July 11, 2014
We did it!
Breakfast stop en-route from George to Knysna.
Into the woods...
Ready!
There was a lotta neon at the start line.
Finished!
The gorgeous Knysna waterfront never gets old!
Tackling the art of oyster-eating...
Happy oyster-preparer.
Not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning.
I LOVED my orange cruiser.
Lunch at East Head Cafe...a repeat visit from our Christmas trip, and a definite favourite of ours on the Garden Route.
Moody Knysna lagoon.
Playing on the beach in Wilderness.
Taking advantage of having company to capture a jumping shot :)
Every year in the middle of winter the coastal town of Knysna (pronounced Nyzna) hosts a hugely popular Oyster Festival. Sounds normal enough, right?
Oh, and one of the main events is the half marathon. Oysters and running? Sure, why not. Oh, and there's a full marathon event too, and for that one there's a prize for eating 42 oysters before running 42 kilometres. Wait, what the...?
As one of the most popular running races in this part of the world, it definitely made it's way onto my bucket list. And that is how we found our way to the southern coast of South Africa in the middle of July with a few buddies to taste-test oysters and do a lil' running. Don't worry, we decided against the 42km idea and went for the half...and saved the oyster-tasting until after the race.
The race started way up in the mountains, and runners were bussed up the mountain in the pitch dark in traditional taxis, handed blankets and sent off on a muddy ~1km trek through the forest following tiki torches to the start line. I'm not gonna lie, it felt a little like some sort of strange cult gathering (complete with a full moon high in the sky)...but then we arrived in a clearing with ~10,000 of our closest friends (both the half and the full start from the same place) there were live radio announcers, open fire pits and hot coffee...and suddenly it all seemed pretty darn cool.
And then the real fun began. The massive crowd condensed at the start line, and the multitude of layers came flying off as everyone warmed up and was ready to shed and donate their gear to charity. Oh, and because things weren't interesting enough, it started to pour shortly after the gun went off...turning a nicely packed trail into a bit of a slip and slide...it's all part of the fun right? As for the route, the race is notorious for it's 3km up-hill start, the middle has a few rolling hills, and then around the 14km mark the massive decent starts. When Runner's World referred to the 3.5km downhill stretch as a "quad busting bastard", they weren't lying. But from there, it's a mostly-flat few kilometres back into town to the finish line and the lively festival grounds.
When all was said and done, it definitely marks one of the most unique half marathons I've ever done, and it was by far the most fun I've had on a race to date (proof: I took M's phone with me to take pictures along the way!).
We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating by dousing oysters in tabasco sauce and lemon juice, riding bicycles along the shores of this gorgeous lagoon town, dining al-fresco (even if the chilly winter air warned otherwise), and playing on a deserted beach before hopping on our flight back to Joburg.
Oh, and one of the main events is the half marathon. Oysters and running? Sure, why not. Oh, and there's a full marathon event too, and for that one there's a prize for eating 42 oysters before running 42 kilometres. Wait, what the...?
As one of the most popular running races in this part of the world, it definitely made it's way onto my bucket list. And that is how we found our way to the southern coast of South Africa in the middle of July with a few buddies to taste-test oysters and do a lil' running. Don't worry, we decided against the 42km idea and went for the half...and saved the oyster-tasting until after the race.
The race started way up in the mountains, and runners were bussed up the mountain in the pitch dark in traditional taxis, handed blankets and sent off on a muddy ~1km trek through the forest following tiki torches to the start line. I'm not gonna lie, it felt a little like some sort of strange cult gathering (complete with a full moon high in the sky)...but then we arrived in a clearing with ~10,000 of our closest friends (both the half and the full start from the same place) there were live radio announcers, open fire pits and hot coffee...and suddenly it all seemed pretty darn cool.
And then the real fun began. The massive crowd condensed at the start line, and the multitude of layers came flying off as everyone warmed up and was ready to shed and donate their gear to charity. Oh, and because things weren't interesting enough, it started to pour shortly after the gun went off...turning a nicely packed trail into a bit of a slip and slide...it's all part of the fun right? As for the route, the race is notorious for it's 3km up-hill start, the middle has a few rolling hills, and then around the 14km mark the massive decent starts. When Runner's World referred to the 3.5km downhill stretch as a "quad busting bastard", they weren't lying. But from there, it's a mostly-flat few kilometres back into town to the finish line and the lively festival grounds.
When all was said and done, it definitely marks one of the most unique half marathons I've ever done, and it was by far the most fun I've had on a race to date (proof: I took M's phone with me to take pictures along the way!).
We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating by dousing oysters in tabasco sauce and lemon juice, riding bicycles along the shores of this gorgeous lagoon town, dining al-fresco (even if the chilly winter air warned otherwise), and playing on a deserted beach before hopping on our flight back to Joburg.
Checking out the festival grounds to collect our race kits.
The home stretch back into town.
Celebratory boerewors rolls and beer.
Cheers to wine, oysters and post-race celebrations.
Suited up for a ride around the lagoon.
View of Knysna from Thesens Island.
View of the Knysna Heads- where the lagoon meets the Indian Ocean.
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