On Cloud Nine

Have you ever taken a punch to the jaw? Not your actual chomper, although that will be an interesting story sometime.

No, I’m talking about the proverbial whack to the things that define you. Or the things you thought defined you.

Know what I mean? For a trail runner, that can be an injury, or an illness, a familyworry, or a panic attack whenever the ground underfoot gets bumpy.

The following stories all feature a punch to the jaw, and setbacks that turn into something wonderful.

DEON BRAUN relives the special day that was 10 December 2016, at the third Ultra-trail Cape Town® (UTCT).

I looked down. Wow, no closer to the ground yet! It had been three days already. Would I never touch the ground again?

I’m not describing the view I’d had from my room at the sumptuous Cullinan Hotel, as grand or impressive as that establishment was.

This was days later, and there was no indication that the gap between Cloud Nine and the ground was growing any smaller.

Of course, many others had days they were not dwelling on fondly.

Injury, tummy issues, off-days: these all form part of the gamble we take with running trail races. And UTCT had those Pass/ Fail moments aplenty. It had to. So much happens - inside and out - when you’re covering gnarly distances on foot.

My first taste of Ultra-trail Cape Town, although it had been the shortest of three options (35km, 65km, or 100km), had been a sublime one.

The day had been as close to a miracle as you can get. Something about the energy of everyone around me turned the experience from the ordinary into the remarkable.

In the days leading up to race day, I was still unable to run anything