getaway.co.za/activities/six-of-the-best-winter-hiking-trails-in-south-africa/</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Something extreme:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Is your mom an adrenalin junkie? If the answer is yes, then </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>bungee jumping</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> off the Orlando Towers will be a great gift! There are various options available, such as rap jumping, abseiling, climbing or the obvious, bungee jumping off the Towers. A jump costs R480 and if you would like a DVD, then it's an extra R150. There is an option to book, otherwise you can just pitch up on the day and do the jump! For more information visit http://www.orlandotowers.co.za/adv_bungee.htm</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><i>A little about the bungee jump:</i></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> A guide will meet you at the waiting area and take you to the open-air lift that will zoom you and your guide up to a platform that is 3 m from the top of the Tower. From there, you proceed on foot up the floating stairway, which is suspended in mid air by the way! Once you have reached the rim of the tower, you will then step onto the sky bridge that is suspended between the two towers, and this is where you are met by the experienced bungee technicians who will guide you through the harnessing and safety procedures. Then all that's left to do is jump! If this isn't enough for you, you can ask for a straight jacket to wear for the jump! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">If heights are not for you, why not try something with a bit more adventure like </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>white-river<br />
rafting</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> along the: Orange River, Doring River through the Kogelberg Nature Reserve, Umkomaas River in KwaZulu-Natal and so many more areas! For more information visit http://www.sa-venues.com/activities/white-water-rafting.htm</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So with all these ideas, there is no excuse for you not to spoil your mother this Sunday! Whatever you choose, be it having a fantastic relaxed day drinking wine and watching the sunset at a wine farm, hiking somewhere in South Africa with the family or going bungee jumping, your mom will remember this day forever. Have a lovely one! </span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><b>About Mother's Day: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><b>So how did </b></span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.1px;">Mother's </b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.1px;">Day </b><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.1px;">start?</b><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, we all celebrate it, but how many of you know how it began? Well, it all started when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in Grafton, West Virginia in 1908 and then went on to campaign for making Mother's Day a recognised holiday in the U.S. By the end of 1914, this campaign became a success. Today, Mother's Day is celebrated all over the world in honour of our mothers and motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society, and to show appreciation of what mothers do for us.</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-24287028912931353622013-05-05T07:33:00.001-07:002013-05-05T07:33:57.559-07:00My Design Work<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I have just loaded a lot of my design work onto Pinterest, to check out my work, go to this link <a href="http://pinterest.com/sarahkobal/">http://pinterest.com/sarahkobal/</a></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-60420371223044213392013-04-29T05:57:00.000-07:002013-04-29T06:47:55.067-07:00Critical Mass in Johannesburg<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Good Friday, 29 March 2013, an unofficial and unsupported group bike ride took place in Johannesburg city centre at night time to raise awareness about the viability of bicycles as a form of transport which is known as Critical Mass. Although this movement occurs to raise awareness every last Friday of each month in Johannesburg, this month, the idea of the event was to ride against rape whereby donations were collected for various rape crisis centres such as the Jess Foord Foundation Handbag Project.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As this is my first time attending Critical Mass, I had no idea what to expect apart from riding 20 km at night time with a half hour break 10 km's into the ride. As we arrived I was surprised to see how festive this event was; people were dressed up in crazy outfits, lights were wrapped around people's bikes, and there was music blaring in the background.</span><br />
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My friends and I prepared our bikes and put green paint on each other. As I didn't have anything that looked the part of Critical Mass, my friend Matt was kind enough to give me lights to wrap around me, making me look like a bright Christmas tree and thus a part of the festivity. Matt went all out for this event by attaching a massive South African flag with blue lights along the flag pole to his bike as well as having blue lights wrapped all over his bike. Lars was creative in a different manner by wearing an afro wig with lights under his bike helmet and also having lights all over his bike whereas Jenny attached her little mascot chameleon, Pablo, to the front of her bike. The rest of the gang had glow sticks attached to anything they could. After kitting ourselves out for this event, we ride to where the air horn keeps blowing every five or so minutes as it is the meeting point for Critical Mass.</span><br />
