The World’s Down-est Marathon
25 February 2023
The Cango Marathon
The Cango Marathon is an annual racing event that takes place in Oudtshoorn, South Africa.
The race is held in February each year and consists of a full marathon (42.2 km) and a half marathon (21.1 km) option. The course takes runners through the scenic countryside around Oudtshoorn, passing by several local landmarks, including the Swartberg Mountains, the Cango Caves, and the ostrich farms for which the area is famous.
It has been held annually since 1977 and is one of the oldest and most prestigious marathons in South Africa. It attracts runners from around the world and has become an important event on the local sporting calendar. In particular, for runners who hope to qualify for the Two Oceans ultra-marathon and/or The Comrades Marathon.
This year the 4h50 qualifying pacing bus was ably manned by Ashraf “Mr O” Orrie, himself. They came in at 4h45, all smiles. Overachievers!!
2023 would be my first Cango Marathon. I wanted to enter in 2019 but it was the same weekend as my late mom’s 75th birthday and she insisted – for the first time in her life – that she wanted a party. She never wanted to celebrate her birthday.
I am so glad we did. It would be her last birthday with us. This one’s for you, Mommy.
Oudtshoorn
Oudtshoorn is a town located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. It is situated in the Klein Karoo region, which is known for its semi-arid climate and unique flora and fauna.
Ironically, race day dawned with overcast skies and plenty of moisture in the air. We even had some light drizzle.
I thank the running gods for the excellent weather. One of the main attractions in Oudtshoorn is the Cango Caves, a series of limestone caves that are a popular tourist destination.
The town is also known for its ostrich farms, which offer visitors the opportunity to see these large flightless birds up close and even ride them.
What those thought of us crazy humans running between their beautiful mountains for no other reason than we love to run, free Coke and water at the water stations.
Shout out to the organisers, Ernst especially, for the seventeen water stations on the course, the amazing volunteers and the supporters on the road.
“Hou bene hou!” chanted by the local children along the route. The encouragement was especially welcome in the last 10kms when we had to vasbyt to the finish line.
The race started at the Cango Caves.
In July 2022, after hiking The Leopard Trail, Chucky and I spent a night in Oudtshoorn, and took time to visit the caves.
The Cango Caves
The Cango Caves are a series of underground caverns located just outside of Oudtshoorn. 27kms to be exact. Trust me. I ran every kilometre of them.
The caves were formed over millions of years by the slow drip of water containing dissolved limestone. As the water evaporated, it left behind deposits of calcite that gradually built up to form the spectacular formations we see today.
The Cango Caves can be explored in two ways, viz. the Standard Tour and the Adventure Tour. The Standard Tour is a guided walk that takes visitors through some of the most impressive chambers of the cave system, including the massive Van Zyl’s Hall and the narrow, winding Lumbago Alley. The tour lasts about an hour and covers a distance of around 1 km, with plenty of stops along the way to admire the various stalactites, stalagmites, and other formations.
The Adventure Tour is a more physically demanding experience that involves crawling, squeezing, and climbing through some of the tighter and more challenging sections of the caves. This tour is led by experienced guides and is suitable for people who are in good physical condition and not claustrophobic.
They are a fascinating natural wonder and a must-see destination for anyone visiting the Oudtshoorn area.
The Cango Caves are particularly impressive because they contain a wide variety of different formations, ranging from delicate helictites (straw-like formations that grow in multiple directions) to massive columns and draperies (curtain-like formations that hang from the ceiling or walls).
The overall effect is a breath-taking display of natural beauty that has made the caves a popular tourist attraction for generations.
Some archaeologists have suggested that some of the rock art found in the area may have been created by the Khoisan people and could be associated with their spiritual beliefs and practices.
But the Cango Caves are primarily known for their geological significance and their stunning beauty, rather than any specific cultural or spiritual significance.
However, they remain an important part of the cultural and natural heritage of the Western Cape.
The first European to explore the Caves was Jacobus Van Zyl in 1780. He was a farmer in the Oudtshoorn area who had heard rumours of a cave system in the nearby mountains.
With a small group of companions, he set out to find the caves and was eventually led to the entrance by a Khoisan herdsman.
Another version of the discovery of the caves is that Van Zyl had tracked a lost sheep and found the caves by accident.
Once inside the caves, Van Zyl and his companions were awed by the stunning formations and spent several hours exploring the various chambers and passageways.
They named many of the features after themselves and other prominent figures of the time, such as the Zonnebloem Chamber (Sunflower Chamber) and the Lumbago Alley (named after a member of their group who suffered from back pain).
News of the discovery of the Cango Caves soon spread, and they quickly became a popular destination for European visitors to the area.
