We set off along the jeep track as a pack but Tamsyn and other fasties soon tore away from the slackers and disappeared into the distance. Stops had to be made even more frequently than usual for photos, especially as our northern friends had never run this stretch of the mountain before and were pleased with the views over the suburbs and across to their own stomping ground.
The first two short-cutting trailers peeled away from the peloton at about 6kms, just before the Aloes climb. A second two turned back at the top of the steps up to the rock fall, leaving the remainder of the pack to soldier on to the turnstile at a pleasant pace - 'slow enough to enjoy'.
At this point - about 11kms - there was an option to take the single track down to Rhodes Memorial and Uber home from there but there was only one taker for this option, and even she was quite easily persuaded to continue on to town.
At the blockhouse, we marvelled at Mowbray Ridge and the crazies that might consider climbing up or down it (haha!). We meandered around Devil's Peak, admiring the views of the city and revelling in the gorgeous weather that the morning had delivered. By now, the Stellies crowd were drunk on the scenery and were planning to return to run this route with us again as soon as possible!
The Platteklip descent drew one more deserter as Lorraine's tired legs got the better of her sense of adventure and she completed the last 2 kms on the t*r. The final crew of Stellies runners plus Theo, Anisha, Angela and Nothemba finished strong and pulled into the Kloof Nek parking area at just after 11am.
We Ubered back to Constantia Nek and had a rejuvenation cup of coffee at La Parada before waving goodbye to our Stellenbosch friends and promising to see them again soon.
Photos on facebook.
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