Sunday 12th Nov - Gordon's Bay Sprint Triathlon - Crystal Pools Hike!!

Think BIG!

The BIG BOYS!

Chaos in the pack!

SUNDAY'S HIKE VIBE

Athletes,

This Sunday sees EYB travel slightly out of town but only as far as Gordon's Bay for the Resolution/Energade Triathlon series. There are numerous EYB athletes taking to the sea/road either as individuals or in the team format. It's always an awesome vibe to be a part of, even as a spectator, and the weather is looking peachy at 30 degrees and clear!

Late entries are definately still allowed at registration so anyone still up for it should get down there early to grab an entry! The race starts at 9am!!

Check out the vibe at www.energadetriseries.co.za

After the triathlon festivities, we are going to drag our tired legs up to the AMAZING Crystal Pools half way up the Steenbras River Gorge, and ANYONE is welcome to join us. It's a very short 35-40 min hike up to the Pools and we are aiming to unpack our bags and chill for a record EYB VAVT of between 1 - 2 hours...it's that kinda place!!

Approximate Start time of Crystal Pools Hike: 1pm'ish (please call Beef on 0738086116 or Dave on 0828892711 for any other details)

EHT: In total we are hoping to be back down the mountain by about 4-4:30pm'ish to give folks a chance to get back into Cape Town at a decent hour!

WDIP: Head out on the N2 towards Sir Lowry's Pass. Turn right onto the R44 towards Strand and Gordons Bay. Continue on through Gordons Bay along the coastal Rd (Still the R44) until you reach the SUNBIRD RESORT on your right. The Steenbras River Mounth is soon after the resort and after driving over the Benning Bridge, the start of the hike is only a few 100 meters on the left hand side.

To Bring: Water, swimming gear, towel, picnic vibe, chow, sunscreen... anything else that will make the VAVT what you want it to be!!

FLA's: I am not entirely sure, but will try and have something up on the site by the end of the day, so for those who are interested please 'Ctrl F5' EYB site before leaving work.

Otherwise, not much else to mention so see as many of you out there as possible! The weather as mentioned looks awesome so it should be a great day out!!

EARN YOUR BREAKFAST!!!

CONTACT US: earnyourbreakfast@gmail.com

Blackburn Ravine - Chapmans Peak HIKE!!

Top of Blackburn Ravine - VAVT Calender Shoot!

Hoerikwaggo Contour Views

Karbonkelberg - EYB has been everywhere!

What a Vibe!!

Happy Feet!

Chapmans Summit - Ricky B would have loved it!!

Chapmans Peak Drive - NOT closed to EYB!!

100% Pure Vibe

Noordhoek Magic!

Earn Your Savannah - Cafe Roux

Amber, Dallas, and CFT

Dallas and 'Tuffy'

Balloon Award - Classic!

HATT Handover!

Athletes,

This past Sunday saw only 4 EYB athletes on the mountains of Cape Town due to a weekend away for some and some time out for others. For those who were indeed in Cape Town and decided to skip Sunday's vibe, you guys missed one of the most beautiful hikes in the Table Mountain National Park.

To keep things brief, we kicked off at 8:45am sharp from the Silvermine Dam after having shuttled some cars down to the Red Herring, and headed up the jeep track towards the top of Blackburn Ravine. This viewing platform is one of most picture perfect spots in Cape Town and the VAVT stop was pretty special!

After a beautiful, steep but easy decent we linked up with the Hoerikwaggo Trail and it contoured us along to the base of Chapmans Peak. This path is a fairly easy walk and provides you with amazing views accross Hout Bay. The very short but steepish climb up to the summit of Chapmans Peak is so worth the effort as the panaramic views are spectacular. Noordhoek Beach, False Bay, Hout Bay... its unbelievable!

The decent down into Noordhoek is pretty awesome with the terrain changing from corner to corner and the views of the beach getting closer and closer! This hike is definately one to repeat in the near future and despite the eventual 4 and a half hours hike time, is a fairly chilled non-strenuous hike!!