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As we approach the corner of DeBeer and Juta Streets where everyone has gathered, I am overwhelmed by how high-spirited Critical Mass really is; bikes, helmets, bike wheels, even the wheel spokes were lit-up by various coloured lights and glow sticks. Hundreds of people of all ages including children have attended this free bike ride. The clock hits 19.15 and we all take off, all trying our best to avoid hitting each other as we are all very close to each other. As this is an unofficial group ride, the city's roads were not closed but to keep us all safe, there were marshals riding ahead, beside us and behind us on their motorbikes, directing the bike and car traffic.</span><br />
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The streets are well lit from the street lights as well as by all the lights from our group. As we turn the corner, we all start getting space to ride freely as we have all determined our own riding pace. I haven't ridden a bike in years so I wobble at lot in the beginning, almost taking out fellow innocent riders due to my terrible steering but I eventually get into it and then weave in and out of the group whilst racing Matt and my other friend Seb.</span><br />
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If I strayed from my group of friends by being a speed junkie, it was always easy to find them again due to Matt having a huge lit-up flag which one can see from a mile away. By cycling next to or behind Matt most of the time, spectators and cyclists cheer as they see the flag fly past them whilst I am blinded by the flag hitting my face a lot of the time and thus causing near cycling accidents. While we ride, we are cheered on by people on the streets who are either clapping, wooing, or cheering for us. To add to this amazing vibe, two people had speakers attached to their small bike trailers so we had music the whole way through the ride.</span><br />
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As we ride along, I passed some teenagers who were showing off their mad skills by riding on only their back wheels a lot of the way which was fun to watch! My legs began to get numb from racing uphill and downhill most of the time, and am relieved to see the cyclists ahead of us stop on the side of the road as we hit the halfway point so that we can grab a bite to eat or visit the various bars surrounding us.</span><br />
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After resting our tired legs and having a few refreshing drinks, we all get onto our bikes, ride around the corner and see what is ahead of us; a long distance incline. Seb and I stick together through this torturous ordeal and use Mat, who is ahead of us, as a motivation to catch up to. What created a challenge was how my bike gears got stuck on the hardest level which thus made me weave along the road from exhaustion, hitting the poor cyclists near me. Although it was a challenge, fellow cyclists saw my struggling and cheered for me as they rode past me which motivated me to get up this intense incline.</span><br />
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We cycled along the Nelson Mandela bridge which was the last landmark on this ride and finale kilometer to the end of this wonderful ride. What I really liked about Critical Mass is how we all stopped now and then to make sure we were still all together and that we haven't lost anyone along the way. The best part of this ride is how we got to see various landmarks and the lit-up buildings in the CBD at night time which was really a beautiful sight. Although Johannesburg is known to be unsafe, this experience was fantastic as we didn't have to worry about the safety aspect due to being in a big group of people and the Marshals looked out for us regarding the cars on the roads.</span><br />
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Overall Critical Mass is definitely a worthwhile experience and I recommend it to anyone who can ride a bike. Those who do not own bikes can hire them (details on are the Critical Mass Facebook page) which gives everyone an opportunity to join this wonderful event.</span><br />
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<b>Extra Information:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Critical Mass is a movement of which aims to raise awareness about the viability of bicycles as a form of transport with how cyclists have a right to share public space safely and how there is a need for cycling infrastructure.</span><br />
