Ultramarathon – Head over Heels 2014

To The End

July 29, 2016AyshaLeave a comment

The day begins as every day for the last 3 months has begun: Emma and Mike rise just before dawn, ready to set off as soon as daybreaks. We clear up the campsite, fetch water from a borehole and drive ahead to prepare breakfast. As always, we attract attention but it is a working day, people don’t stay long, they head on to their fields.

As always someone helps us out. Its a community activity.

After breakfast we leave Emma and Mike and drive to the coast, to Pemba. This day, the second last day, Emma ran an incredible 74 kilometres in one day.

Scorpion hole

5 people’s stuff in one car and occasionally 5 people

We speak to several TV companies who say they will film Emma finishing her run. We are delighted that the stunning Avani Pemba Beach Hotel agrees that Emma can end her incredible journey across Africa on their beach.

The next day we wait. Emma has risen early, looking forward to finishing. Robert is waiting on the road to film her arriving at the hotel and radios to let me know she is coming. Woocash is in the middle of the hotel and I am at the end.

It’s a wonderful moment as Emma runs through the hotel: guests and staff cheer and direct her to the beach. It’s been 18 months preparation. Many hours of commitment: for Emma and Mike training and for us preparing the car, kit, logistics, support network, and sponsorship. When Emma and I first came up with this idea, everyone told us we would not survive. We accepted this as a strong possibility and were determined to go. Then, it has been 3 months on the road. There were times in the middle when it looked like the team was going to fall apart and the run would not be finished. Yet, we were all determined to see it through.

Emma runs down the wooden stairs, steps onto the beach, walks along the concrete pier and into the sea. An amazing 3974 km, in 89 days, averaging over a marathon day. She did it. We did it.

We celebrate with champagne and sweets.

*****

Day 88 distance run: 74.17 km, 46.08 miles
Day 89 distance run: 62.11 km, 38.59 miles

Number of Days: 89

Total distance run by Emma: 3974 km, 2469 miles

Daily average distance run by Emma (including rest days): 44.7 km, 27.7 miles
(A marathon is 42.195 km, 26.219 miles)

Men with Machetes!

July 24, 2016Aysha4 Comments

To be fair I have seen 4 year olds with machetes. It’s an essential tool. What makes this moment special is 6 men with machetes in hand are walking towards us with serious intent. Its tricky timing as I am busy cutting onions for dinner. Emma has to be fed within 20 minutes of stopping her run for the day, I’m not sure about the reasoning for this but that is the thing that must be done. We are rushing, a little late, as we couldn’t find a good spot at the right mileage. I don’t have time now to chat to men with machetes.

Woocash and Robert are busy with the fire and setting up the campsite and get to watch their approach with rising concern. We had driven 100 metres off the road to an area of trees to hide Cleopatra but hiding a large 4×4 with a bright yellow bumper is tricky. And they probably saw us drive off the road and across the field.

As they arrive into our camp I turn round to greet them. It has to be me, Robert and Woocash don’t speak Portuguese. There’s a little tension in the air. After a friendly greeting, I go on to tell them why we are there, their faces relax into smiles. I guess they didn’t want to fight either.

The leader asks our names. “Woocash” says Woocash. Its caught the leader out. “Eh?” “Woocash”

“Woo… Woo?”

“Woocash” This looks like it’s going to go on for some time.

An exasperated voice behind the leader bursts out: “Woocash!” There is the definite tone of “you blithering idiot”.

I grin inside, it doesn’t matter what the culture, the emotions younger people feel at times for their elders are the same across the world.

Happily, the food is ready for Emma and Mike when they arrive. Emma has just run her furthest distance of the journey. 73 kilometres! In fact, Emma is feeling so good, she tells us to go ahead tomorrow to Pemba, to prepare for her arrival. They will be there in a couple of days!

