The Motivation...

 

Like all adventurous people, this idea came impulsively, while I was at my desk, stuck in an office, on a marginally sunny day, wishing I was out running somewhere. I thought, "since I’m turning 28 let’s do some gnarly run adventure - my style!" (which usually means seeing how far away from home I can get and then attempt to run back!).

 

The cliffs on the South West Coast Path are where I feel most “at home” as a South African. I thought, how about I run 28km a day for a week...then it turned into 28 miles a day...and then I hopped onto the SWCP website and randomly typed Salcombe into the distance calculator. This was mainly because the alliteration of Salcombe to Studland (the end point of the South West Coast Path & also the closest point to my home) sounded sick! Plus, some kind of cool thing happened where the distance landed on 280.8km (including the loop around Portland bill), and I kinda knew that was that! When I have these impulsive ideas I find it best to act quick - I had the idea 2 months before my birthday!

 

I didn’t really have any big motivation, but I guess the idea was to show people the art of sustainable running. I didn’t train mega amounts for it - just kept running as usual, upping distance (guess it helps that I don’t have a car because I usually get myself from point to point by running), and most importantly having fun! No big goal in mind, just to be out there, running my own pace, not racing, being present, and having a few special people come run along the way. Taking just a film camera and a pen to document the journey.

Photo: Day 1, Salcombe, Ponnek Film Camera

 

This is the part where we (PONNEK!), got to sit down with Gabi and fire a few weird and wonderful (+ some normal) questions her way.

 

Like all true superheroes - did you have a theme song?

I don’t run with music, very rarely, and if I do it’s usually because I'm on tarmac. When I’m on trails the sounds of nature are really all I need.

 

But one song I always turn to when I run is “Made to Stray" by Mount Kimbie (both the original and rework from DJ Koze). It’s funny, I only really took the few lyrics of that song in now while I was writing this. They’re kinda perfect for my view and style of running!

 

“Shadows turn to grey

A slave today,

He cowered beyond reckless tracks of impulse.

Made to stray around rough coasts

When grace is close to home.”

Photo: Day 2, half way point of a 45k day, calling in a van nap

 

Nice! We love Mount Kimble at Ponnek HQ!

How many snacks is too many snacks?

 

No such thing. Running long distances means you get to move with a picnic on your back! Just as long as there are no gel’s in there, let’s eat real food!

 

We agree - maybe that's the best part about running eh!

If your feet could talk at the end of day 4, what would they have said?

 

We like less cushion because we feel more connected. Sometimes it means acknowledging a rock and a hard surface quicker on the knees, but a stumble means we move slower and more graciously. It means we respect the surfaces, soften when we need to and toughen up accordingly.

Fittingly, day 4 ended off in the quaint town of Beer, dipping my very hot feet in the town stream.

Featuring my good buddy Kieran, missioning all the way down from Nottingham to run the “not so flat” running he’s use to back home and in London.

Photo: Day 4 In the town of Beer

 

Your go to motivation mantra when things go brutal?

 

“Don’t be afraid of the uphills, I’m yet to meet one that didn’t have a great view”

Photo: Kieran, chasing white rocks winding through clay coves & red cliffs

Photo: Loana, ultra marathon runner, “after this hill we’ll be rolling with the blessings”

 

Ha! Love that.

Most unexpected thing you learnt about yourself ?

 

Humbly, I now admit that I’m athlete. I don’t often think of myself as one, because my philosophy is more about having fun and taking it easy, and maybe that’s the trick behind it. But I got up 6 of the 7 days excited to get out and move. With one tough day - and no niggles or pains. I'm very thankful my body held up the way it did!

Photo: Chesil Beach, the long flat

 

Wow! Beast mode engaged!

Which section made you think- why am I doing this? And which made you feel like a trail running god?

 

The Day 6 Portland Bill loop was the hardest. I took almost 5 hours to run (mainly walk) a very flat section. I stopped about 3 or 4 times over 20km, and found the whole thing so pointless. Annoyingly, it was the stretch I wanted to have the most energy for as I ran it with my boyfriend Jamie, who had been my support crew in the van meeting me at the end of every day. Regardless, I did manage a laugh (after two little cries), and got myself a B&B and slept for 14 hours to help get me going for my final stretch home.

Photo: Portland Bill, managing a smile, on a tough day in a beautiful location

Photo: Jamie, Church Ope Cove, Portland

 

Trail running God?!

 

I snapped this photo just before one of my favourite stretches on the home leg between Ringstead Bay and Osmington mills. I don’t know what it is about that wild grass and the beginning of the roller coaster cliffs back home - but it always feels like magic!

 

Here’s a snippet of the piece I wrote:

 

“I swear running with cliffs in your eye line on a narrow ridge with long grass swaying beneath your feet is as close as we’ll ever get to feeling like birds catching drifts.

 

There’s a stretch between Osmington mills and the climb up White Nothe where the bend of the curve and the freedom of the downhill reaches your feet where magic enters. Knowing you have friends trailing beside you, in complete silence, experiencing the same magic, moving as one, finding comfort in togetherness. Those are the stretches you can only dream off as a trail-runner.”

Photo: Henry and Kris, White Nothe. Guiding me on my final stretch home

Photo: Kingy, taking a Wizz off some cliffs

 

Movie titles

 

Day 1: Call Me by Your Name

Day 2: Around the world in 80 days

Day 3: Die Hard

Day 4: Interstellar

Day 5: The Constant Gardner

Day 6: Jojo Rabbit

Day 7: The Big Short

 

That is the list of the people who ran with me and their favourite movies. I couldn’t have done it without them.

Photo: Nick & Tatty, Babbacombe Beach. Bringing along trail snacks from “around the world”

Photo: Gil and I, Otterton. He has taught me the art of slow, easy running.

 

 

Favourite item of Ponnek kit?

 

Running is Magic Cap & The Dust Runs Deep Socks.

 

Nice choices!

Would you do it again?

 

Hell yeah! Cornwall stretch on Ponnek home’s turf loading??

 

Yes Please!

The Finish Line