100-mile warriors

Extreme fitness: William Robinson was one of the top three finishers in South Africa's only 100-mile trail run, in the Addo Elephant National Park

On 2 May, 21 extreme marathoners set out on a mission to conquer 100 miles of rugged terrain. Of the twelve finishers, two of the top three were from UCT.

William Robinson, a postgraduate student in the mathematics department, finished second (19:51) and cardiologist Professor Andrzej 'AO' Okreglicki finished third (23:06). They were running the 5th Addo 100 Miler, South Africa's only 100-mile trail run, in the Addo Elephant National Park.

"Yes, one hundred miles is a long way," said first-timer Robinson. This was double the length of his previous longest trail run.

Okreglicki, on the other hand, has run every one, and won it too, in 2007.

The 100-mile race, equal to almost four marathons, with 19 check points, 8 to 11km apart, is not for the faint hearted. At 06h00 on Saturday runners started their trek through some winding passes, sidestepping rocks in their way, to complete the course by Sunday - in less than 24 hours.

"The sun rose, the sun set; the moon rose, the moon set," Robinson said.

But completing such an iconic race is worth the effort. After all, this is about going for a run "miles away from the urban hum of traffic and people and enjoying the bushveld serenity of one of South Africa's biggest national parks."