We realise that this will come as disappointing news for many who have planed the year around participation in this event. We hope that those of you who were planning to enter The Southern Storm will be at least in part consoled by the fact that the Otter Run 2011 is very definitely on the calendar. But unless you are a 2010 Otter or Southern Storm participant and with that get prerogative entry - make sure you put your name onto the priority list to secure your entry to the OTTER.  With over 200 persons already registered on the priority list, and 300 eligible past participants, these entries are becoming increasingly hard to secure.

http://www.entrytickets.net/ms/otter-priority-list/

The uncoupling of the two events does mean that the Otter Run, as such, will form no part of future Southern Storm events.  Whilst this may come as unanticipated news to many of you who have regarded the Otter Run as one of the pillars of the Southern Storm, it may  open this event to others that saw the Storm with the OTTER included as too tough. For us as organisers this is an inevitable and very necessary step in securing the future for both events. The Otter Run has established itself as one of the most sought after events on the trail running calendar and as such has carved itself a future as an Iconic standalone trail run.

Whilst the Otter may have been perceived as an anchor part of the Southern Storm, it became in many ways an Achilles heel for our organisational team. With its fixed time, date and proximity to the organisationally intensive stand alone trail run, it inhibited our creativity resulting in us compromising our route and schedule of events. Ultimately it was the cause of us leaving out many beautiful wild sections which we believe will define future Southern Storms.

LIFESTRUCK TV – Video uploads from inside the event … read on.

Last year, The OTTER African Trail run presented by Hi-Tec  took me 8h40m to complete (*For most, the Otter trail is something you book for a year in advance to hike over 5 days)  It is undoubtably 42.2km of the toughest most beautiful terrain that you can ever imagine, and the second day of 6 days of what has become the legendary SOUTHERN STORM presented by Hi-tec.

And in 2010? Guess what? I got to do it all again. This time 7h33m … nice! I love what I do, I love this event and what it does to people.  What Magnetic South put together is absolutely out of this world. I hope that what I have captured will touch your soul and will make you ask yourself just when you are going to Just push play … !  I have found myself amongst the most amazing people, in the most amazing places. it feels surreal.

The same question that I get from most …? ”Was it as tough as last year?” (Yes, I was fitter than last year but that doesnt answer the question!) It was shorter, but tougher. I had to dig deeper and considering I have done 3 ironman, and this is my second Southern Storm (and Otter)  you’ d think I’d just lace up and make it happen. Well, the truth is that it’s not that type of event … It is magical. It’s nature at its most rugged and most beautiful to be respected and to be challenged respectfully. It wants you to succeed, but more that that it demands that you respect it. So much so that you need to get there and do it for yourself. What I share here, is just a snippet of it. Will I be back for more? lol …. what do you think? Just push play.

My thanks, love and support go to Magnetic South, the crew that were up before us, there after us, fed us, cleaned us, drove us and ultimately produced something magical. Also to Kelvin Trautman (www.kelvintrautman.com) photographer extraordinare. And of course, Iain Don Wauchope (two times winner) who once again beat me and won the race (he was 9 hours ahead of me after 6 days – no wonder he won, he had an extra nights sleep!

Lastly to Lu and HB for looking after us, the massages, the 13 lifestruck legends that went out there had a jol and made me smile,laugh, dig deep and leave wanting more.  Plett, Flashbacks and Southern Storm to a whole new level.

Stu (0795029939)

JUST PUSH PLAY

Southern Storm 2010 – the Day before (Otter trail marathon day for those only doing Otter) 

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Southern Storm 2010 – Day 1. THE PROLOGUE

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Southern Storm 2010 – Day 2. THE OTTER

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Southern Storm 2010 – Day 3. MTB (check) Shoes (check) mind ? (if you dont mind, it doesnt matter

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Southern Storm 2010 – Day 4 – Shatta-sore-us-rex

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Southern Storm 2010 – Day 5 — Double Duathalon. The toughie 

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Southern Storm 2010 – Day 6 – Final Day. Storm Chasin’ 

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WOW! … that was amazing. i am back in Jozi and my body is starting to shut down. little aches and pains are appearing all over the place.

I will be uploading one final page of videos from each of the days in the next 24 hours.

To Magnetic South and the People of Cape Tourism and Plett, Louise and HannahBear thanks for opening up your hearts and homes and magnificent pieces of heaven for us to throw ourselves around. I am not sure if my life will ever be the same.

yeeeeha!

Stu

At the finish line in Plettenberg Bay’s Main Road race director Mark Collins of Magnetic  South admitted that the Southern Storm is not a race for mortals. “What these guys have just done almost defies belief,” he said. To give some measure of comparability with the man in the street ,  the Southern Storm starts off with a 42 km trail run on South Africa’s premium five day hiking trail, The Otter,  regarded as tough by most hikers, accept that the Southern Storm competitors do it in under nine hours or face being removed from the course at five strategic compulsory cut off points. The leaders are able to complete the entire trail in less than five hours and this is only day one of this gruelling multi day duathlon . Race organisers balance this true test of trail running ability with mountain bike legs of equal intensity linking many of the regions finest trails.

Whilst both overall winners held onto the converted  leaders’ yellow jerseys from day one, victory was by no means a certainty for either of them till the very last leg. Don-Wauchope lead going into day six was down to a mere 4 minutes with Bomford holding onto a slightly more comfortable 24 minute gap. One wrongly placed foot or mechanical failure on the bike legs could have changed the competition at any moment as veteran’s leader Graham Daniel discovered to his cost breaking his chain twice on day 5 and eventually withdrawing from the race.