The PHV took us to the the amazing Cafe Roux which is well worth a visit! The BALLOON AWARD on Sunday had to go to Amber who WDIP'ed her way all the way to the RED Herring, and then proceeded to leave her camera in the car on a day which afforded her ample photo ops!! All in all we all had such an amazing day out and wish more folks could have experienced the beauty of it all on Sunday! To the 4 athletes who got out there on Sunday - awesome effort!

The HATT award on Sunday had to go to an athlete which raised her game not only on the day but also the night before. A new K-Way Hydration backpack had been purchased on Saturday by the mighty Dallas, and in preparation for Sunday's epic she felt the need sleep with it on to make sure that she kept herself well prepared and hydrated for Sunday! Dallas and 'Tuffy' were indeed well deserved victors for Sundays HATT AWARD!

Athletes - this hike WILL happen again... be sure not to miss it - It's a beauty!!

Check out this week's FAMM below!!

EARN YOUR BREAKFAST!!

CONTACT US: earnyourbreakfast@gmail.com

FAMM looks for gnomes on Pipe Track

The beach awaits us after our morning run

After dealing us a dismal hand last week, weather guru.com seems to have brought us some much needed sunshine this week, which is looking to last well into Friday and beyond. So with sunny skies and rainbows on our side we will be staying in the same area as last week, just attacking a different mountain! After a beautiful Tuesday morning run, it has been decided by a tremendous group of scout athletes, that this week's FAMM will take place along the Pipe Track of Camps Bay! It is a scenic route with some cheeky uphills along its windy path but nothing that the FAMM athletes can't handle. Erica be sure to watch your feet and not the "view", we need to keep injuries and broken limbs at a minimum before the weekend's activities. This is a great warm up run for those Athletes heading to Gordon's Bay for the Sunday Triathlon.

Team "Scout"

We will begin again from Kloof Nek parking lot and head straight onto the Pipe Track and run along for about 25 mins until we hit the sign marking our ascent up DIAGONAL GORGE. Depending on running time we should manage a quick and easy paced hike up, until we reach the decided VAVT spot for the morning. The views from up here are spectacular and a swift VAVT is a must while we catch our breath before hot stepping back down the path! Once down the steps an easy "jog it in" awaits us back to our cars. It should take no longer than an hour if we all keep at a good pace but can always keep an eye on the stop watch as can turn back if time sneaks up on us.

What time: 5:45am
Riche Time: 5:30 am...
We definitely want to try and fit in the small hike up the beginning of Diagonal so need to be on the mountain by no later than six am!!

Muffin Duty: Team Milnerton

Where do I park: Kloof Nek parking lot, same as last week. Up Kloof Nek rd, turn left into Tafelberg Rd and the parking lot is immediately on your left.
Listen out for the Chariots tune and you can't miss us!

Post Hike Vibe: For those who don't work too hard...we know who we are...Dallas has suggested a well earned swim in Camps Bay and Tea and muffins on the beach! And for those who don't work at all this will be followed by further coffees and cakes at Cafe del Mar! If the weather guru throws us a curve ball we will head to our local Vida for the usual!

Should be a beautiful morning out Athletes, great views, exceptional company and yet another awesome way to EARN YOUR WEEKEND!
See you Friday!

More beautiful sunrise views await us

CONTACT US: earnyourbreakfast@gmail.com

FAMM reveals what real Athletes are made of

Team FAMM ready for take off

After hurricane Hilda swept through the sleeping city of Cape Town on Thursday night, FAMM saw a reduced number of Athletes take to the mountains on Friday morning. Surprisingly though, 10 + 1 courageous and over keen Athletes made their way to the Kloof Nek parking lot and waited in their warm cars as Athletes around the city made the call whether they should get out of bed or not. We even saw 2 ultra brave Debutants join the team on such an ambiguous morning! Well done!

