Sanlam Cape Town 10 km Peace Run

I received a complimentary entry into the Sanlam Cape Town Peace Run.  All opinions are my own.

The morning after my excursion to Big Bay parkrun, I was up before sunrise once again - it was time for the Sanlam Cape Town 10 km Peace Run!  I must admit that my feet dragged a bit as I got ready: Somehow my neighbours thought it appropriate to fight and shout until after 02:00 a.m - ugh!  Not even my trusty pink earplugs could block out all that anger.

Anyway, I was dressed and in my starting pen by 06:20 a.m. (the race started at 06:50).  I somehow ended up in the very last starting pen once again (my story of 2015, haha!), but had a blast nonetheless: Music was pumping, Deep Heat fumes were wafting and selfies were being snapped all over the place.      

It took me and my fellow Corral C occupants a good five minutes to cross the starting line after the race had started, slowly inching our way to the big, blue starting blimp.  I took the opportunity to look up and appreciate the weather: Cool and overcast, with no wind or rain - perfect!   

Inching our way to the big, blue starting blimp (top left).

Once over the starting line, the field spread out pretty quickly and I was able to run at a decent pace.  The route was stunning - Cape Town, I love you!  Flat and fast, with unbeatable views - what more can a girl ask for?  My two favourite portions of the route were: a) The small portion of the race route that overlapped with the Greenpoint parkrun route - such good memories!; and b) The blue carpet stadium finish - I felt like an elite!  

I must also add that the one comment I heard over and over again from fellow runners, was that the race's organization was superb - and I must agree.  From the marshals, the starting pens and the water tables, right through to the finish area - everything just worked.          

A blue carpet finish!  [Photo by Jetline Action Photo.] 

I ended up clocking a 56:14 (Garmin time - I only pressed start once I crossed the starting line, which was five minutes after the race officially started) - not too bad for a back-of-the-pack seeding in a big city race (5 794 participants), right?  

Thankfully my noisy neighbours had run out of steam by the time I returned to my room, so it was breakfast for me, and then straight back to bed.  

A perfect morning in my books!