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Critical Mass Joburg aims to bring people back into the city, and to have fun in a group on wheels. This group moves at a comfortable pace and are not separated for safety reasons. As this is a big group, the cyclists ride on the left side of the road, giving cars an opportunity to pass us without anyone being hit and to avoid traffic jams.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To check out the images, visit <a href="http://www.doitnow.co.za/content/dart_apr13_2">DO IT NOW Magazine</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-43303381593745525342013-04-29T05:54:00.003-07:002013-04-29T06:48:17.291-07:00Looking beyond Earth Hour<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At 8:30pm to 9:30pm local time on Saturday, 23 March 2013, millions of people around the world will unite for the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Earth Hour. The planet will go dark for an hour as many people will switch off their lights as a symbolic gesture to show their commitment to doing something positive for the planet.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earth Hour is a world wide event which was arranged by the WWF and Leo Burnett as a way to raise awareness about the need to take action on climate change. As a way to take action, an event was created to encourage households and businesses to switch off their lights. This event first took place in 2007 when 2.2 million people from Sydney turned off all their non-essential lights. From then onwards, Earth Hour has grown world-wide by many other cities adapting to this event.</span><br />
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There will be many events this Saturday as a way to support Earth Hour such as the Johannesburg Zoo. This zoo isn't just a place that provides a sanctum for animals and an attraction for visitors but is also committed to working on conservation projects regarding indigenous and exotic endangered animals. For Earth Hour, the Johannesburg Zoo will hold an event whereby people can camp next to the lions, go on a guided walking tour, star gaze with the astronomy club or relax around a bon fire.</span><br />
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94.7 Highveld Stereo will also be holding an event tomorrow by having a Neon 94 Hits in a Row party at the Yamaha World of Sound. Another event that will take place is 'On My Radar – Art of Earth Hour 2013' as a way to raise awareness for Earth Hour. Larger than life artworks which highlight humankind’s connection to and dependence on the natural world will be displayed in Johannesburg and Cape Town tomorrow. The first mural was displayed on 12 March in Maboneng Precinct, Johannesburg and the second mural will be displayed tomorrmow in Woodstock, Cape Town.</span><br />
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If you are wondering what to do when the lights go out, here are a couple of ideas:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Host an eco-friendly party by gathering your friends together and have an organic dinner by candle light. If there is someone who can play the guitar, this is a great opportunity to whip out the guitar to play acoustic music.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• Give your house an energy makeover: This is a great opportunity to make your home more energy efficient. Replace your old light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, change your air conditioner filters and maybe even install a new energy-efficient item.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• If your are living a stressful life, tomorrow is a great occasion to unplug and chill-out. Switch off your phone, laptop/computer, unplug the tv, and read a book outside amongst candle light and nature as this is a time to relax and have 'you' time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">• If you have children, have family time by playing cherades or board games together.</span><br />
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Although Earth Hour is from 8:30pm to 9:30pm tomorrow, it shouldn't just end then; this is an opportunity to decrease an overall impact on the environment such as recycling, using less electricity, driving less often, and so much more. If we all work together, we will be able to stabilise our climate which will result in having a healthy planet.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-89283169255320526312013-04-29T05:53:00.002-07:002013-04-29T06:48:41.678-07:00Warrior Race #2 - It's all in the Teamwork<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.3px;">Grey, ominous clouds quickly gathered above us, the wind picked up and it started to drizzle.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> I began to shiver and started jumping up and down in an attempt to keep my muscles warm for this strenuous race that I was about to encounter. As I smeared red paint across my face and arms, to create a warrior look, I heard the announcement that I had been waiting for over the PA system, "Warrior Rookies batch number four will take off in five minutes." </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">My teammate, Salendra, and I gathered at the starting line, anxious to get off the mark. I looked around and noticed that I was surrounded by fit athletes, some dressed in crazy outfits and this helped to relax the nervous and tense atmosphere, a bit. We all raised our hands and started clapping, going faster and faster, and then counted down to the beginning of the Warrior Rookie Race. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">We started running along the rough, rocky terrain and for a while there was no trail to follow, only red tape to guide us. Just ahead were some tyres, but instead of them being flat on the ground where we would have to run through them like in the first Warrior Race, we now had to climb over this chaotic mound. This was just the first challenge and no doubt warming us up for what lay ahead.4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.1px;">The second Warrior Race attracted around 5,000 competitors, with 2,500 participants taking part on Saturday 16 March and the balance on Sunday 17 March.