Text messages went back and forth as to who would be brave enough to attack Lion's head and Signal Hill. There were reports of there being too much water in Harfield Village to even drive to work let alone make a run and a few random and well earned headaches from the night before - the little white ambulance was sneakily downed minutes before we were swept up the mountain by the Cape storm. Our Milnerton team took slowly to the idea of a run amidst the storm but once they heard that it was "A GO" they raced through to join the team of cold and slightly insane Athletes who were biting at the grip to head up the mountain. So with our team finally in tact and out of the warmth of their cars, we started just after six and made our way with a jog up the Signal Hill Rd to get our blood pumping through our veins.

FAMM navigates its way along the windswept road

Warmth was the essential aim at this point and after a few over excited minutes of jogging uphill, athletes saw themselves taking to a fast walk instead. There were shouts from the back of shattering pancreas's but the team pressed on and slowly got into a comfortable pace on this beautiful winter's morning!

The weather seemed to be rather calm as we headed up the path of Lion's head - That is besides the gale force winds that propelled us up at breaking speed! Speaking too soon the heavens opened and decided to make our incredible effort that much more hazardous! If there was ever a time to earn anything this was it! Never defeated, the FAMM athletes lifted their game and enthusiasm reached an all time high as we reached the silver route marker taking us down onto Signal Hill. We said some quick farewells to those with Post Hike Work Traffic Constraints (PHWTC) and those protecting their future children! Thanks for coming out guys even in such challenging conditions!

The fynbos survives the Cape Storm

Rain jackets and hoodies zipped up and tightened, we jogged it in along the rocky contour path as we carefully watched our cross country feet make their way down. Sadly, due to the previous night's downpour, the friendly gnomes had clearly taken shelter and were not seen along the route. Keep your eyes out next Friday guys! The rain abated and a quick photo shoot was had on Signal Hill as we all congratulated our tremendous effort! VAVT being constrained somewhat by weather guru.com we made an executive decision to keep the bodies warm and continue home along windswept road back to the cars.

Tea in Flask (TIF) and Blueberry muffins awaited our arrival as we huddled together amongst our cars. With everyone scattering off to work, 2 cold but loyal athletes headed to Vida for the most well earned Latte of the week! A few coffees later and The EYB Globalisation Strategy decided upon, we finally made our way to work!

Awesome effort guys for coming out on such a tempestuous morning! A beautiful refreshing run and a great way to EARN YOUR WEEKEND! Think we earned beyond that too! See you on the mountains this Friday, there have been rumours of a sneaky Pipe Track route...maybe after such a huge rainfall we could attempt to locate our missing waterfall!

VAVT before the heavens opened

CONTACT US: earnyourbreakfast@gmail.com

US Half - San Francisco - 5 November 2006

Victorious Cath Parker

Start your engines!

Golden Gate Bridge awaits...

San Franciso Bay

Golden Gate Bridge

Cath Parker (EYB San Fran)/Race Time: 1:48 mins reports...

"Americans are extremely, unashamedly enthusiastic and with the warm up jazzercise, loud music and "ARE Y'ALL REAAADYY???" chants by the MC at the start line, the vibe at the US Half Marathon in San Francisco would have made any EYBer proud.

Like parts of Cape Town, the hills in San Francisco are quite something else and I'll definitely have to make peace with them to enjoy running over here! With Alcatraz rising out of the fog to the right, we started in the Marina and continued along and up two steep hills (think Constantia Nek!) and over the Golden Gate Bridge. It's the first time I've ever been on the bridge, and as far as first times go, this was spectacular!

After a loop round the other side, we turned back along the bridge and downhill (yay) back along the water's edge to the finish at Fisherman's Wharf. What an experience and definitely worth the pain I now feel in my knees. A superb vibe all round and a great day out. Here's to the start of EYB San Francisco and the Earn Your New York Marathon...today in a year from now!"

TGK helping Doorsy after the GRAPE RUN - Time on the legs for the Marathon Man!!

Yesterday saw the running of the New York Marathon!!

http://www.nycmarathon.org/home/index.php

Hopefully some of the keener potentials for next year caught a glimpse of the epic vibe on TV, and are inspired to get out there and take on the challenge next year. The NYC Marathon is probably the most well supported race in the world, with hundreds and thousands of spectators lining the route. The 3 mile stretch into the finish of the race in Central Park is something rather special and makes the day out something never to forget!!

