Memories in the fabric of race bibs

Last year, before I moved to Parys, I cleaned out a bunch of old and sentimental adventure racing odds, including a pile of race maps, tee shirts and bibs. There were a bunch of goodies that I didn't let go of and I found them on Saturday.

After photographing them, I'm ready to save them here and to toss them all out. With some going back 16 years, here are my old race bibs (and a few other odds) that I've held on to for very many years.

I have three like this. Probably from my first AR, a 250km in the Drakensberg in mid-1999, the 500km in the Cederberg a few months later and a 180km in the Knysna area in about May 2000.

My teammates and race passport from the Cederberg 500km - late 1999

We had these printed to bin on to our backpacks.

An old road running license. These were printed on thicker fabric. I had this license number for many years, when I ran for Bedfordview Athletics. When I started AR Club and its road running section, I got another number.

55 guys, 5 women and a couple of days doing activities, tasks, problem solving, obstacle courses and puzzles. Many adventure racers made the cut and went on to the top 10 and then the final pair of Xavier Scheepers and Wim van Herzeele. This was the last Camel Trophy and would be replaced by the LandRover G4 Challenge.

15 years ago... my first staged ultra. I heard about the race a week before it started and was roped in all because of writing a product review. A direction-changing running experience.

What an experience! Through our months of training and preparation, I learned to raft and read rivers, a skill that has served me well throughout the years. I think this was 2001.

This may have been from the >500km in Northern KZN in 2001

From one of the Drifter series events... I have no idea which one. 2002 / 2003 perhaps.

Another Drifter event... this would have been one that Bradley Weinand organised - 2003 maybe.

Remember the first adventure racing sprint events? This was probably from Zirk Botha's Dirty Weekend Sprint event at Roodeplaat Dam. 2002/2003.

A bib from one of three years at the wonderful Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge (2008, 2009 or 2010)

My first staged ultra overseas where I ran and also wrote for the event. I won the women's category and placed 10th overall. I have no doubt that, with many more years of experience, I would run this race even better now - but probably not as good a placing with so much more competition out there now.

Zirk Botha's race flyer. Yes, this is ALL of the events that there were in 2000. Also, at this time, there wasn't a mountain bike series nor trail runs every weekend. Most of the adventure racing participants where at the three big events - 250km, 500km plus there had been a 180km in the Eshowe area in Jan/Feb too - with fewer (but still the same people) at Zirk's Desert Challenge. Note: no email... fax instead. hahahaha

Great memories.