Another 100 miler completed for Wild Mongoo

GEORGE NEWS - Local extreme runners Gillian Lupton-Smith and Gaelyn Slabber-Postma successfully completed the Longmore Forest Endurance Run (LoFER) from 19 to 21 December, their fourth 100 miler (163km) to raise awareness of the local women’s ministry, Wild Mongoo.

They completed the run in a time of 39:05:10. Lupton-Smith says it was the toughest one they’ve done yet.

The LoFER takes place annually in the Longmore Forest Reserve, located near Thornhill between Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Jeffrey's Bay.

“It was definitely the toughest run we’ve done this year, but such an incredibly beautiful, humbling and testing run. We both felt relatively comfortable with our mental preparation, but very under-prepared physically with quite a few niggles and lingering injuries.

“If we had to sum up this run in a word or two, I think it’ll be ‘extremely wild and wildly extreme' - extreme flat to extreme climbs and extreme descents, extreme heat and bordering heatstroke to gale force blizzards with pelting rain, pea-soup mist, ice-cold winds, extreme pain and almost giving up, but then also such extreme joy, really good laughs and such spectacular scenery.”

The humble Lupton-Smith says it was a team effort to get to the finish line and acknowledges the support of the race organisers, checkpoint crews, fellow trail runners, Coert Slabber-Postma, their devoted and supportive friends and families and the Wild Mongoo team.

They drew inspiration from the women of Wild Mongoo who overcome huge life challenges. “I think that Wild Mongoo has actually helped us more than we ever even hope to help them. We are eternally grateful and inspired by Annalie Cable, Lindsay Hogan and their team and community.”

Although it was their final 100 miler for the ministry, they are hoping to keep on raising awareness and funds. The two did the Mountain Ultra Trail (MUT) 100 Miler earlier this year, although Slabber-Postma had to withdrew at 100km in that race because of a perforated eardrum.

Wild Mongoo offers a programme to vulnerable women who are trapped in poverty, abuse and prostitution. The programme offers training in a wide range of skills that help the women become independent.

The Wild Mongoo premises expanded this year in order to accommodate all their prolific business activities.

Visit their website to read more on what they do.

Gaelyn Slabber-Postma posted this photo on her Facebook page.