Big mountains no match for little Marshall

There is an old African proverb that says the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Much like how tiny Kerry-Ann Marshall tackled the mammoth inaugural RMB UTCT (Ultra-Trail Cape Town) 100-mile off-road race across the Cape peninsula mountains last weekend.

She covered the 165km trek in a time of 25hr 39min 21sec to be fifth finisher overall and the first South African in an event that saw 94 finishers and close to 50 starters unable to finish.

“I had zero expectations going into the race,” admits the 38-year-old Cape Town-based former physiotherapist. “I didn’t have a clue what time I wanted to run and didn’t even turn my stopwatch on.

“I just broke the race up into the distances between the aid stations where I’d see my dad, Stephen, and husband Nic.”

And that was her plan as she migrated into the night and through much of the next day, one “bite” at a time.

Quite fitting for someone who spent most of her formative years right next to Addo Elephant Park, on her family’s Eastern Cape dairy/citrus farm.

The bionic blonde had a rich sporting pedigree long before UTCT though, having been a world age-group biathlete (run/swim) champion in 2001 and then winning a gold medal at the iconic Comrades Marathon back in 2016. “For years I’d dreamt of getting a Comrades rose,” she smiles.

She picked up a few injuries during the many hours on the road and, two years ago, went off the beaten track.

“Since having my second child in 2020 I was just drawn to run the trails more. I think perhaps it was knowing deep down that it’s better for my body [way less repetitive pounding] and I absolutely adore being immersed in nature and with my dog Sam for company.

“The trails give me that focus to work on my power and strength and make me a better climber and I just feel like the mountains and nature just give so much back to me.”

Her training routine is surprisingly not much more than most athletes would do in preparing for the Comrades, with the UTCT being almost double the distance.

“I only ever did two weeks of 200km each years ago, for Comrades training.

“For this event my longest week was 146km and my longest individual run was the 46km Cape Town trail marathon in October then the 53km Whale Trail in July. Otherwise it was just mainly in Newlands Forest and Constantia Nek [and surrounds] and the contour path to Platteklip Gorge.

“Oh, and the UTCT ‘recce runs’ where we would do different stages in the build-up were great training too.”

Of course it helped that she could do “double-run days” Monday to Thursday. “I can run when my daughter’s at school and then again in the afternoon when she’s back. Thankfully I also have a human angel in the shape of Loveness who looks after my kids during the day.”

As for the actual race — that started early-evening on the Friday and took runners through the evening and the whole of Saturday — she has a few special memories.

“I remember seeing a volunteer on the top of Table Mountain and he told me ‘just settle in’ and I really took those words to heart. Whenever the going got tough I’d just relax my shoulders and relax into the run.”

Her father also had some wise words for his daughter: “It was amazing for Nic [husband] and I to watch her patiently build her race. We just told her ‘run to us and we’ll feed you and look after you’, as we waited at each feeding station.”

Kerry-Ann continues: “The other highlight was when I had to switch my headlight on as total darkness fell. I was instantly in a little bubble of my own and lived in the moment, seemingly forever.”

Her lowlight came on Chapman’s Peak, “it was a very steep climb, I could feel my body was really, really tired and sore and just had to try to stay positive.”

Her body ended up being both messed up, and mixed up, post-race. “Every bit of my body hurt — I couldn’t put shoes on or get dressed but amazingly all my toenails are still intact ... for now at least.”

She says solid fuelling during the race came from her husband-father team who she saw about 10 times along the route. “Each time I saw them I’d get two bananas and two salted baby potatoes. My body must have been a bit wacky because two days after the race, I craved, and ate a Steer’s burger for breakfast.”

What’s next for the little loper? “I’ve always wanted to do the Western States Endurance run in the US but that may take a few years as there’s quite a lengthy waiting list/ticket lottery, and then there’s the ultra-trail du Mont-Blanc in France.”

But what about east, west, home’s best? “For sure, I’ve got unfinished business at the Otter Trail, the UTCT again and maybe another Comrades in a few years’ time.”

One thing’s for sure, time is not going to stand still for multitalented Marshall.

Last word goes to dad: “As a family, running was sheer fun for us, from when the three kids were 8-9 years old. It wasn’t structured training at all, we’d all just go for a run on the farm every afternoon and the kids just got fitter and more confident as time went on.

“And Kerry-Ann’s confidence later rolled over into her excellent academic and physiotherapy career. She is just so in tune with both her body and her patients’ bodies.”

And clearly very much in tune with nature and life in general.