Race2Hermanus | Cliff paths and soul refreshing ocean views

The run leg is where things really happen in a triathlon.  You’ve exhausted most of your stored energy and the adrenaline has subsided.  It’s now you in the race of truth against your inner self. 

Will you allow the voices of doubt to force a walk or look them in the eye & dig deep - drawing inspiration from your training, those with less talent, or just knowing that in 5, 11 or 17km you will proudly cross the line knowing you did not give up?

The cold swim and undulating bike course will leave you a little stiff when you dismount the bike. You won’t feel like you normally do when you start a run. So what to expect and how to manage yourself through it:

The last 2.5km of the bike is the busier area which we warned you to take most precaution on, so this is an ideal opportunity to sit up, drink the last of your bottles and stretch your lower back, hamstrings & calves.  Spin lighter gears to relieve your quads and get your legs prepped to run. 

When you dismount the bike your hip flexors will feel tight from being bent over, so take the walk or slow jog from the dismount line to your bike rack spot easy with hips open and forward.  

One of the beauties of the anti clockwise R2H run course is that it starts with a 150m downhill which is an ideal opportunity to build into your run effortlessly. Keep right & allow gravity to open up your posture and cadence as you drop the handbrake & roll down towards the water & harbour wall. 

Once you’ve crossed the flat opening kilometre of the run, including magical soul refreshing views over the open ocean, you’ll start to feel your mojo and can attack the most important leg of the triathlon. 

Back up the same short hill, always keeping right (the same side you ran up earlier from the swim) you have the only real climb done and you start a relatively flat, winding tour of the awe inspiring cliff path.  You turn right as you exit the harbour past a drink station then wiggle your way up & down along the cliff hiking route over wooden bridges with the sea and distant mountains beckoning like an oil painting.  

In 2.5 km you’ll hit the old town square and either your sprint finish-line or standard & ultra turnaround. There will be crowds and music to welcome you, but keep eyes out for kids, dogs & blissfully unaware  people.  We could have made the turn point further away, but we know that you love to see your supporters and they love to see you even more.  Why deny them that or drag them away from their restaurant table or spot on the amphitheater gazing for whales?

The cliff path half of the run route is twisty and has some uneven surfaces so an aggressive unstable carbon plated shoe may be tough to control. On the way back to the new harbour however, you keep right & have the opportunity to open up the taps along a flatter straighter road surface, passing the second Biogen fuel station with sports drinks & Fastbars.

When you approach the new harbour entrance you don’t enter it, you turn left justoutside as you did when you first exited the harbour, you’re now into lap 2. Please take care when passing runners or hikers on the relatively narrow cliff path trail.  Keep left when you hear heavy breathing behind you and try to give those ahead early notice that you’re approaching to safely keep passing on the right side. 

The Standard distance runners are now into their home stretch.  The 100km ultra runners, pushing for a qualifying spot to the T100 grand final in Quatar, have an extra lap to go until glory at the fun & fan-filled finish line. 

The run leg is always hardest, so focus on your deep belly breathing and hips forward posture. Look up at the path and view ahead, shoulders back, engaging your strong arms.  You’ve got this!!

Reminder to face your race number bib to the front so we and the photographers can recognise you and give your big smile the credit you deserve.  

Start easy, finish strong - champion!!