2 women 'everest' on George Peak for Wild Mongoo

GEORGE NEWS - Two local female ultra trail runners, Gaelyn Slabber-Postma (39) and Gillian Lupton-Smith (38), everested on George Peak at the weekend by summitting eight times in 34 hours and 58 minutes.

They did so without sleeping, starting on Friday 13 September at 08:00 and completing their mission at about 20:00 on Saturday evening. Their aim was to create awareness of the George-based community project Wild Mongoo, which is focused on empowering women who face poverty, abuse and prostitution.

Speaking about the gruelling experience, Gaelyn, a personal trainer and co-owner at Studio at 12, said late Friday night there were a few moments when they contemplated giving up, but they eventually pushed through.

To qualify as an everesting challenge, their summits had to be back-to-back, so they were not not allowed to sleep. "I think the longest rest we had was about 40 minutes," said Gaelyn. She and Gill, a neonatal doctor at George Hospital, are long-standing running buddies.

The psychological and physical challenges of such an effort are huge. When darkness fell on Friday evening, the two runners were about halfway.

"At about 22:00, we sat down at the top and contemplated stopping at five or six summits, which would also be a satisfactory feat. It was cold and dark, and very, very lonely in the mountain.

"Our feet were getting really sore and fatigue was taking over. We had to take some energy gels and caffeine to stay awake. But as we chatted, we came to the conclusion that there were much harder things that people face in their lives than running up and down a mountain, such as the women of Wild Mongoo. So we continued."

As the sun appeared, they were re-energised. "There were also people who came out to encourage us and other hikers and runners on the mountain, and seeing them also gave us renewed strength."

While running the 100km race at the MUT (Mountain Ultra-Trail) by UTMB in the Outeniqua Mountains earlier this year, Gill and Gaelyn decided they wanted to use their love of spending time in the mountains to raise awareness and funds for a good cause.

"We chose Wild Mongoo because it is local and it involves uplifting women. I was introduced to the organisation by another friend of mine. It immediately struck a nerve with Gill and me, and we really want to create awareness of the amazing work they do.

"At Wild Mongoo, women caught up in a life of having to sell themselves are given an alternative in a wonderful way. They are very close to our hearts."

The two runners started a Back-a-Buddy account to raise R100 000 for Wild Mongoo, of which the first R6 000 is already in the kitty.

Their everesting effort is part of a series of challenges they will be taking on that will culminate in the MUT 100 miler (160km) next year.

Wild Mongoo provides vulnerable women with psychological, spiritual, economic and medical support and also offers skills training. Currently, 30 women are enrolled in the programme, learning skills such as sewing, leather work, beading, embroidery, printing and nail care. Visit their website and online store at www.wildmongoo.co.za.