In-Reach runner, Carna Koch, has won the recent Mountain Marathon Series – a trail run event.
The self-proclaimed ‘farm girl’ feels alive on the rocky trails as they always take her on an adventure.
“No matter the route, I always learn something about myself,” she told Randburg Sun.
“When I run, I feel connected to myself and am more aware of my body and my senses. In 2019, I got my first taste of an ultra-trail marathon and I fell in love.”
In-Reach coach Cornè van Zyl encouraged Koch to take on the series competitively. Each series comprises five mountain marathons of 42km distances with 2 000m elevation gain. These are held all over South Africa and only the top six male and female runners receive an invitation to the finals afterwards.
Last year, Koch ran races in the Drakensberg, Soutpansberg (where some runners saw a leopard) and Uitsoek.
“On December 4, we lined up at the start of the Drakensberg Trail Festival – the final race for the top spot on the podium. Because of safety reasons, the race organisers had to shorten the route to 32km. It was raining and very wet, we climbed all the way to the escarpment via Vultures Pass. We ran a few kilometres on the escarpment in rainy and misty conditions. It makes you feel alive and scared at the same time.”
Thunder and lightning accompanied the runners as they made their way toward a very technical descent, followed by a loop at the bottom of the mountain, which Koch led.
“When I approached the finish and realised what I achieved, I almost started crying. What an amazing experience. My husband and family waited for me at the finish with hugs and high fives.”
Koch concluded that the main thing she took away from the run was that everyone could be extraordinary.
“Go out and chase your dreams, anything is possible with hard work, determination and self-discipline.”