In the years that followed, several expeditions were undertaken to map and explore the caves in more detail, leading to a greater understanding of their geological significance.
Today, the Cango Caves remain one of the most visited tourist attractions in South Africa and continue to fascinate with their stunning natural beauty and unique geological features.
Getting To The Race
We left Cape Town at 3.17pm Friday afternoon … 17 minutes later than planned.
Blommie drove his bakkie like a maniac on the N1 and Route 62 to get us the 420 odd kilometres to Oudtshoorn by 8.30pm.
Race registration closed at 10pm.
Again, thanks to the organisers, who considered the out-of-towners and stayed up so late so we could get our numbers, in the dark, during load-shedding.
Thank you, Ernst, for double-checking my entries were safe.
Because of the fiasco with my entries for the Peninsula Marathon I was a little paranoid, and called the organisers of the Cango Marathon to make sure I had paid my entries. (I had!)
We checked into our amazing accommodation, Karoo Soul first, before rushing off to the Langenhoven Gimnasium to pick up our race numbers.
At Karoo Soul we ran into our favourite sports journalist, Adnan Mohammad of Central Athletics Club and found that 90% of our fellow-guests were all running the next day.
However, from the gees and camaraderie, you would never say we had to be up at 3.30am the next morning.
We stayed up later than we should have (way past 11pm), because we had to carbo-load Princess Rifi’s delicious pasta, chatting and meeting our housemates and fellow runners, who were from Port Elizabeth and Mossel Bay.
Race Day
We could not have overslept if we tried.
By 3.30am the whole house was awake. I do feel sorry for the two other guests who were not running. They must have thought they had booked into a mad house, what with people in running kit traipsing about pinning on race numbers and scoffing peanut butter sandwiches at stupid o’ clock in the morning, when any sane person should be in their deepest REM cycle.
We planned on catching the last bus to the start of the race from the gymnasium, which would leave at 5am.
The race would start at the Cango Caves but finish at the Langenhoven Gimnasium, so the organisers had arranged transport to the start. What a delightful surprise, when we got to the start to find that we would be transported in cattle trucks! It was appropriate, given we were in the countryside. The last time I was shunted onto a cattle truck was when we ran The Voet Of Afrika race in Bredasdorp.
It was the best part of my morning, being herded onto those trucks, which in this part of the world is probably used for ostriches, rather than cattle, I suppose. The vibe on the ride was festive.
Most of us were standing on the trucks and the taller runners would shout ‘tree!’ and everyone, even us shorties, would duck, to avoid being slapped by overhanging tree branches.
I enjoyed the ride. Because we were the last truck, we had 5 minutes before the start of the race, when we got to the caves. The Mayor of Oudtshoorn came out to send us off.
It was overcast and drizzly. Perfect running weather.
The Course
This marathon is famous for being a downhill run. And it was true to form.
Except for going up the Swartberg Pass for the first 7kms, the race is mostly downhill until the last 10kms, where it flattens out a bit. And just when you get accustomed to the flat road, there is a daunting climb at the +/- 41km mark that looks a lot worse than it is. Although at that stage you are wearing out your quota of swear words for the race.
The flat bits were tough after so much downhill, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the downhill did not murder my toes. I much prefer hill ups, but I can say with certainty that the race, even the steeper bits, were managable.
Although I did try to keep my pace consistent and not be seduced by the downhills.
I knew I needed to save my quads for the end.
It was extremely satisfying to pass so many runners in the last 10km who were just broken after racing the downhill. I was tempted to jump on Mr O’s bus at the start, but that would have been race suicide. I did not train for this marathon.
I was not trying to qualify for anything, and I had not trained for a marathon. I was just there to enjoy the race. Which I did.
Start Vibes
There were many personal hightlights:
1. The weather was perfect. It could have been typical Klein Karoo scorching sunshine which would have made the whole race a less pleasant experience. Coach Mark ‘Wags’ Wagenheim told us that he had already run the race in heat that made you melt, especially on the last 10kms.
2. A turnaround at 7kms on the Swartberg Pass where we could see the contenders and the fast runners pass us, like our very own Coach Wags and Rianda ‘The Machine’ Gilliland of AAC, who both podiumed with times of 3h32 and *mike drop* 3h13 respectively! In-flippin-credible! So proud of my AAC teammates!
3. The course winds down from the Caves towards the town along the R328, smooshed between lush mountains and farms, passing rivers and streams.
4. The locals who came out to cheer us on and chant, ‘hou bene hou!’
5. The water tables manned by fantastic volunteers.
I haven’t been in so little pain on a marathon in a long time.
I didn’t bonk at the 25km mark. On every marathon I’ve ever run, I would hit a mental wall at 25km and a physical wall at 30km. The latter is largely due to not being able to hold down food on a race.
