Bay2Bay Challenge

Soon to start the next chapter in our run4rhinos from bay2bay

Day 3:
After consulting with the team we decided that we would not drive for hours to get to where we needed to start running. We battled to get accommodation closer to where our Leg 1 was based which led to us staying closer to Pongola rather than at Thembe Elephant Park or Ndumo. Rather than driving far on day 3 we decided to start running early from Shayamoya which helped us avoid the raging heat and kept us nice and fresh😁 It was much 'cooler' running compared to the other days which was a treat. During the run we ran past sugarcane (which blessed our noses with a nice and sweet smell at times), Sitilo Game Reserve and the Pongola sugar mill. Keeping close to the Pongola River we managed to do another great 42km's ending on the D429 en route to Louwsburg and Ithala. Pamela and Sandra loved running next to the sugarcane because there were sprinklers irragating the fields which provided a great way to cool down😅. At the end of the run Pamela found a lovely spot to have a dip just off the road. It was yet another great day of running and lots of fun🤗.

We would all like to say a big thank you to Shayamoya because we loved the tented camp and it was so well equipped. Also, a big thank you goes out to all the team members that put in effort running. The team included Sandra, James, Jonathan, Kate and Pamela. A great representation from the Berning family. We hope to add more people to the team every time. Thanks for all the outside support and to everyone who donated money to the Rhino Project 😊

Day 2 :
The adventure began early and with two more members added to the team we felt very fresh and ready to go. It took us about two hours to get to where we planned to start running, following James and his love for the road less travelled. When we arrived at the area where we thought was the right place, we had to weave in and out looking for a specific road called the A1071. When we finally found it we followed it to the edge of the Thembe Elephant park fence and after opening some gates to get right next to the fence, we began running. The sandy road was quite tough on the calves but we were lucky to see some beautiful birds. After about 9km's along the fence line, there was a tree blocking the way and so we decided to track back along the fence and then continue on the road that we took to get there. We received wonderful smiles and greetings from the local children in a small village and even saw a cow doing the famous 😅. We grabbed some cold drinks and a few beers and carried on next to the main tar road on a lovely track. Making good use of the 'tag team' we managed to survive the raging 40 degree heat. Continuing on that track past the Thembe main gate, we managed to do a great 40km's. It had been a long day so we were all thrilled to go into Thembe to look for some of the famous Elephants. After a short while we came across some Elephants and they were absolutely spectacular. At one of the viewing hides we saw three lions and lots of Elephants around a water hole. On our way out we had another flat tyre. It is not a trip with the Bernings without a flat, it's practically a tradition now🤪. Luckily we were able to pump it up and then we found a great tyre place on the side of the road on the way back to base camp. They helped us plug the tyre and they were all so kind. It was a great 40°C/40km day and was once again lots of fun! The Bay to Bay journey for our beautiful Rhino's has truly been amazing so far😊

Day 1:
Heritage Day started off with a bang as we set off from Kosibaai. We had to buy permits from Kosi Mouth Lodge and Camp and Mike Whitfield gave us a great route to take. It really was a wonderful day for running. James and Pamela went for a swim in the Indian Ocean before the run whilst Sandra set off to start the first leg. She zoomed off and was very hard to catch, even in the car😅. When we caught up to her, the tag team was implemented and we headed for the Mozambique Border Post. We ran along the border fence and took in some amazing scenery. All went well until we were stopped by the very friendly Private Ndubane, a member of the South African army. Unfortunately they would not let us pass through the base to continue running next to the fence because of the possible danger of carjackings along the fence, which have been occurring a lot there recently. They did however, kindly provide us with an alternate route. Whilst running that route we were stopped again by some Police officers recommending that we don't continue because a total of 6 cars have been hijacked recently. By that time they had already found 2 of the vehicles but insisted that they lead us back to the main road. Some may say it was an official escort🤪. It was slightly disappointing for us as we had planned to do a lot more running that day but nevertheless we made some sandwiches, put a smile on our faces, made a new route for Day 2 and headed to Ndumo Game Park. All in all, it was a great day and lots of fun😁

A slight hiccup en route to Kosibaai😅 ... But all sorted and back on track thanks to Neal and his team at Ladysmith Dunlop!