Well done Cath!! We look forward to getting to know the 'earn your' vibe in San Fran a little better, so will keep an eye on the site over the upcoming months!!

EARN YOUR BREAKFAST!!

EARN YOUR NEW YORK MARATHON 2007!!

364 days and counting...


CONTACT US: earnyourbreakfast@gmail.com

EYB San Francisco Kicks Off!!

EYB San Fran Athlete CATH PARKER

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

EYB USA off to a FLYING START!

Global EYB athletes,

EYB has been spreading rapidly across the planet, and once again we have an inspirational athlete getting out there in this weekend's US HALF MARATHON in San Francisco. Having recently relocated to San Fran, Cath Parker has wasted no time in getting herself stuck into some 'earn your' action!

Cath has shown some amazing dedication and spirit this year by completing her first marathon, when earlier this year she finished the Flora London Marathon in an awesome sub 4 hour time. A couple of months ago she was spotted hiking up Lions Head with the EYB Cape Town Hiking Vibe, and now she's heading over the Golden Gate Bridge on foot... AWESOME!!

Rumour has it that she will be leading the EARN YOUR NEW YORK MARATHON 2007 bus next year in November, and has set her sights on getting a EYB USA training group together for the Big Apple. Inpirational Stuff!

We look forward to hearing all about your race antics on Sunday, and hopefully over the coming months get an insight into what has been coined one of the best cities in the world!

Good luck Cath!

EARN YOUR BREAKFAST!!


CONTACT US: earnyourbreakfast@gmail.com

SUNDAY Hike, 5th NOV - Blackburn Ravine/Chapmans Peak!!

SUNDAY HIKE VIBE (click to enlarge)

Cafe ROUX's ALL-DAY Breakfast!

Athletes,

This Sunday will see the EYB Hiking Vibe stretch its legs a little. Last week was short and sweet, but well worth it with a cheeky climb up Spilhaus Ravine. This weekend will take in some of Cape Town's most spectacular views across Hout Bay and Chapmans Peak, and promises to be a top notch EYB Cape Town Hike.

'Stretch the Legs'... this should NOT put off the troops in any way as although the EHT is probably around 4 - 4 and a half hours, it does not involve any major climbs of any kind. There will be a steep but easy decent down the spectacular Blackburn Ravine, but nothing too tough for any EYB athlete!

We will start off at the car park at the Silvermine Reservoir and head up the Jeep track towards an awesome lookout point at the top of Blackburn Ravine. As mentioned the decent is steep but not strenuous at all. This path will wind us down towards the contour path where we will intersect the famous HOERIKWAGGO HIKING TRAIL.

Travelling south towards Chapmans Peak will keep us on the Hoerikwaggo Trail at a very level gradient for about an hour or so before a very short gentle ascent up to the Chapmans Peak summit at 593m. The path will then drop us down fairly quickly towards Chapmans Peak Drive. We'll cross over here and continue on to the Red Herring restaurant.

Depending on the vibe and general consensus, we could always PHV straight away at the Red Herring or drive across to Cafe Roux, which has had some great reviews of late... either way we'll go with the greatest good for the greatest number!!!

Time and WDIP info: START at 8:45am from Silvermine Car Park. We obviously need to get some cars down to the Red Herring at about 8:15am to arrange lifts back to the start.

Please let me know (0738086116) if anyone can't make the Herring at this time so we can get a feel for numbers, otherwise 8:15am at the Herring Car Park (PLEASE CLICK ON THE MAP FOR DIRECTIONS TO THE RED HERRING TRADING POST).

Silvermine Car Park WDIP: At the summit of Ou Kaapse Weg (when coming from the Tokai side), turn right and follow through to the Main Silvermine Entrance Gate where a small fee is payable to the TMNP. Once through the booms/gate, carry on straight up the road for about 2km right till the end where you'll find the car park.