Second place in the overall males race was an epic battle between Capetonians Cas van Aardenne and Greg Goodall with split seconds separating the these two endurance athletes for five of the six days. Ultimately it all came down to just one hill climb where Goodall finally managed to make an uncontested break on foot. Two of South Africa’s legendary woman mountain bikers duelled for 2^nd and 3^rd in the ladies race with Cape Epic champion Hanlie Booyens gaining the upper hand in the trail running sections to secure 2^nd place for the 2^nd year running. Yolande de Villiers, who finished 3^rd, dominated almost all the mountain bike sections but lost time to her rivals on the running legs.

Mark Preen ran into the Nature and Sport Capital of Africa (Plettenberg Bay) as the veterans leader followed by Mike Charlewood & Brenton Ashby whilst Knysna Local Rhona Zonnestein claimed her 2^nd Southern Storm title in as many years by beating Heike Jakins  & Sandra Boer in the ladies veteran race.

John Ntuli  from Natal finished his first Southern Storm in the mountain bike leaders red jersey strongly signalling his intention to threaten the overall lead in the future. Full results are available www.southernstorm.co.za

Graham Daniel, who strongly dominated the male VET category until then had to withdraw from the race as he had mechanical problems with his chain braking twice during the ride.

Race description Day 5:

Pigs don’t Fly – 4 Stage Storm Duathlon
This long day begins with an early departure from Forest Hall. Storm Racers will be transported with their bikes to the Simola Golf Estate North of Knysna. This race consists of 3 rides and 2 runs. The 3 rides are linear and link the runs which are both looped starting and finishing at the same transition.

i.      Simola 2 Gouna – MTB Ride: 11 km Mountain Bike Ride on gravel Road. Be careful you will start the race on a steep downhill, flowered by a steep uphill. This will get your heart racing.

ii.      Pig Spotter 6km – Trail Run: The day’s Storm Duathlon race starts with a 6km looped Trail Run starting and finishing at the Gouna Forestry station. Follow the wild pig signs around the course through pristine indigenous forest – and watch out you might come across one of our illusive forest elephants.

iii.      Gouna to Kraanshoek: 62km Mountain MTB Ride: that includes some of the finest riding sections of the Garden Route. The race starts along the 12km Kom Se Pad route, which has always been a tourist highlight for both Mountainbikers and runners alike. This stretch is part of many races, such as the Knysna Cycle Tour, the Forest Marathon and the Karoo to Coast. From there you will experience some nice riding on single and forest tracks finishing along the ocean’s edge on the famous Red Route of the Harkerville Forest.

iv.      Kraanshoek Run- 8km Trail Run: This final trail run of the day is a combination of single tracks and jeep track – through indigenous forest and plantation, past a spectacular waterfall and high above the cliffs of the rough Ocean.

1. Highlights today: epic uphills … EPIC downhills!
2. Please Mr Race Director, … can i have the day off?
3. Swimming 150m to start with
4. Massages after
5. Beers …
6. Laughs
7. Theme song of hte day “bad boys, bad boys … whatcha gonna do”
8. Blisters. lots of them (check this link for pics)
9. watching yesterdays vide0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NAyrMNN8go)
10. knowing that tomorrow is even bigger

You rock!

Stu

Day 3 – a little late i know, but done. So awesome to be on the bike. The only thing though is that i have Monday’s Otter trail run in my knees, in my ankles, in my toes , in my back, in my head … so it was ja. its amazing to be out here. 

So here it is … for the record. Ironman is like a gym workout compared to this. 

52km bike that started with a 300m ascent. Total 850m. 
6.4km cliff run – 300m ascent

Have a rockin’ day.

check out the video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Stu

The video tells way more than i could write.

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Enjoy!

Stu

Competitor’s Race description:

Kraans to Crags – 50km – Storm Ride
After the hardships of the previous day the competitive part of day 3 of the Storm only gets underway at the slightly more reasonable time of 9 am. Although intended to be a relatively easy day, the Storms first mountain biking leg begins with a rather steep 300m climb out of Natures Valley followed up with a winding route through the varied and magnificent indigenous vegetation of the Bloukrans Forest Station. Riders are taken onto single track sections normal off limits to mountain bikers.

Two sections of the days ride need to be undertaken as a compulsory “hike-a-bike” and riding on these sections is forbidden. For the 2^nd hike-a-bike section time will be neutralised (will be deducted from overall time) between the start and end of the section and is expected to take around 15 minutes.

The route eventually winds through plantations, onto the N2 for 3km and then into farmlands before turning back towards the coastal forests arriving, after 50km, at the host venue for the final four nights of the event, Forest Hall.

“Run Forest Run” – 8km – Storm Run

The Forest Hall Estate boasts some of the finest unspoilt indigenous vegetation on our coastline and the “Run Forest Run” traverses the fynbos cliff tops right down to the remote pebble beaches and up through the climax form of the coastal forests.  The climb back up is on the infamous “Stepford Steps”, 3 sets of stepped inclines in the forest each one harder than the next and is nothing short of brutal to run up. Storm Runners will be relieved to once again enter the rolling lawns of the Manor House for the finish.