</span><span style="letter-spacing: -0.1px;"> The three types of races on offer were the Warrior Brats, Warrior Rookie and Warrior Black-ops. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">The Warrior Brats varies in distance as it depends on the children's ages. The Warrior Rookie is 7.5 km and has </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">15 obstacles placed approximately 500 m apart. The Black-ops race is for our extreme athletes and the course is 19 km long and boasts 33 obstacles that are also around 500 m apart. The obstacles are designed so that Warriors have to either climb over high obstacles, slide down steep slopes at high speeds, jump off very high platforms, scale mountains of mud and, most importantly, work as a team to get through each challenging obstacle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.3px;">An example of an obstacle that needed serious teamwork was the Mud Pit obstacle.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> In the first Warrior Race, the Mud Pit consisted of one water pit with one high incline to scramble out of. Clearly the marshals thought it was too easy for us Warriors, although it took ages to get out, so instead of one incline to claw our way up, there were five this time! As I approached this obstacle, my heart sank.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.3px;">I saw multiple mud hills with people climbing onto one another and grabbing anything they could find to pull themselves up and out. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">So I slid down the mud bank and hit the water at a high speed, splashing everyone around me. At that point, I could feel the adrenaline race through my body as I prepared to face and conquer this daunting challenge. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Getting out was proving even more difficult as the ground was sludge that provided no grip whatsoever. The mud bank was so slippery that it was almost impossible to get a firm grip to pull yourself up. The best solution was to work together. Those already at the top would hoist the people up from the muddy water, and those at the bottom would grab anyone who was willing to help from above. After struggling, slipping and sliding which left me with arms that felt like jelly, we finally accomplished this seemingly impossible obstacle! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">One of the obstacles I really enjoyed was when we had to leopard crawl under barbed wire. This time the barbed wire was a lot lower than in the first Warrior Race, thus ensuring we got down and dirty in the mud. This was also one of the obstacles where spectators could watch us struggle through the uneven and slippery mud, and their cheering and clapping definitely helped to encourage us to persevere through this tiring obstacle.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Not all the obstacles were on terra firma, and the river obstacle was no easy challenge either. Arriving at the river, I saw some Warriors wading against the strong current, whilst climbing over logs that were strategically placed along the river. I slid into the water and the first thing I did was walk into an enormous rough rock that was hidden underwater. After cursing profusely, I turned around and yelled, “Salendra! Watch out for the ..." and then I saw my teammate (in the most inelegant manner) hit the rock and fall into the water. Salendra was very unimpressed and I am sure we were not the only ones to get caught by this offending rock!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Of the many difficult obstacles, one of the more memorable was having to sprint up a half pipe as far as we could go and then pull ourselves up the rest of the way. Before attempting this ridiculously difficult obstacle, I knew I had to come up with a technique if I was going to be successful. Instead, I received numerous tips on how to avoid face planting the obstacle and the vicious bar at the bottom, which I'm sure many got huge bruises from. On my first attempt, I did exactly what I was trying to avoid; I face planted into the obstacle and then received a huge shiner from the bar. As many struggled on this obstacle, I saw some amazing teamwork happening to my right so I decided to join them. Two men were standing against the half pipe, with two standing on their shoulders. We climbed up them and whilst being hoisted up by these strong men, others pulled us up from above. Once again, we all got up through teamwork. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.3px;">And then there was a three metre wall that we have to climb up and over.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> Due to terrible team communication, I ended up falling and kneeing Salendra in the face before landing hard on my bum. This was a hard-learned lesson in the importance of communication. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Next up was an obstacle that I had been having nightmares about for weeks; jumping off the very high T-t-t-tower of Rage platform, as I am terrified of heights. I can't explain how relieved and happy I was to discover that this seven metre jump was closed off due to there being a leak in the plastic. This gave me renewed energy to keep going as there were no other obstacles I was dreading.