Tom Evans, a British runner with a military record, went to South Africa to train for the RMB Ultra Trail Cape Town 100km, but he will never forget his experience there: "I've travelled all over Africa and had great experiences but this is my first time in South Africa and Cape Town and it's very sad that I had to leave. But what happened was very traumatic. Two men with a machete and a kitchen knife threatened to kill me, and robbed me - and unfortunately that will be my memory of my first visit here."
Tom, who has a rich military record, described the moments of terror: "They were waiting for me on Table Mountain, one with a machete and one with a kitchen knife. They took my watch and phone, which I managed to take back after I fought them and neutralized the bigger one, but then one of them grabbed the knife, put it to my throat and told me they were going to kill me."
Tom and his wife. Celebrating one year of marriage, photo: from Twitter
"Then they took my bag and emptied it of everything there," Evans continued: "I thought it was over, but suddenly they noticed my wedding ring. I told them I had just celebrated my one-year wedding anniversary and asked them to leave it to me at least, but they just said, 'We'll cut your finger if you don't let us,' so I gave."
Immediately after the incident, Evans spoke to his wife and decided to leave South Africa and fly back to the UK. Park authorities responded by saying: "This trail runner, unfortunately, was attacked by bandits, but he broke the golden rule and chose to walk on the mountain alone. We can't stress enough that runners and hikers should enjoy the mountain - but in groups. Because when you're alone, you're a target for bandits."
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