But I had my gummiberry juice, so I was fine.
Of course, I was tired. Of course, I was in pain. But the pain was manageable and the fact that the route markers counted down (like Comrades and Mandela) to the finish was, for me, more encouraging.
Getting to the halfway mark was the hardest part, then the countdown really began. 23 down 19 to go feels better than 19 down, 23 to go, you know?
The runners, maybe because we were only a field of 1000, shared a special camaraderie, supporting and encouraging each other.
Special shout out to the support teams from Phoenix AC, especially Gary, Spartan Harriers, Chilli AC and as always, Ommiedraai AC, for coming out to support their clubs and the rest of us.
We befriended Berenice from Worcester at the Mandela 27 in Paarl and she and I crossed the finish line together.
At 10km to go, I contemplated whether I should try for a 4h50 finish, just to see if I had it in me.
But really, I was just too lazy to put in the extra effort. I happily settled for a sub 5 finish.
At the 34km mark, with 8kms to the finish, I heard a hooter and someone calling … who do you think it was?
Our very own Rianda, waving… I was like… What? How fast did she run, to be on her way home already?
While I still had 8kms to go and a lot of mental talking to myself to do before I got there… hopefully in one piece.
Later, I would learn that not only did she and Coach Wags run phenomenal times, they went back to their accommodation to shower, so they could look even more phenomenal for the prize giving!
At least we got to take a pic with them.
That is the closest I’m getting to a podium finish until I am 90 and will be the only one alive in my age category to win it 😀
We also ran into Yusry, who ran the half marathon, and his top supporter, Sieda.
Finish Vibes
I finished in 4h53. Not my PB, but I haven’t run so easily and finished sub 5 in a long, long time, without any training.
Maybe it was the downhill, which was easier, to be honest. But I think we were all happy with our times, except maybe Blommie, who only ran 4h16. Only!
Most important thing, I loved every minute of it, although at 13kms I did question my sanity a bit, and whether bailing would be a respectable option so early into the race.
Did I mention I was lazy?
Sadly, I passed a runner who’d had a bad fall, although she was being attended to by paramedics. Another runner cramped so badly she was holding onto the guardrails to stay upright.
I hope they have complete, and speedy recoveries. We often underestimate how hard running a marathon can be. Only in South Africa is a marathon not an achievement in and of itself, but a stepping stone, to Ultra and the ultimate human race, Comrades.
South African runners are a particularly crazy bunch!
I also would like to congratulate my friend Bernice from Durbanville Running club, on qualifying for her 10th Comrades Marathon!
You got this! I look forward to tracking you on 11 June, to you achieve your green number.
Soul Of The Karoo
Since this was a destination marathon, we booked into a charming backpacker lodge in Oudtshoorn, run by the amazing Ilse.
Thank you for your hospitality, for treating us like (the crazy branch of the) family and for being so warm and welcoming. We can’t wait to go back.
Karoo Soul lived up to its name. The rooms are spacious and well kept. The beds are comfortable, which is exactly what we needed the night before and after the race.
The atmosphere was relaxed and tranquil. We felt as if we were crashing at a favourite relative’s home.
I liked the architecture, the Oregon pine floors, the beaded windows and the wrought-iron work on the windows.
The décor is artful and tasteful without being pretentious or nouveau shabby chic. There was an authenticity about the home and the host that resonated with us.
Road Trip
On our way home we stopped at Wildgewangel Holiday Farm to get some keepsakes and ostrich biltong.
This is a wonderful place for kids and for your inner child, as you can see from the pics.
The animals are also cute.
Waterval Eco Lodge
A shout-out to Desmond, from Waterval Eco Farmstay for the coffee and chat.
We look forward to exploring some hiking trails with you soon.
If you like your creature comforts, this is not the place for you. But if you want to connect with nature and your inner self, you need to experience the absolute peace and tranquillity here.
We were there for a very short time only but this oasis in the semi-desert is something else. We are already planning a return trip.
The only disappointment was our stop at Ronny’s Sex Shop on the R62 to get some refreshments. The reception we received was cool. To say the least.
The waitress completely ignored us, and we left without buying anything.
Maybe we didn’t look ‘biker’ enough. The guy inside the bar with the bras was nice enough though, but the depressed looking waitress who ignored us put us off ordering milkshakes.
Anyway, we took some pics, but this was not a friendly place.
To my companions on this journey, Chucky, Bashe, Princess Rifi and Blommie (and his lekker bakkie), I thank you for your friendship, your company, and your spirit in helping make running this marathon a memorable experience.
Thanks Gabiba I love doing Crazy things with you guys.
Beautiful writing, made me relive the Saturday…well done on your beautiful race