Day before the race in Durban - June 15
In the morning we availed ourselves of the breakfast buffet included in the room rate, then walked to the expo at the new convention center. There we went up to the international runner registration area and got our packets, numbers, shirts, etc. We bought our return bus tickets for R22. We went in the expo and walked around it – it was jammed. The line to get into the souvenir purchase area was 20 people wide. We stood in it for a long while but no one moved. We looked around at the historical display, the rest of the expo, and had enough. We went upstairs and had a light lunch on the balcony facing downtown Durban center.
Then we walked downtown, through a mall, the art center, the post office, and the Amex office where we changed more dollars into Rand. At the post office we bought stamps for our postcards and mailed them and I experienced a new security feature - the airlock entry. To get into or out of the post office, you first enter a glass booth after pressing a button requesting entry. Then, when the door behind you closes, the door in front opens and you can walk into the post office. The Amex office was also like this. We visited the US Consulate to check into advisories and visa needs. One of our post-race options was to visit a few other countries - possibly Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique; probably not Zimbabwe due to the political unrest caused by the impending national elections. At the consulate, we reviewed the notebook of current advisories on all the countries, found out that Lesotho has fairly strict visa requirements that we would not be able to manage. So it appeared that Swaziland, where Tom was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 70s, was probably our best (only?) option for border crossing. We decided to decide after the race.
We walked back to the hotel to rest and prepare for the race. The hotel had a special runner’s buffet featuring lots of pasta which we enjoyed a great deal. Then up to our rooms to try to sleep. I may have slept an hour, but mostly just laid there and tossed and turned most of the night, being nervous and running the race in my head.
Day after the race in Durban - June 17
I woke up 17 June when Tom called, feeling hungry. We walked down the stairs – quads VERY painful, and had our breakfast buffet. I have already started eating properly, since this is now my main goal for the next year. I can run this race much better 40 pounds lighter 8-). I was pretty amazed to find no blisters or any other problems, no swelling, nothing really hurt more than you would expect it to after running 87.3 kilometers of mountains. So I began to think I did not injure myself in any way either training for or running this race. Sure, I had lots of abrasions from friction in places that were new, but no real injury.
After breakfast, we rested again for a few minutes before walking downtown to buy souvenirs at the art center, stamps, and then back to hotel. After another rest (these little walks were amazingly tiring) we walked along the shore to lunch @ Thirstie's, walking along North Beach, South Beach, Addington Beach and Vecht's Pier. Thirstie's place was packed, but we finally got a table. The big ships were being piloted in and out of the harbor to the Ocean Terminal. A helicopter would fly over very fast and low, taking a pilot out to a waiting ship. Then the ship would steam by into the harbor. Then another ship would steam out. One time the helicopter flew out low and slow over a big ship, and right in front of us, lowered a cable to the ship. To our amazement, the pilot hooked himself onto the cable, and the helicopter raised him up off the deck and he climbed into the helicopter. What a show!
After dinner, we stood on the shore and watched a Scottish wedding ceremony, complete with bagpipes. Then we walked slowly back across the beach the mile or so to the hotel.
After another rest, we walked the other way (north) to have a really elegant, excellent dinner at the Jewel of India restaurant. It was terrific curry. Then we walked home on the beach, and crashed for the night.
