Feedback on the OTTER Test Run

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Tuesday, 07 September 2010 15:03

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Feedback on the OTTER Test Run

The tough ladies from Magnetic South, namely Christine and Belen ran the OTTER on 28 August as a test run, this is their feedback

By: Christine Collins

It was absolutely AWESOME and this trail is really something to look forward to!
It is springtime along the OTTER Trail – the Fynbos is flowering in all imaginable colours and odours and the birds are making an incredible noise in the indigenous forests that is only beaten by the noise of the breaking waves on the rocky shores.

There is plenty of water along the trail where you can fill up your bottles/Hydration packs. We both ran with a 20liter backpack with a 2 litre CamelBak and 1 bottle that we used to scoop water and we were well hydrated at any time.

Low Tide was at 11.20am, similar time as it will be on the event. We reached the Bloukrans River at 12.30am (approx. 61/2 hours into the run) and we didn’t even have to swim. The river was so low that we could wade up to our hips and climb out on the other side.
We didn’t break any records - but we managed to do the trail in Sub 9 hours (8hours 31 minutes).

Most will aim to finish much faster than this, but for those of you that are worried about finishing within the Cut-off time of 9 hours – this might give you a good indication where you stand:
Belen and I have not put a huge amount of training in, but we are average fit runners that train normally 2-3 times a week and are fairly good on technical terrain.

So don’t come unprepared – 42 km of distance and 2600meters of vertical ascent are a long way to go and those legs will be very sore the next day (and the day after) if you haven’t put a good amount of hill training in. So don’t forget to book your massages!

Local personal trainer Rob Hill - who has been involved in last year's event - has put a VERY LAST MINUTE training plan together for those of you who think they didn't do enough so far! 

E-mail: admin@magneticsouth.net and enquire about the training plan.

Hope this helps with your preparation.