Montepuez at dawn

Fetching water from the Mission by bicycle

Deadly scorpion in camp again

Fresh Watermelon from yesterday’s market

*****

Number of Days: 87

Total distance run by Emma: 3838 km, 2384 miles

Daily average distance run by Emma (including rest days): 44.1 km, 27.4 miles

Distance run today: 73.17 km, 45.46 miles

We are strange

July 15, 2016July 15, 2016Aysha1 Comment

Mike is ill again but happily nowhere near as bad as before. He swops with Robert. Robert cycles as Emma’s support and Mike rests in the car. The day starts just before dawn.

Children here are scared of us. When we stop at a borehole the group of children sitting there jump up, grabbing the younger ones in their arms and run. At another borehole, men came running from a distance towards us, which was unnerving but they simply wanted to help. The night before we had had to move camp in the evening as local people surrounded us, curious. As the crowd grew, we felt uncomfortable. We moved a few miles down the road and found a quarry inhabited by a couple and a digger. They let us stay and were singularly uninterested in us, focused on doing their job and getting back to their country.

Whilst preparing lunch, we are mostly left in peace, a local man stops to check everything is okay, before heading on his way. However, when Emma and Robert arrive a crowd of about 30 curious people gather.

Having lots of people watching us is not at all restful for Emma and she needs rest with the distances she is running. So, I go to speak to them in Portuguese or maybe Spanish, I’m not quite sure, I speak some sort of Spangueselish. I drag a reluctant Woocash with me: I’m not going to make a fool of myself on my own.

At first, as I approach, the younger ones hurriedly stumble back, slipping in their haste, unsure of my intentions and whether I am armed. Everyone starts to laugh which is a good start.

“Bom dia, com estas?” I politely ask.

They politely respond. Encouragingly.

Portuguese isn’t their first language either. Communicating becomes a bonding experience. They offer me words when I get stuck but sometimes I don’t understand the words they are offering. Confusion wins and giggling breaks out. Some do seem to understand me and explain the bits that make sense to the rest. I attempt to tell them Emma has run almost 50km already that day and over 3000km from Namibia, through Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi. They make suitably impressed noises at Emma’s phenomenal achievement: oohing and ahhing and hmming. I think they have understood the story so far.

I explain that Emma needs to rest for a couple of hours. Then, my language skills completely falter and I have to act out how having lots of people round us, looking at us makes us feel shy. I feel ridiculous but its kind of fun. They nod and smile understandingly. This looks hopeful or maybe they feel it is the safest option with the crazy lady. Someone asks for a cigarette and I tell them we don’t smoke. To emphasis the point I run on the spot, then pretend to smoke a cigarette and give out a spluttering cough. They laugh, Woocash laughs and I laugh. Result.

At last, it’s time to say “Obligada” and “Good Bye”. The leaders signal it is time to go to the others, tugging a few of the reluctant ones along with them. I guess they understood then. I appreciate their consideration, when it must have been tempting to stay and stare at us being strange.

Emma goes on to run a whopping 70km!

In the evening, we camp near a village. An elderly villager insists that we come and stay in the village and that it isn’t safe for us to camp outside the village. He’s worried about elephants and bandits. We stubbornly stay where we are, everyone is tired and we are not up for socialising. But we appreciated his concern. The rains have started. I think it was Mike who came up with this architectural design in the photo beneath. He’s clever that way.

*****

Number of Days: 83

Total distance run by Emma: 3640 km, 2261 miles

Daily average distance run by Emma (including rest days): 43.9 km, 27.2 miles

Distance run today: 70.69 km, 43.92 miles

What snaps trees in the night?

July 12, 2016July 14, 2016Aysha1 Comment

Elephants! It is sometime between 3am and 4am and dark, when the first crack of a tree being broken near our tent wakes me. We are camped deep in the bush, surrounded by trees. I nudge Woocash and Robert awake (who both claimed to be awake already). Woocash, Robert and I are sleeping in the tent on top of the car, the guy ropes are tethered to the ground and the occasional tree. I really hope an elephant won’t snap a tree attached to the tent and get frightened. Emma and Mike are sleeping in Mike’s tent on the ground. We hear them get up and head to the car. Happily, they don’t step on a snake or scorpion. The car door slams on their way in. Above them, we tense a little.

Emma and Mike were sleeping in the blue tent when the elephants came by

Knowing the risks makes no difference to the magical moment of seeing the dark shapes moving slowly around us and hearing elephants snapping, munching and making deep contented noises. We are silent and still. Eventually, the elephants move off into the darkness and we all breathe out with joy at the experience, and having come out alive.

Try getting out of here in a hurry

Robert directing Woocash out of the forest. I am the marker for the only exit across a little gulley

We all get up and head onwards to the ocean. Not far now.

P1080149 P1080146

*****

Day 81 distance run: 67.18 km, 41.74 miles
Day 82 distance run: 65.11 km, 40.45 miles

Number of Days: 82

Total distance run by Emma: 3569 km, 2217 miles

Daily average distance run by Emma (including rest days): 43.5 km, 27.0 miles

Police Visit

July 9, 2016Aysha1 Comment

WP_20141118_004

It rained last night and flowers are slowly coming out.

At lunchtime, as we sat on the ground munching our dinner, two police, one with a gun and one with a baton parked their 4×4 beside us and walked over. They were very serious. They asked us if we had a gun and told us we were in a national park where it is illegal to shoot animals.

I responded (in Portuguese) “No, I think guns are dangerous”.
The police officer agreed adding, “if you don’t know.”

The police then asked to search our vehicle. Behind and under the seats they discovered our hidden stash of tinned tuna and tomatoes. Upon finding this, I’m sure I heard a muffled giggle coming out of one of the policemen. Once they knew we weren’t poachers, I guess, they could relax.

We hope we don’t get mistaken for poachers during the night. I don’t think they would be so friendly in that case.

This young woman came to help me out and then took over as I was too slow. Bless her.

Assessing the route as we drive into the bush

Preparing the ground for Emma and Mike’s tent

*****

Number of Days: 80

Total distance run by Emma: 3437 km, 2135 miles

Daily average distance run by Emma (including rest days): 43.0 km, 26.7 miles

Distance run today: 65.75 km, 40.85 miles

A gorgeous day

July 8, 2016AyshaLeave a comment

The rich colourful views fill up our hearts with happiness. Friendly people wave as they cycle by. As we travel, my favourite spot is on the top of the car, where I can feel the day’s warmth and see miles of trees whenever we crest a hill.

We stop for lunch, yards away from men burning the undergrowth, its a hunting technique. The flies come back crowding round our eyes and ears. I do admire them, they are tough if very tickly. However, once I put on Incognito Mosquito Repellent I don’t find them much of a problem.

After lunch, whilst the rest of the team sleep, Woocash and I take a walk through the burnt ground collecting snail shells bigger than my hand and discover strange termite mounds.

Fire can’t travel across recently burned ground

Woocash hiding from flies whilst collecting snail shells

Robert uses tissue in his ears to stop the flies

I try zen meditation

Ancient termite temples

Back on the road we come across beautiful mango trees. They are not indigenous to Mozambique but they are very popular and grow well. It’s tempting to help ourselves but all mango trees belong to someone, we might be stealing from people who live on pennies.

Baboons

Mangos

And we pass Baboons waving at us, then we realise they are as bothered by flies as we are.

We shop for dinner, buying something in each village we pass: enjoying moments of connection with the people we meet.

Fish for dinner

Everyone wants to be in the photo now

Bananas for dessert

Snap!

Fresh tomatoes for the sauce

A photo to make you smile

P1080106 — Emma on her way to running 67km, her furthest distance in one day so far. Happiness gives energy

At the end of the day, Robert cooks us his favourite dish: Sadza with fish in fresh tomato and onion sauce. Sadza is the main carbohydrate across southern Africa. It took a little while for some of us in the team to get used to the texture and flavour and if it isn’t correctly cooked it can make you ill. Robert is a master at cooking it and now we will happily eat it every day.

Snack time 🙂

Dinner’s much more fun to cook on a real fire.

*****

Number of Days: 79

Total distance run by Emma: 3371 km, 2094 miles

Daily average distance run by Emma (including rest days): 42.7 km, 26.5 miles

Distance run today: 67.28 km, 41.80 miles

Northern Mozambique

July 6, 2016AyshaLeave a comment

P1080100

Beautiful beautiful Northern Mozambique! A nature lover’s dream. We are on a road that doesn’t exist on our maps. Helpful locals direct us on our way. The forest is tightly packed with trees either side of us. As we come over a hill the forest stretches into the distance: mile upon mile of shades of green and splashes of red. The temperature is cooler here. There is a sense of peacefulness between villages. The road has big drifts of dust and pot holes. Further north, the forest hides lions and elephants. But we have no reason to fear them here.

Food is tasty and costs only pennies in the villages. We have delicious tomatoes and onions with bread and tuna for lunch. For dessert: perfectly ripened bananas and mangos.

We are all happier in this environment.

If you can, go visit this beautiful area. My heart was saddened to see majestic broad trees on the backs of trucks. Go now before the forest is gone and feel what the world was like when trees thickly covered the earth.

After a few yards, even Cleo becomes hidden

*****

Number of Days: 78

Total distance run by Emma: 3304 km, 2053 miles

Daily average distance run by Emma (including rest days): 42.4 km, 26.3 miles

Distance run today: 59.32 km, 36.86 miles

17 km up hill to border crossing #7 Chiponde, Malawi to Mandimba, Mozambique

June 28, 2016July 7, 2016Aysha2 Comments

Today was a phenomenal achievement by Mike and Emma. On top of what they do almost every day of this journey.

After a night in hiding, having run off from a camping place that felt dodgy – we had driven up to the local important persons house when he wasn’t there. It felt like we had arrived in a lions’ den and the remaining lions were so surprised they hadn’t quite worked out how to deal with this unexpected gift but were prowling in any case. It was the only time I got a bad vibe on the whole trip, beating even the 5 guys walking up to us with machetes. Of course, it may have been entirely in our imagination, nothing happened. They could be very nice lions.

P1080093 — Dawn and we are already on our way

Anyway, we set off early to be well out the area before people were up and about. Pretty soon we arrived at the biggest hill/mountain, a long twisting and turning 17km uphill. At the bottom Emma says:

“You might as well go to the top, I’ll try and make it.”

I have learnt, when Emma says she’ll try, it means she’ll make it.

17km later, after running and cycling uphill without more than a water and stretch break, Emma and Mike arrive very hungry for breakfast trailing a group of school children. Otherwise they seem pretty cool about their achievement.

I start chatting to the children, moving slowly away from the team, making sure to catch all of the children and draw them away. They are hesitant, initially, but the temptation to talk to me and poke me to see if I am real is much better than just watching a group of strangers. We walk casually and chat about their favourite food (“Mango” in case you are wondering) and other friendly things and quite by chance we have arrived at the school gate, where the teacher ushers them into class. Some of them give me a look like they know what I did.

Back at breakfast, Emma and Mike have eaten twice their usual amount and as Robert was digging out a flat spot for Emma to sleep on, a black snake undulated out. Apparently, it was not a poisonous one.

Post breakfast snooze time with a curious watcher on the hill

The border crossing itself is straightforward.

Emma and Mike carry on their way for another 40km or so through the heat.

Our evening campsite, complete with scorpions:

Bedtime view

Preparing dinner

Not 3 yards from camp I came across this big guy and then another one and then I went to bed not to get up until the sun rose and sent them home.

*****

Number of Days: 75

Total distance run by Emma: 3204 km, 1991 miles

Daily average distance run by Emma (including rest days): 42.7 km, 26.5 miles

Distance run today: 60.90 km, 37.84 miles

A Crowd of Curious Children or what it’s like to be a celebrity

June 12, 2016Aysha2 Comments

In Malawi, villages go on for miles before merging into the next village. As a result, we have to ask permission to camp and are directed to the Chief of the district’s house. Getting to his house involves driving up a narrow dusty path full of busy market stalls. Big car, awkward space, lots of people watching – Woocash takes on the challenge of manoeuvring Cleopatra through.

