GARDEN ROUTE AND KAROO NEWS - Winners Douglas Pickard and Maria Marincowitz, along with 45 other MUT Miler athletes, conquered a tough 100-mile (163km) course through the Outeniqua Mountains during the 2024 Mountain Ultra Trail (MUT) by Ultra Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) over the weekend.
This international event kicked off at 12:00 on Friday afternoon, 24 May with 54 athletes ready to tackle the Outeniquas. Only seven of these athletes did not complete the race.
A total of 2 000 trail runners took part in this year's event in one of six race distances.
The Miler
From the get go it was clear that Pickard, who finished his race in 22:25:26, was on a mission. The KZN-based runner established a lead on the vertical kilometre (VK) ascent to the summit of George Peak and extended it on the next climb to the highest summit in the Outeniqua range, Cradock Peak.
After 15km Pickard was leading by three minutes and 20 seconds. Over the next 148km he extended his lead, while behind him were Miler debutants Christiaan Greyling and Brandon Hully, with Gabriel Kriel hot on their heels.
"To be honest I didn't have a plan," Pickard said. "I pushed hard on the VK and I was a bit surprised nobody stuck with me. I felt strong, but even so I started to doubt myself a bit because I was worried I might be overdoing it.
"The beginning and end sections of this race are tough! Bergplaas nearly killed me. I was happy to make it out of there. But I loved the middle section, and I'm very happy with the result," he said at the finish line.
In the women's race Janet Woodhead was the early pace-setter. It was only during Friday night that Marincowitz moved into the lead. "It was a close race," Marincowitz said.
Her winning time was 32:15:29 seconds. About 28 minutes later Sveta Becker crossed the finish line and Janet Woodhead took the third spot on the podium.
Douglas Pickard on his way to the finish line.
Christiaan Greyling (2nd in the MUT Miler) had his young son waiting for him at the finish line.
MUT 100
In the 100km race it was Axel Sleebus and Natalia Mastrota who dominated the men's and women's races. Sleebus, who lives in Switzerland, was at home on the technical trails. Mastrota was even more dominant on her way to victory and reached an overall third place on some of the trails, before finishing fourth.
They were joined on the podium by Michael Molyneaux and Thato Kabeli, as well as by Kerry-Ann Marshall and Simone Malan.
MUT 60
Over the last six years of the MUT's existence, Kane Reilly has virtually perfected the preparation and effort required to win.
This year however, he was not quite able to execute his plan. From early in the race, cramps put paid to his chances of victory, while Andreas Lundegård ran for the gold.
The Swede was joined on the podium by Reilly and Admire Muzopambwa who demonstrated true trail running camaraderie by finishing hand-in-hand for a joint second place with a time of 06:22:34.
Emily Djock was the undisputed queen of the distance, putting together a flawless performance on her MUT debut.
Djock was followed across the line by Brigitte Joubert and Michelle Rolfe.
MUT Marathon
In the 43km mountain marathon distance, 2023 MUT Miler champion and South African trail running legend Ryan Sandes surprised everyone with a victory after overtaking race leader Iain Peterkin shortly before the finish. Sandes completed his race in 04:12:00.
Robert Rorich took second place with a time of 04:30:37, while a well-deserved third place went to Peterkin, who finished in 04:32:20.
"I remember how broken I was in the final kilometres last year, coming through Tonnelbos," Sandes said.
"This year I was able to push through there knowing I only had 30km, rather than 150, in my legs."
George athlete Rebecca Kohne took the win in the women's MUT Marathon.
"It was amazing to run on home trails and to share them with so many international and local visitors," she said. Kohne's closest rival was Maryke van Zyl, with Sabrina Daolio coming home in third.
Rebecca Kohne took the win in the women's MUT Marathon.
MUT Challenge and Lite
Sunday saw the MUT festivities continue as the speedsters took to the trails for a 24km MUT Challenge and an 11km MUT Lite.
In total the 2024 edition boasted 47 MUT Miler finishers, while 65 men and women crossed the finish line of the MUT 100, 175 completed the MUT 60, and an impressive 382 claimed a MUT Marathon medal.
The MUT Challenge was the biggest race of the weekend with 445 finishers, while the Outeniqua Park Stadium race village welcomed 335 MUT Lite trail runners home.
These numbers represented a significant new record turn-out for the race and sets it up for further growth in 2025.
Winner of the MUT Marathon Ryan Sandes (middle) with Robert Rorich (left) and Iain Peterkin. Photos: Kristy Kolberg
Results
MUT Miler by UTMB | Men:
1. Douglas Pickard (22:25:26)
2. Christiaan Greyling (24:43:28)
3. Brandon Hulley (26:10:17)
MUT Miler by UTMB | Women:
1.Maria Marincowitz (32:15:29)
2.Sveta Becker (32:43:55)
3.Janet Woodhead (35:23:41)
MUT 100 by UTMB | Men:
1.Axel Sleebus (11:48:51)
2.Michael Molyneaux (12:40:20)
3.Thato Kabeli (13:20:57)
MUT 100 by UTMB | Women:
1.Natalia Mastrota (13:29:49)
2.Kerry-Ann Marshall (13:51:50)
3.Simone Malan (15:22:50)
MUT 60 by UTMB | Men:
1.Andreas Lundegård (06:08:50)
2.Kane Reilly (06:22:34)
3.Admire Muzopambwa (ST)
MUT 60 by UTMB | