Grand Traverse Record Race

Cobus has written a great report on their trip here:

drakensberg.ning.com/profiles/blogs/stuck-phase-by-cobus-van-zyl

Greetings fellow fresh air lovers!

I have tried everything including the MCSA to find GPS coordinates for the Grand Traverse run (206km). I am yet to be successful. Is there any one who could and would help me to get the appropriate coordinates and put my heart at rest. me and my partner are running the GT in April and I am desperate for these coord's.

Thanx

Jurie

Then you must have missed the download section

Everything GT related

and:

GPS Tracks

www.drakensberg.ning.com is the blog site where all Drakensberg Grand Traverse Record challengers share info. You'll have to do a bit of digging in the blog posts there to find the GPS tracks of the optimal record route - I've uploaded a Google Earth track there before and I believe Andrew Porter has loaded his GPS tracks.

Note that the Grand Traverse GPS route available on this site (VE.com) is likely to be very different to the route you will take if you are attempting a record. The route on this site will likely contain the most scenic, rather than the shortest and/or fastest route.

I was talking to a friend yesterday about the Berg and he was telling me about his plan to have a shot at the Grand Traverse Speed Records in April next year. Apparently the 3 days 9 hour record was smashed by a group doing it in 60 hours a few months ago (thats close to 4km/h without breaks). Does anyone know the details of this, I can't see how this is really possible (well I guess it might be possible to walk for 60 hours without breaks and just stopping to eat if you are really fit and then collapse promptly on reaching the Bushman's Nek border post, maybe hiking over full moon with a good GPS and a torch provided weather plays along).

The more odd part is that they have invited me to join their attempt on the record (I am actually considering joining, but may need a brain scan first, only an insane person would even try this!), I can't see how this is practically possible to beat (other than something like 59h58 which would still be insane), does anyone have a clue about how you can train for something like this, hopefully being a young and fairly fit person I should be able to cope with the right amount of training, and a box or 2 of energade jellies...

M I N D B O G G L I N G!!

I've just stumbled accross this one and related threads. Wow Stijn! I first read about the records on www.drakensberg.ning.com. When I saw Stijn there, I rushed straight back to VE to check whether it was the same Stijn or not! :woohoo: Amazing what you guys do.

Scenario: Jack (male) and Jill (female) go for the record and both of them complete the Supertraverse without breaking any rules in lets say 90 hours. Does Jill then hold the woman's record(seeing she broke the current women's record of 110 hours), or must the party consist of only women for the women's record to be broken?

Thanks! I'm glad to say that the record has improved even more since and is now no longer in the league of punters like me . It's going to take plenty of running (or zero sleep) to break the current record of 60h29m30s!

As for the women's record. The current 110h57m record was set by Christine Harris accompanied by Carlos Gonzales, a man, as you may have gathered . So the scenario you describe above would certainly count as a new women's record as long as we're not talking about a contrived situation where a guy who is much stronger than the lady carries everything in order to move faster as a group. That would start blurring the lines of an "unsupported" women's record.

So, the question is, have you got something up your sleeve for the coming silly season?

Does anyone know if there is an official south to north speed record?