13 Peaks Teamwork

What adventures have you embarked on lately? trailtalk@trailmag.co.za

Ryan Sandes came up with the 13 Peaks Challenge. The 100km circuit around Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula is based on the Bob Graham Round in the UK. The aim is to traverse the 13 Peaks in order, returning to the starting point to record a finishing time. There’s no official leaderboard or set dates: just you, maybe some friends, and the mountains.

If Frodo and Sam were two scruffy mountain runners from Cape Town they’d probably be doing the 13 Peaks rather than going on a quest to destroy the Ring. They'd follow a route that includes all the major peaks on the Peninsula: the familiar Maclear's Beacon and Chapman’s Peak, and lesser-known ones like Grootkop, Judas Peak, and the illustrious Klaasenkop.

This is the story of 13 Peaks. First, my experience doing it solo, then teaming up with my mates Damien Schumann and Robert Schaff.