GEORGE NEWS - The George Mountain Ultra Trail (MUT) has secured Discovery as its title sponsor.
The second edition of the race, now named the Discovery George Mountain Ultra Trail (Discovery MUT), starts on Saturday 15 June.
Founded in 2018, the Discovery MUT showcases the spectacular mountain trail running of the Outeniqua mountains. Created with room for growth to include longer distances, the Discovery MUT currently features 65km, 25km and 9km race distances along with a Fastest Known Time and Vertical Kilometre Challenge. The event is also partnered with the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival and hosts two screenings of the festival's award-winning short films during the MUT Life long weekend.
The event was created out of EcoBound's passion for running on the trails of George and the Outeniqua mountains, as well as the recognition that there is an ever-growing trail running community in South Africa.
Because the event continues to attract an increasing quality of running talent, the 2019 event will be expanded to include two exciting additions. Together, these and the Discovery MUT race day make the #MUTLife long weekend of adventure sports and trail running an experience to remember.
The main event, the 60km Discovery MUT - which was dubbed the Scruffy Dog in 2018 - starts on Saturday morning at 05:00. The 2018 champion Roelof Mostert will be among the runners taking to the trails and competing for their share of the R20 000 prize.
The Herold valley is the halfway point of both the 60km and 25km races.
Last year, Mostert completed the course in an unexpectedly fast time of six hours and 21 minutes, leading EcoBound Mountain Events to believe that breaking the six-hour barrier will be possible in the future.
The women's field is headlined by former George resident, Chantel Nienaber, who will be up against Annalise Scholtz, i.a., in her battle for Discovery MUT supremacy.
The Discovery MUT features 60km, 25km and 9km route options, all of which explore the spectacular Outeniqua mountains above George. Photo: Jacques Marais
Race director Zane Schmahl said the vegetation on the Outeniqua Mountain above George has recovered well after the devastating fires of 2018 and teams of the local trail community have been working very hard to repair and build trails. "For the Discovery MUT runners, that means there will be some exciting new sections of trail included in this year's race."
In addition to the 60km MUT, the main race day on 15 June boasts the 25km MUT Challenge and the 9km MUT Lite. Trail runners have been warming up for the Discovery MUT in the Outeniqua mountains since the 2018 race. The event hosts a year-round FKT (Fastest Known Time) Challenge to the summit of George Peak.
The challenge is free to enter and the Kings and Queens of the Mountain will be rewarded at the prize-giving at 18:00 on 15 June.
The 60km route in particular is exceptionally diverse, taking in indigenous forest sections as well as stretches through Cape mountain fynbos.
A Vertical Kilometre challenge caps proceedings on Monday 17 June. Entry is free and the racing starts at 10:00 from the Ground Zero Bike and Trail Park in George. The 4km long route features a brutal 1km of climbing to the summit of George Peak. To reward the true mountain goats for their efforts in the VK Challenge, there will be spot prizes and sunglasses from Pure Endurance up for grabs.
Only line entries to the 9km MUT Lite will be available on 15 June. For more information please visit www.georgetrailrun.co.za.
To stay updated on all the news, training runs and to keep your trail stoke topped up ahead of the race, like the George MUT Facebook page / follow @EcoBoundEvents on Twitter / @georgemountainultratrail on Instagram.
For more information on the Discovery George Mountain Ultra Trail, contact race director Zane Schmahl on 072 076 8623 / zane@ecobound.co.za.
Starting at 05:00 the 60km trail runners will face an hour and a half of darkness at the start of their Discovery MUT adventures.
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