Race planning
Plan Ultra X South Africa
Use the listed edition as your starting point. Each tool keeps imported race facts separate from the targets and assumptions you choose.
This is a past edition. These details are for reference; confirm a future edition before making a plan.
Edition notes: The first Ultra X South Africa ran October 19–24, 2026: Charlie Mason won in 33:33:02.5, Anna Lawson was first woman and second overall in 34:36:06.9, and 39 of 56 starters were ranked after six stages. Applications for the 2027 race, capped at 100 runners, close November 1, 2026.
- Listed edition
- Oct 19, 2026 – Oct 24, 2026
- Format
- Stage Race
- Distance
- 330 km over 6 stages
- Local start time
- Not recorded — check the organizer
- Duration / cutoff
- Checkpoint cutoffs allow about 2.5 hours per 10 km (the 2026 race pack says 2 to 3 hours), and runners must leave each checkpoint before its cutoff. The race director can change cutoffs and tells runners of any change. A runner who misses a cutoff or cannot finish a stage can switch to the Challenge for the remaining days, starting each stage at its midway point and covering half the distance, but is no longer a MAX finisher. Finishers get a medal with a black ribbon under 30 hours, white under 34 hours or blue over 34 hours.
- Crew and pacers
- No crews and no pacers. The race rules ban unofficial runners on the course and any form of crewing, hold each runner responsible for the conduct of their own supporters, and bar dogs from the course. Family and friends cannot follow the stages, but Ultra X says it is working on a package that lets them join the final day, and a companion can apply to volunteer at the race.
- Drop bags
- There are no drop bags on the course, and the rules forbid stashing supplies along the trail. Each runner gets one waterproof race holdall of up to 20 kg, which the organizers move from camp to camp; it carries the sleeping bag, mat, camp clothes, stove and the week’s food. A separate travel bag can stay at the race hotel in Cape Town.
Recorded facts reviewed Oct 25, 2026. Check the organizer’s latest rules. Calendar downloads use all-day dates and do not set a starting alarm.
Pace & duration
Choose a distance target. Choose a planning duration; this race has no single recorded time limit to import.
Gear checklist
Start with the matching format checklist. Add the organizer’s mandatory gear.
Crew & drop bags
Bring across the race name. Add confirmed access points, distances and your own arrival estimates.