2010 OUTsurance 94.5 Kfm Gun Run

Good luck to all the Hillbillies running the Gun Run on Sunday.
I hope you're planning to collect your numbers early, because by 12:10 this afternoon it was already getting quite crowded at Sportsmans Warehouse in Rondebosch, when I went to collect my number! It seems we're in record field sizes for all Gun Run routes this year. It has always been a popular race, and this year is no different, so get to the start early and save yourselves the hassle of finding a parking spot 2km from the start, and an hour wait in the loo-queues!!! Yeah, I'm talking from experience here, and I'll definitely be arriving VERY early on Sunday!

Start times and route infor for the various distances are as follows (from the Top Events website):
VENUE:  Beach Road, Mouille Point for all distances
START TIMES:  21.1km - 07:00, 10km - 07:30, 5km 07:45
ROUTE: 21.1km - Mouille Point, V&A Waterfront, Somerset Road, New Cape Town Stadium Precinct, Sea Point, Beach Road, Kloof Road,              Camps Bay, Clifton, Sea Point Promenade.
ROUTE: 10km - Mouille Point, V&A Waterfront, Sea Point Promenade
ROUTE: 5km - Mouille Point - Green Point Park, New Cape Town Stadium Precinct, Sea Point Promenade
FINISH: Sea Point Beach Front, Rocklands Beach opposite Winchester Mansions for all distances
CUT-OFF: 10:00 for all distances

I'll be on the lookout for you guys at the start, but if i don't spot you in the crowds before the race - good luck and enjoy! And please give us some feedback about your race experience afterwards! We'd all like to hear how you did/how much you enjoyed the run.

 

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Dean Street Hillbillies

 

Stats: Thursday Morning Run: 7 October 2010, 06:00

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/52008784

What a perfect morning for a run (despite being a bit windy)!

3 Hillbillies set off this morning, with Jen debuting her very first Thursday morning run with the Hillbillies.

You ran well Jen, hope you enjoyed it, and we hope to see you at more Thursday runs! Watch this space for route details of upcoming runs, we'll definitely be doing today's route again soon.

We had a lovely, flat and easy run this morning - following our usual 8K route along Newlands Ave, M3, past the cricket grounds and along Belmont, but instead of hitting Main Road back along that last kay, we ran along the Liesbeek River Trail instead. Except for getting stuck behind a smoker on one bridge this mornimg, the river route offers clean, fresh air and relaxing sounds of the river flowing by. An awesome run!!

Thanks Hillbillies!!

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Dean Street Hillbillies

Stats: Tuesday, 5 October 2010, 05:45

Wow what a beautiful morning for a run!!! So warm, clear, and fresh.
We had a lovely run up Rhodes Mem, stopping at the very top for some cold water and to admire the awesome sunrise view.

We tried an interesting new variation of the old route, by continuing down past Newlands Avenue on our way back, and crossing the M3 at the Shell. We decided on the spur of the moment to hit the Liebeek River Trail for a short stretch, and wow was that a great choice (thanks again Dy!). Nothing beats a relaxing morning run along a slow-moving river. Unfortunately, that stretch of the Trail is fairly short and we soon found our feet on solid tar again, but it was a fantastic detour and change of scenes from our 'same-old' route!

Thanks Dy, Linelle and Rob for a great run!

Stats can be found here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51775118

Thursday we meet at 6am at Great Westerford for an easy, flat 8km through Claremont and Rondebosch. We'll hit the River Trail from Belmont Road and follow it all the way back to Boundary. It really is a stunning route, and avoids busy (and stinky) Main Road.

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Dean Street Hillbillies

Winelands Training Run: 30-35km

I am organising a long training run 3 weeks before the Winelands Marathon.

Anyone keen to join us is welcome - and please spread the word and bring your friends!

We'll run at around 6:00-6:30 (per km) pace: this is NOT a speed session so don't stress about being too slow. If any faster runners want to go ahead of the group they are welcome to do so, so don't stress about being too fast either. If we can get enough people we might even be able to split into pace-based groups.

The route is pretty much the Winelands Marathon route, with 7km of out-and-back cut out. So its an excellent training run for race day, especially for those who have not run Winelands yet but are keen to do so this year.

The proposed training route can be found here: Winelands Long Training Run

There are one or two little farm stalls and/or petrol stops along the route, where we can stop to buy water/cooldrinks, but I would strongly recommend carrying at the very least a bottle of water with you. CamelBaks will come in handy for those who own them.

Anyone who would like to be added to the Dean Street Hillbillies mailing list, to be kept up to date on the details of the run, can email me at dean.street.hillbillies@gmail.com

Or search for the "Dean Street Hillbillies" facebook group and join our public event for updates.

View Larger Map

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Dean Street Hillbillies

Thursday Morning Run: 23 September, 06:00

Hi Hillbillies,

Please join me tomorrow morning at 6:00, in front of Great Westerford Building (240 Main Road, Newlands), for an easy 10km run to ease into the long weekend.
We'll head up towards Bishopscourt toward our usual water point (Stone Church), and continue on to the top of Glastonbury Road. There we'll stop to catch our breath and enjoy the awesome sunrise view, before turning around and heading back home.

Distance: +- 10km
Time: +- 65 minutes
Route: hilly but scenic
Pace: easy

 

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Dean Street Hillbillies

 

Stats: Crazy Store Table Mountain Challenge 2010

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/49778072

Yes, the Hillbillies were crazy enough to tackle the Crazy Store Table Mountain Challenge!
As a team of course - we're not entirely insane :P

Chris and I teamed up to conquer the Mountain, with me tackling legs 1 and 2, and Chris bravely facing off against leg 3!
We're both walking a little funny today still, but survived mostly intact.

The day started out cool but quickly warmed up. We even got a light sunburn (but nothing compared to the sunburns to come when summer really hits!)

All in all a successful day, but I can say with certainty that I will never be overcome with the need to run leg 3 of the Table Mountain Challenge, much less the whole thing! I have gained renewed respect for trail runners, and re-inforced my knowledge that I am very much a road runner!

Still, I had a fun and avoided landing face-first in the rocky patches of Leg 2 (though I came very close a couple of times!)

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Dean Street Hillbillies

Stats: Thursday, 9 September 2010, 06:00

Thank you Hillbillies for a fantastic run this morning!
The pace was relaxed, the weather perfect!

Stats have been uploaded here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/48220913

We set out up Dean Street (which this morning felt very long!) at an easy pace, picking up slightly along Newlands Avenue. It was a fairly quiet start, with everyone lost in their own thoughts (and possibly still feeling Tuesday's Rhodes Mem run in their legs - I know I was!!).
A lovely downhill along the M3 helped and soon we were cruising down Protea Road, stopping briefly for a water break at the Engen on Main Road (unfortunately there was a smoker next to the tap, not what our lungs needed at that point!).
We managed to cross Main Road in a well-timed traffic break, and headed over Campground. Sadly we experienced today how rude and inconsiderate (and down-right foolish) motorists can be - while running along Campground Road towards the cricket stadium, some guy decided to 'buzz' Josh, who was running in the cycling lane at the side of the road. Thankfully Josh was sharp enough to spot him and avoid injury, but it could so easily have turned out for the worse. The guy then proceeded to speed off down the road, not even slowing in the slightest for the red light next to the cricket grounds/station subway!!! Its a great pity that none of us got a look at his licence plate (it happened so fast!) to report him - people that should be severely punished, and have their driving privileges revoked!!! Hillbillies, please be extra-vigilant on your runs, especially early morning or late evening when the light isn't at its best, whether alone or in a group - motorists don't always see us on the roads (and sometimes they don't want to see us!) and in a fight between runner and car, the car will always come out on top.

Thankfully the rest of our run was uneventful and we all finished back at Great Westerford safe and sound.

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Next run is this coming Sunday, we're doing a 30km training run along the Tygerberg/Big Mama race route.
Then next week Tuesday we meet at Great Westerfrod at 5:45 for a flat 11-12km run through Rondebosch.

Safe running!!

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Dean Street Hillbillies