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Running towards the next obstacle all I could hear was people gasping and screaming ahead of me. My heart began to pound as I knew what was ahead of me; the Ice Crusher. As I approached the area, I saw huge tubs that we had to climb up and into. There were spectators all around this obstacle, as well as cameramen and photographers. I climbed up and jumped into the freezing water, but the worst part was having to swim underneath a metre-wide platform, which forced us to be fully submerged in icy-cold water. I emerged from this freezing water hyperventilating. I quickly jumped out and kept running as I tried to get some warmth back into my frozen body.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.3px;">As we closed in on the finish line there was just one more obstacle between us and our dog tags.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> With our friends cheering us on, we hit the net and scrambled to the top, from where we slid down a steep slide into muddy water. Now completely covered in mud, Salendra and I happily crossed the finish line and were rewarded for our efforts with Warrior dog tags, which will be proudly displayed next to my first Warrior Race dog tag. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Overall, this Warrior Race was challenging and a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to next race where I will be entering the Black-ops race, to really challenge myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">To check out my article go to <a href="http://www.doitnow.co.za/content/dart_mar13_8">DO IT NOW Magazine</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-84471483496987556532013-04-29T05:51:00.003-07:002013-04-29T06:49:28.718-07:00Warrior Race #1 - A Mud Fest<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">From below it looked easy, but as I climb up this loose net, the distance from where I am to the ground is becoming more and more realistic. After struggling to get up the swaying net, I see an outstretched arm from above offering me help. I take it and I'm hoisted onto a metal platform. Here, I'm joined by a row of muddy people, all looking down; one half is frozen with fear and the other half anxious to jump. "Ok, this doesn't look too hectic," I say to myself, but this all changes when I shuffle over to the ledge and look down. Suddenly, my heart starts to beat faster and I freeze. Five metres below me is a watery mud pit, about two-and-a-half-metres deep, which we have to jump into. My body is shaking from fear as I am afraid of heights. From behind me, my teammate Martin starts counting down: 3, 2, 1, GO! I jump. All I remember is hitting the stinging water, water going up my nose, then hitting the bottom of the pit and someone pulling me out of the water. It felt surreal, but I did it; I jumped from a five-metre platform! </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was just one of the many tough obstacles we had to conquer during the Warrior Race on Saturday 9 February 2013. Situated at Stoke City, Midrand, 2,000 participants turned up <span style="color: #232323;">to face down the various challenges buried deep within the surrounding grasslands that the Warrior Race had taken over</span>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were three types of races: Warrior Brats, Warrior Rookie and Warrior Black-ops. The Warrior Brats Race is 600 m in distance and littered with 10 obstacles to be completed by the participants, who range in age from 6 to 13. In the Warrior Rookie Race, there are 15 obstacles spread out over an area spanning 7.2 km. These obstacles include the 'Aaaaa'valanche, Spider Web, Mud Monster, 'T-t-t-t'ower of Rage and many others; this course is jam packed with strenuous challenges that will test the fittest and hardest of the wanna be Warriors! In the Warrior Black-ops Race, there are 30 obstacles set up in an area of 19.1 km. For both the Rookie and Black-ops Races, every obstacle is positioned approximately 500 m from the next, which makes the run a lot easier thanks to all these breaks! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before the start of the race, we are required to register, which surprisingly takes less than two minutes. As my team and I (Team Chivalry) enter the main area, we are overwhelmed by the scene before us; there is an unmistakable energy in the air, there are sponsors everywhere and there are hundreds of people dressed up in vibrant costumes that bring this picture to life - it is fantastic! Those who aren't racing are either braaiing, chilling, smoking hubbly bubbly or making new friends. The atmosphere is filled with music and an American MC, Ricardo Gressel, keeps us soon-to-be Warriors pumped on adrenaline with his motivating words. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Making our way to the start, I decide to jump in every mud puddle I walk past as a way to amp my team up by wetting them with muddy water! At one stage I accidentally wet a child and don't just receive a dirty look from the father, but from the child too! We gather together at the starting line, everyone’s in position and eager to see what is waiting for us in the Warrior Rookie Race. By now, my heart is beating rather quickly, I'm nervous but excited as I don't know what to expect from this race. What I'm feeling is adrenaline and anxiety that has built up ever since I booked my spot in this event months ago. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO! I start running and my teammates are pacing themselves next to me. The terrain is rocky, narrow and hard on the ankles, but this just makes us more determined to get to the finish line without any injuries. A huge storm the previous night has transformed the sand into slippery mud, which only adds to the excitement of the race. As we continue running along the single track in the blazing sun, we arrive at the first obstacle that tests our balance as we put our feet through rows and rows of tyres. Easy enough. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second challenge is a lot more difficult though. There are beams protruding from the ground and we have to balance on each of them to get to the other side. Although the beams are spaced out quite far from each other, this did not slow down the Warriors. We are all clapping and shouting words of motivation to those trying to reach the end of this obstacle. I heard later that there were a couple of injuries as a result of this tricky obstacle. Even though it is a great way to challenge one’s balance, I am disappointed to see that there are still no mud obstacles, yet! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next obstacle more than makes up for the lack of mud; we have to leopard crawl under barbed wire in ankle-deep mud! It was amazing and I felt like a kid again! Once I have crawled under the barbed wire, I stand up and begin to wade through thick mud, which swallows my shoe. It takes a few good tugs to free it from the mud's firm grip, and then I am off again. I have to admit that I feel like a bit of a celebrity (as I’m sure many of the Warriors did too), as there are cameramen and photographers at every obstacle, snapping away at our struggles, perseverance and team work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we approach the next challenge, I see a deep mud pit with about ten people scrambling with all their might to get out. So we slide into the mud pit, no problem, and then I look up and see a high incline of slippery mud. At first I'm confused when I see people holding onto each other’s legs and helping each other to climb up this human ladder; that is until I try to climb up myself. I honestly feel like one of those wild animals you see on documentaries that are stuck in the mud at a water hole, helpless. There is no way of getting any possible grip and so another plan is put into action. Martin lifts me up first and after a few minutes of struggling I finally claw my way to the top, followed by Kira. This is the point when Team Chivalry takes action with Kira and I pulling up people from below us, and then Martin and Salendra hoist more people up this crazy mud obstacle. Although no one knows each other, it is incredible to see how everyone works as a team whenever anyone is stuck or in need of some motivation for that extra push. We all eventually get out, caked in mud, and run to the next obstacle. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we approach the final stretch of the Rookie Race, there is just one last obstacle standing in our way to the finish line: Kilimanjaro. This mud slope is approximately eight-metres high and from what I can make out, there are hardly any grips to help us clamber up this monster. I start scrambling upwards, but quickly lose my grip and slide back down. Before this challenge, we had to wade through muddy water, which contributes to the lack of grip up Kilimanjaro. As I near the top, my 'teammate' threatens to push me back down when he hears the marshal claiming that no one has done this challenge twice. Challenge accepted, I think to myself. So Martin and I slide back down to the start of Kilimanjaro and do the obstacle again, amazing the marshal with our enthusiasm and prowess. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We finally cross the finish line covered in mud, scrapes and bruises, but the Warrior dog tags we are awarded for finishing this race makes it all worthwhile. I can hear people clapping and shouting well done all around us and I can't but help smile - from ear to ear - because I am a Warrior. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the race we wallow in the lake to get rid of all the mud, which feels doubly amazing because it is also incredibly hot. Some of the other participants are hosing themselves down in the Warrior Clean-up Zone, provided by Addicted2Adventure. All in all, this Warrior challenge was worth the training and nervousness (of being too unfit to finish), as I really enjoyed the rough, tough and challenging obstacles, the continuous team work and definitely the mud! I can't wait for the next Warrior Race that's happening in March and I hope to see you all there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To view the images, check out the <a href="http://www.doitnow.co.za/content/dart_feb13_9b">DO IT NOW Magazine</a> link to my article!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2810249425530515105.post-79319969532807417032013-04-29T05:48:00.001-07:002013-04-29T06:06:46.962-07:00Welcome!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi all! Welcome to my blog! In this blog I will be posting about my adventures in South Africa as well as my designs when I am distracted from reality! I hope you all enjoy and if you have any advice, please feel free to post them on my blog!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17613295090272793312noreply@blogger.com0