This little group of friends came to laugh and play whilst we were working out where to go

I am pleased to discover that the Chief is Muslim and his wife is Christian. Coming from a mixed religious and cultural background myself, I think they are going to be my kind of people and they are. The Chief is away for the week but his welcoming wife insists that we must stay with them.

The team with the Chief’s wife

As Robert begins setting up the fire to cook, a small crowd of children gather, maybe 20. I find them entertaining but we worry they will fall in the fire. We are constantly saying, “Move back, move back.”

The growing circle of children, there must be 50 now, around us wobbles back and forth as they push each other with excitement. Curious hands reach out to touch, poke and pinch. The naughty pincher is corrected on his behaviour and all the crowd calms down for a bit, they are a little embarrassed by their over excitement, telling each other to behave. When I pull out my camera some hands go up to cover the lens. Half of this group doesn’t want photos the other half are pushing to the front. I put it away as it’s causing more chaos.

Robert has to stay by the fire whilst I wade through the noisy crowd, that, happily, only come up to my shoulder, to fetch ingredients and tools from the car. Being a youth worker, I can’t help myself, and end up chatting with the children, giving them small jobs to keep them entertained. I make the mistake of telling them my name.

Woocash drives back down the market to fetch Emma and Mike. Returning, on his 3rd trip along the lane the stall holders are a little fed up of the giant car bumping her way through, dusting their produce.

Emma is tired and the big crowd of children fascinated by us and wanting our attention takes a lot of energy. Kindly, the Chief’s wife offers us a school room to eat in to escape the pressure and close window shutters on curious eyes.The children surround the room, banging, calling and chanting my name, “Aysha, Aysha”. Typically British, I’m embarrassed by the attention. There must be at least 100 by now. The Chief’s wife says that she doesn’t even know most of the children; they have come from miles around. She does not know how they found out we are there. She tells them off and they quieten a little. Enough so we can eat.

A nice custom across this region of Africa, is that we share food with our host, we win in this, as she brings sweet mangos for us. We talk softly and try to be as boring as possible for the children outside. The time is getting later and we pretend to go to sleep. Eventually, the children go home and I can at last cross the school yard to the toilets on my own.

WP_20141111_001 — That’s Robert cooling off under the tree with Cleopatra. She hasn’t overheated but we are always careful with her, she is 21 and carrying over a tonne of equipment and people.

Emma airborne and Mike cycling. Lots of people cycle in Malawi.

*****

Number of Days: 73

Total distance run by Emma: 3087 km, 1918 miles

Daily average distance run by Emma (including rest days): 42.3 km, 26.3 miles

Distance run today: 58.39 km, 36.28 miles

Malawi

June 8, 2016Aysha1 Comment

Malawi is flourishing green, although sadly all the big ancient forests have been cut down and sold. At 5.30am shops are open and people are busy.

Tasty tomatoes. Woocash and Robert disappeared off into the surrounding area to hunt out Oofa (Sadza) which has now become a team favourite food. In the meantime, these ladies were lovely and friendly and happy to sell me their produce.

The land of smiles is full of people smiling and waving. Food on the roadside is cheap and delicious. Ripe sweet mangos and home made doughnuts become daily treats. Insects are fluffy and the police are helpful. After a policeman checked our ID at a road block, he sent someone to fetch water for us from his house! A man we met along the way brought us sandwiches on our lunch break.

In the centre is the kindly man who came searching for us in our lunch break. It took him a while, we were well hidden.

I must take up this habit of being so welcoming to strangers. It’s a pretty incredible experience to be so consistently welcomed in every culture as we travel.

However, fuel is expensive, and I am paying, so camel style we have filled Cleo up in Mozambique and she will have her next drink in Mozambique in 5 days time. I like our mini challenge to make it across a whole (very thin) country with no fuel stops.

Mike back on the bike for a bit

Cooking breakfast at the side of the road

Too many sticks suffocate the fire. And yes, that is a blow torch on the ground. That’s men for you. I like to use a single match if I can. And no, Lukasz doesn’t always look that odd.