EHT: 4 - 4 and a half hours

FLA-friendly: this hike is definately FLA friendly despite a very minor potential FLA-support need halfway down Blackburn Ravine. a Jenna Jenna Jenna made it down with a push and carry so if she can - any FLA can!!

What to Bring: all the usual hiking gear with provisions for colder weather if the elements so choose. Lots of water, sunsceen, vibe, chow, anything goes!! Ensure Sustenance and Warmth and all is good!

Please note that cellphone reception once past the main gate and in the car park is almost non-existent, so make all necessary calls/texts before driving through to the end. We will also sorley miss the expertise of the communication vibe as the SSGKD will be busting some moves on the wakeboard in Clanwilliam this weekend!

PHV: Cafe Roux or the Red Herring

Awesome - the weather (click on the links) looks peachy for Sunday too so hope to see everyone out there!!

EARN YOUR BREAKFAST!!!!

CONTACT US: earnyourbreakfast@gmail.com

FAMM set to take on all elements this Friday

Too beautiful!!!

According to weather guru.com this coming Friday is looking rather dismal, but FAMM has never been shy of a bit of rain, sleet, snow or hail. Well...maybe that's pushing the vibe a bit far but am sure we can tackle the hills of Lion's head and it's surrounds come rain or shine! After a quick and beautiful scout run this morning, (thanks team Traffic) FAMM is heading back to Lion's head but mixing up the routes according to what the weather deals us on the day. VAVT might be limited due to extreme weather conditions. Have no fear though it promises to be an awesome run and a GREAT way to EARN YOUR WEEKEND!!

We will start the morning at the Kloof Nek parking lot and head up the Signal Hill rd, while our legs and eyes awaken from slumber. Once we hit the Lion's head parking lot we will head up Lion's head until we see our silver route marker glistening in the fynbos. This path will take us around the base of Lion's head towards Signal Hill and beyond. There are rocks, stones, and perhaps even a garden gnome out to greet us on the path so make sure you pack your quick and nimble eyes and your cross country feet as the path requires a fair amount of concentration. Come Back Kid (CBK) be sure to strap those delicate Naomi Campbell ankles in!

Depending on the group vibe time we can extend the run along the saddle or just jog it along the Signal Hill chicanes back towards our cars where TIF and muffins yet again await this special group of extreme athletes.

Signal Hill and beyond...

Where must I park: Kloof Nek parking lot - Head up Kloof Nek Rd and turn left into Tafelberg Rd, immediately on your left is a parking lot. Slip your car gear into park, lock and alarm your cars (Beef...that's for you!) and get those legs ready to attack the first hill.

What time: 5:45am sharp so we can be on the road by no later than 6am. We will be an hour, probably less so those with Post Hike Traffic Work Constraints (PHWTC) can definitely stay with the team the whole way!

What must I bring: Your Mary Poppins umbrella, ear muffs and your very own rain dance chants. On a more serious note a windbreaker/raincoat might come in handy depending on what vibe weather guru.com throws at us.

FLA Friendly: Spence you have redeemed yourself and seeing as though you made it to the scout run it would seem unfair to rule you out! A very FLA friendly route!

PHV: A wild guess as to where we will be heading - prizes will be handed out so email your answers to....

If the weather is too foul to attack the mountains we can always just Earn Our Weekend by driving up Kloof Nek rd, surveying the rain clouds, having a serious team chat, taking an executive decision AND...head straight to Kloof Street for a cheeky Vida breakfast!

I will have my very Advanced Gadget Tracking Device (AKA cellphone) on me, so text me if you're playing ching chong cha with yourself as you look out your bedroom window! Look forward to it and hopefully due to the passing of the Legend Weather Man Pete, all websites, newspapers, radios, satellites etc have got the weather terribly wrong! (no disrespect intended)

See you there ATHLETES!

CONTACT US: earnyourbreakfast@gmail.com

EYB LONDON Athletes conquer the BARNES GREEN HALF!!

EYB London = Pre-Race Smiles!

Nic Visser and il Falco - Sub 100 bus!

EYB London athletes wif Medal!!

EYB London LEADER Carl 'il Falco' Husslmann reports...


"A cheery (its all relative when you live in the UK) Sunday morning greeted the EYB London athletes as they approached the village of Barns Green. Nervous anticipation spread through our small group as the excuses flowed freely - training had not gone well, colds and flu were rife and for some the beers had gone down too well the night before.

But the excuses faded as we lined up at the start to take on another half. The course record was surprisingly slow and it did not take us long to find out why. The rolling hills of Mid Sussex were out in full force and taking their vengeance on our poorly prepared legs. The vibe was excellent and the support from the locals was great. We were lucky enough to run through some amazing countryside including those well known tree lined lanes of south England.

All the EYB athletes performed out of their boots, but special mention must go to Grant (Guru) and Colls (JF), who were both suffering from cold and flu and both managed to trot in, in a very respectable time considering. I think its is safe to say that no records were broken (it was just a training run for the Hellrunner anyway), but a great day was had by all. We tucked into chocolate brownies and boerewors rolls afterwards, safe in the knowledge that we had earnt it.

Garrick (I'm going to clean JF's pipes) Swift was a VERY late withdrawal from the event. The rumour mill is spinning but as yet we have no confirmation of any reason for his retirement. I humbly, guess that nerves got the better of him once he heard that JF was on course for a PB????? Lets hope that the boy recovers from that which ails him, enough to partake in one of the upcoming EYB London events.

Next on the local agenda is the Hellrunner in a few short weeks time. Rumour has it that a training group will be going out into the wilderness that is Richmond park over the weekend to get in some hard mud miles as training. As the winter starts to close in here, it will take an extra special effort from the local EYB's to maintain the vibe, but I have no doubt that you will find the vibe alive and well over the coming months.

Don't get stuck, get stuck in!"


A few personal words from the rear...

"The last time I ran (other than to the fridge to get another beer) was the Nike run at the beginning of october. Long time ago now. So I went down to Barns Green not expecting much. Beautiful weather. Lovely, undulating route through the Horsham countryside (definitely not an easy run, but a scenic one).

I started to hate the run after about 2 miles (my ITB sore-left-knee started acting up), but finally found a bit of rhythm as I went through halfway at about 52 minutes, so feeling relatively good (all things considered). Sadly, at about 10 miles, my knee was on fire and my right knee was starting to hassle as well. Just after 11 miles, both knees locked and I had no choice but to start walking.

The rest of the run consisted of pushing for a few hundred metres until the pain was too much, then hobbling for another 100 metres. I managed to get through the last 2 and a half miles like this, and came in running like Forrest Gump BEFORE he lost his mechanical splints.

The only thing that got me through was the thought of Frodo pushing those last 50 or 60 into Mordor: if that little b*stard could do it, there was no way in HELL I was going to give up. I came in at 2:03. Which really wasn't as bad as I was expecting at all, but still a little frustrating." - Andrew 'Locksmith' Allison


AWESOME EFFORT EYB LONDON...Well Done!!!

Locksmith...how the knees??

EARN YOUR BREAKFAST!!!

CONTACT US: earnyourbreakfast@gmail.com

Gunner Hughes RUNNING BUS!

GUNNER HUGHES

Always time to stretch...

Always time to drink...

Gunner Hughes is a Cape Town based runner with a wealth of experience under his belt. With 2 Comrades Marathons, 5 Two Oceans Marathons, and probably hundreds more halves in the bank, he has risen as an experienced leader for a small bus of runners setting out every Tuesday and Thursday morning from Sacs Junior School.

The general pace of the group is around 5/5:15 min/km and the distance varies between 10 -12km. Kick off is 5:45am sharp from Sacs Junior - for anyone who is keen, contact Beef on 0738086116 for directions.

It's early yes, but awesome once out there... not a bad way to get the legs ticking over for the EARN YOUR NEW YORK MARATHON 2007 Vibe!!

EARN YOUR BREAKFAST!!!

CONTACT US: earnyourbreakfast@gmail.com