George gears up to host MUT by UTMB this weekend

GEORGE NEWS - George Municipality and the George Tourism Brand are proud to once again host the internationally acclaimed Mountain Ultra Trail (MUT) by Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) in George this weekend, from 23 to 25 May.

Snaking through the picturesque Outeniqua Mountains, the event will see an international field of more than 2 000 trail runners take to the local trails, and about 40 countries will be represented.

Featuring a range of race distances spanning 10km to 160km, George is in for a feast of trail running with something on offer for every level of runner, from weekend warriors to seasoned mountain goats.

Race start times are as follows:
• The first race, the 160km distance, will start at 12:00 on Friday 23 May.
• The 100km, 60km and 42km will start at 05:00 on Saturday 24 May.
• The 25km and 10km will start from 08:00 on Sunday 25 May.

The public is reminded about the announcers and music, cheering the runners on. “We will also have announcers welcoming them back on Saturday and Sunday,” race directors Zane and Carmen Schmahl advised.

“The sound volume will be monitored, and we are implementing limits on our sound equipment to keep within acceptable sound waves.”

Sunday will see the event’s official race concert with popular band Sunset Sweatshop at the Outeniqua Park Rugby Stadium from 15:00 to 17:00. Here, too, the sound will be monitored.

Road closures:
Camphersdrift Street will be closed for throughfare on Saturday and Sunday. Residents will, however, be ablet to access their homes, as the road will only be closed at the bottom of the dip for safe crossing of runners.

Non-runners are invited to join in the festivities, cheer the runners on and support the proudly George event.

The Mountain Ultra Trail by Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc takes place this weekend, 23 to 25 May, in George.