On Saturday, the 15th of November, the 100km SkyRun unfolded in the rugged and majestic Witteberg Mountains in the Eastern Cape Drakensberg.
This is a tribute to the SkyRun; to the experience, and to all the SkyRunners for completing this extreme challenge. It also serves as a personal meditation: Why we are drawn to such physically and emotionally demanding adventures?
The SkyRun 100
The SkyRun 100 is not your typical ultra trail run. It’s an extreme mountain running challenge that demands participants to race through the night, navigate independently, and carry their own supplies. In this race, runners traverse the remote Witteberg Mountain Range. It’s far from civilisation and the terrain and altitude are hostile to running and the climbs are steep. The mountains resist you and test your limits. The reward is life-changing for those who endure and reach the finish line. The SkyRun is a process of transformation for each athlete — physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Toeing the line of Pain and Pleasure
Why do people willingly face the pain and discomfort of something as gruelling as the SkyRun 100?
There is something deeply satisfying about enduring circumstances beyond what you think is possible, venturing into the unfamiliar terrain of exhaustion and discomfort. Doing so awakens a new psychological landscape characterised by clarity, growth, and understanding.
Crossing the finish line is euphoric. Your body feels broken, but you feel light and almost weightless. It’s a paradox that only SkyRunners fully understand. As Meister Eckhart wrote, “If you want the kernel, you must break the shell.”
The pleasure of the SkyRun is attainable only through enduring the pain. The lessons learned linger long after the physical aches have faded.
Avoca: The Harshest Control Point
While I didn’t compete as an athlete this year, I couldn’t resist returning to the mountains.
Arriving at Lady Grey on Friday afternoon, the atmosphere at registration was charged with anticipation.
My son, Daniël and I volunteered at Avoca. It’s the highest checkpoint on the route; 2756m elevation and 40km from the start in Lady Grey. Reaching Avoca is a challenge. The journey started on Friday evening, driving from Lady Grey towards Barkley-East, turning off towards Lundeans Nek, and driving into the New England area towards the Avoca farmstead.
From the farmstead to the peak is a 7km hike and a 1,000m elevation climb. The SkyRun starts at 04:00 in Lady Grey. We started our hike before 05:00 under starlight to be at the checkpoint by no later than 08:30, the approximate time expecting the front runners.
November weather at Avoca is unpredictable—snow, gale-force winds, hail, and lightning are not uncommon.
Packing for the checkpoint demands thorough preparation: waterproof jackets, warm layers, a flashlight, food, water, and emergency equipment. My mountain staples? “Droëwors”, apples, and Marmite -, peanut butter and jam sandwiches.
The most beautiful scenery
Reflect: My Skyrun 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 As a participant and marshal.
Youtube Skyrun Video
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
The SkyRun is more than a race—it’s a journey that strips away the ordinary, revealing the extraordinary within. The experience begins in the physical: burning muscles and gasping lungs. As the climbs steepen and the hours stretch on, it shifts to the psychological: navigating rugged terrain and battling self-doubt.
The wild beauty of the mountains stirs deep emotions, and as the sun sets and the stars blaze, the journey transcends into the spiritual. Here, in the collision of man, mountain, and sky, something remarkable happens.
You are no longer merely a runner; you become part of the landscape, connected to its raw beauty and infinite expanse.
A Tribute to SkyRunners
To all who participated in the SkyRun 100: you’ve embraced the pain, endured the challenge, and discovered the pleasure that lies on the other side of suffering.
Marius Hurter https://www.facebook.com/marius.hurter.92, your completion of this brutal 100km journey is a testament to human resilience and determination. Marius played prop in the famous 1995 Rugby World Cup Springbok team under Francois Pienaar’s captaincy. Marius still is a block of a man, fit and in excellent condition.
The SkyRun is at an average elevation of 2200-2500 metres above sea level with an elevation gain of approximately 5000m (5 x the height of Table Mountain). Coming from Somerset-West at sea level and dragging your own body weight up and down the Witteberg Mountains adjacent to Lesotho, demands serious wattage.
The majority of those failing to complete the race at the first attempt don’t return. If my memory serves me well, this year was Marius’s fourth attempt and at the age of 54, he succeeded in completing it. This level of determination is something to admire and to be celebrated.
Finishing the SkyRun 100 changes a person—it pulls you beyond your limitations, shaping you in ways that no ordinary experience can.
May the mountains always call to those seeking transformation.
To every SkyRunner, whether you finished or not, you’ve ventured into the extraordinary.
Safe journeys, bold adventures, and may you always find joy in the dance of pain and pleasure.
Wium
100km Results https://sportraxs.com/races/1207/leaderboard
Skyrun Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SkyrunZA