Ultra-trail Cape Town

Event Overview

Course & Terrain

A single loop from Gardens Rugby Club: over Signal Hill, Kloof Nek and Table Mountain via Platteklip Gorge, down the Atlantic side to Llandudno and Hout Bay, across Silvermine to Kalk Bay, then south to Simon’s Town, Scarborough, Kommetjie and Noordhoek before turning north through Constantia, Alphen Trail and Newlands. The last climb goes from the University of Cape Town to the King’s Blockhouse, then the contour path leads back to the finish. Other races: UT100 (99.1 km, about 5,000 m D+, 4:00 AM Saturday), PT55 (55 km), TM35 (35 km), EX23 (23 km) and KS16 (16 km).

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Table Mountain via Platteklip Gorge
• Silvermine, Kalk Bay and Simon’s Town
• Final climb to the King’s Blockhouse

The organizer describes extremely rugged single-track hiking trails, with hazards including mud, roots and rocks, slippery boardwalks and bridges, bees, road crossings and steep drop-offs. The climbing starts early: the timing schedule shows 1,562 m in the first 20.98 km, including 876 m in the 4.83 km from Kloof Nek to the Platteklip Gorge timing point, a climb iRunFar describes as steeper than 35 degrees in places. The longest stage on the timing schedule, Noordhoek to Constantia Glen, is 18.2 km with 1,377 m of climbing. The last long climb, from Newlands Picnic Site past Dead Man’s Tree, gains 487 m in 7.94 km.

The organizer warns that the weather can change drastically during the day in the mountains, which is why the compulsory gear list applies to every distance. Cape Town International Airport’s 1991–2020 November normals are a 23.7°C (74.7°F) high and 13.4°C (56.1°F) low. iRunFar reported a hot race day in 2023, about 25°C (77°F) with ice taken at aid stations in 2024, and high winds in 2025 that closed the in-town festival area the day before the UT100.

Entry & Logistics

Why This Race Matters

First run in 2014 with 360 runners across three races, Ultra-trail Cape Town had grown to 2,800 runners across six races by 2024, the organizer says; the 100-miler joined the program in 2022. It is a founding member of the World Trail Majors, an independent series whose first season was 2024. It is the last race on the 2026 calendar, and the organizer calls its UT100 the series’ final race; the World Trail Majors rules list the 100 km UT100 and the 55 km PT55 for Cape Town, not the 100-miler. It is not on UTMB’s 2026 World Series event list. The 100-miler page carries ITRA (6 points) and UTMB Index badges, and Western States lists the race as a qualifier with a 45-hour standard. The 100-miler pays R80,000, R40,000 and R25,000 for first to third place.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Older course-record labels shown by Sportraxs: Fotis Zisimopoulos (Greece), 20:48:17, 2022; Hillary Allen (USA), 24:55:22, 2022. Nicolette Griffioen’s 24:40:58 in 2025 is faster, so this label should not be read as a verified current record across editions
• Fastest 100-mile times in the four editions: Men: Fotis Zisimopoulos, 20:48:17, 2022; Women: Nicolette Griffioen, 24:40:58, 2025. Course length has varied from 159.5 to 165.1 km on Sportraxs, so they are not like for like
• Honey Badger medal for a sub-30-hour finish: the organizer says 43 runners have earned it and 5 have repeated it

Preparing for a Race Like Ultra-trail Cape Town

The fixed-distance race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Crew and aid-station strategy: Crew tables, aid stops, drop bags and runner preferences.
• Hydration and sodium for ultramarathons: Fluid, sodium, thirst, sweat rate and hyponatremia risk.
• Tapering for ultramarathons: Plan the taper and race week around your own recovery.

Best Fit

• Runners chasing the sub-30-hour Honey Badger medal
• A Western States qualifier for the 2028 lottery

Planning Notes

• Prepare for sleep decisions, weather swings, and aid-station discipline. The distance is only one part of a multi-day fixed-distance race.
• Train for terrain-specific fatigue. Technical trails and mountain courses demand downhill durability, hiking efficiency, and reliable night lighting.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.
• Missing compulsory gear costs 15 to 30 minutes per item
• An IV drip from the event medical crew means disqualification
• Pack swaps by crews are not allowed; the timing chip is fixed to your pack
• The organizer advises partnering up on remote sections because of crime risk

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Open the Fixed-Distance format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Print a pace band for your goal time
• Estimate race calories and plan fueling
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist