Welcome to part 2 of my series documenting the Great World Race—7 marathons on 7 continents in only 1 week. If you missed the icy beginning, you can catch part 1 here, where it all started in Antarctica. Each post is a deep dive into the grit, emotion, and surreal moments of this adventure. In this chapter, we’re heading to Cape Town, South Africa, where the heat, and the challenge of back-to-back marathons began to set the tone for what lay ahead.
After a luxurious 20 minutes of sleep (I know, living the dream), it was time for marathon number 2 in Cape Town. The plan was simple: run, shower, eat, and get to the airport as fast as humanly possible. I was channeling my inner Speedy Gonzales to squeeze in a little recovery before hopping on the next flight.
Day 2: Cape Town 🌊
The course? 6 loops right along the ocean. The weather was gorgeous—sunny, warm, and breezy. Spirits were high, legs were feeling good, and I was READY. But then my watch decided to act up the second we started the race. It wouldn’t show my pace, and I spent the first kilometer restarting it, which threw me off a little. I know I tend to go out too fast, and I was fearful that I was going to hit a wall halfway through.
I tagged onto Dan, a fellow runner and German, who was running at a similar pace (although a bit faster than my usual pace), so we teamed up, and it made all the difference. We ran together for a few hours, chatting and letting the time fly by. But, as with every marathon, the honeymoon phase didn’t last forever. By loop 4, his knee started acting up, and by loop 5, my stomach decided to stage a full-on protest.
I tried to power through, but there was no avoiding it—I had to stop for the bathroom. Let’s just say it was barely in time. Actually, scratch that—I didn’t make it in time. 🙈 Another Arctic bathroom adventure… except this time, in Cape Town. Once again, I lost about 5 minutes, but hey, after that, I was running much lighter. 😉
Lap 6 started off strong. I was on pace for a new PB, Dan was long gone, and I was feeling good, despite the heat picking up. And then… BAM. I tripped over the curb and went down hard, flat on my face. It hurt, but it wasn’t my first rodeo, and thankfully, no serious damage—just some bruises, blood, and a solid reminder to lift my feet.
New PB
But guess what? I finished. Aaaand I hit a new PB: 03:37. On day 2. After Antarctica. I’m still wrapping my head around it.
Afterwards, it was a whirlwind of showering, eating, and packing up for the next leg of the journey. By the time we got on the plane to Perth, I passed out before dinner, woke up just long enough to eat, and then crashed until breakfast.
Cape Town, you were a rollercoaster, but what a ride. Next stop: Australia!
