RACE REPORT: Surviving the HOTT SPORTS SA 10km in Paarl 🔥

Saturday evening had us stepping (or should I say sweating?) into a different kind of race — a “nice little” 10km event in Paarl. And by “little,” I mean absolutely nothing about this was little — not the heat, not the humidity, and definitely not the over 2,000 participants crammed onto those roads! 😅

This wasn’t just a race — it was a full-on survival experience.

Pre-Race Shenanigans 🤔🍫

Normally, I'm a pro at morning race prep: coffee, breakfast, mental focus — easy. But racing in the evening? That’s a different beast. My brain spent most of the day toggling between:

“Should I eat now?

Should I wait?

Am I hungry?

Am I full?

What is life?”

😳Needless to say, the fuelling wasn’t on point, but I somehow fumbled my way to the start line without passing out — so we’ll call that a win. 🏁 The Great Sock Catastrophe 🧦🔥

Let’s address the elephant in the room (or rather, the fire in my shoes): the socks. Brand-new socks. Race day. A combo as smart as wearing stilettos on a trail run. 🤦‍♂️ The positive - at least it was a perfect match to my race kit LOL

We were required to wear the event socks to get a finish-line voucher (and you know how motivating a voucher can be 👀).

🧦➡️🍩 By KM 3, my feet were practically sending out SOS signals. It felt like running on a hotplate — and the mental negotiation began:

“You’re fine. Your feet are fine. Pain is temporary. Vouchers are forever. ”But seriously — don’t catch a friction fire on your feet. 🚒🔥

Heat, Humidity, and Human Traffic Jams 🌞🚶‍♂️💨 It was less "glide gracefully through the course" and more "elbow your way through a human sauna." 🏃‍♂️💦

Thankfully, I carried my own water, because the idea of fighting the crowd at water points felt like volunteering for a mosh pit.(Plus, hydration = life when you’re sweating buckets!)

Now, add to that extreme heat and humidity so thick you could practically swim through it — and top it off with 2,000+ runners all packed together like a sweaty, determined army. 😓

Trying to navigate through the crowds without tripping, elbowing someone, or melting into a puddle took full ninja focus. 🥷 Very little photos were taken (sadly) because honestly, between dodging feet, steering around slower runners, and making sure I didn’t do a full-face plant, there just wasn’t time to whip out the camera. 📸Safety first. Photos second. ✌️

The Race Itself 🏃‍♂️💨 Despite all the chaos — the sock fire, the heat, the crowd weaving — I managed to hold a strong, steady pace. 💪

🏁 Final outcome:

• Missed my goal pace by just 3 seconds. ⏱️

• Considering the conditions? Honestly, that feels like gold medal status. 🏅
  

And I’m proud of the fact that when my brain and feet both started throwing tantrums mid-race, I powered through anyway. 💥

Mental toughness: 100% engaged

Physical comfort: Somewhere around "I want new feet" 😜or Call the fire Brigade🚒🔥

Finish line voucher: Secured ✅

Final Thoughts 💭

The SPORTS SA 10km definitely lived up to its name: 🔥 Hot weather 🔥 Hot crowds 🔥 Hot (and slightly betrayed) feet 🦶🔥

Would I do it again? Absolutely — but next time, I’ll wear socks that don’t try to kill me mid-race. 🧦❌ Every run teaches you something new, and this one reminded me that grit, humour, and stubbornness sometimes carry you further than the perfect race plan. 🙌

Until next time, Paarl — stay sweaty, stay feisty, and maybe hand out free foot massages at the finish line next time, okay? 😉👐