Monk's Cowl Trail Running

I'm in the final stages of training for my first 100-miler, the Diagonale des Fous on Reunion Island (18 October). The race has close to 10,000m of total ascent, which is difficult to train for in Gauteng without doing many many hill reps of the same 200m koppies. So I was very keen to have a block or two of training in the Berg, where I stay at a campsite for a week, spend some time in the mountains I love and get some big climbs into the legs!

After our Northern Traverse FKT, Warren dropped me off at the Monk's Cowl campsite, which I had to myself for the next 5 days (other than having to defend my food against the resident vervet monkeys of course). The area was pretty burnt in places, which makes for some harsh conditions, but mostly perfect trail-running terrain as the paths are clear of long grass and you can get much more actual running done. Promise it wasn't me that started the fires!

So after a rest day on Sunday, the rest of my week looked like this:

Monday:
A perfect, runnable loop via Steilberg and Sterkhorn (29km, 1800m climb, 4h13m) www.movescount.com/moves/move241786561

Tuesday:
More of a mountain adventure over Cowl Pass and summitting Gatberg (37km, 2500m climb, 7h09m) www.movescount.com/moves/move242017176

Wednesday:
My legs were quite dead from the previous day so had an easier day via Hlatikulu Forest, Nandi Falls, Keartland's Pass & The Matterhorn (19km, 1000m climb, 2h44m) www.movescount.com/moves/move242182101

Thursday:
In the morning I set out for a steady effort up Sterkhorn, but got sucked into a full-on TT effort. Made it up and down in 2h43m with some super-fun downhill! (17km, 1500m climb) www.movescount.com/moves/move242369545

In the evening I wanted to test my headlamp battery life so did a long loop via Blindman's Corner and Jacob's Ladder. Unfortunately sprained my foot near Hlatikulu Nek, so most of the rest of the night was done at a fast hike. Amazing (and a little scary) to be up there solo at night! (30km, 900m climb, 4h47m) www.movescount.com/moves/move242508351

I was planning on doing an overnight hike with my wife and some friends on the weekend, but the sprained foot made that a bad idea. Putting our feet up at the Cathedral Peak Hotel for the weekend was a good way to cure the injury blues All-in-all a wonderful training week! The foot has healed enough to do some easy road running this week and hopefully I can get back onto the trails soon enough... just over 4 weeks to go to race day.

Beautiful contouring trail to Steilberg:


On the way up Sterkhorn:
 

Sterkhorn summit: 
 

Peeping out through the wormhole on Sterkhorn:


Contour Path views on the way to Cowl Fork:


Cowl Pass:
 

In the thick of things on Cowl Pass, with some easy waterfall scrambles:


Some old snow contrasting with the burnt grassy slopes near the top of Cowl Pass:


Tricky, uneven terrain in trail runners descending to Keith Bush:


The worst of the bundu-bashing, crossing the Mhlawazini River above Keith Bush:

Slogging up Gatberg:


Cowl Pass from the summit of Gatberg:


The spectacular panorama from inside the Gat


Late afternoon light coming down Keartland's Pass: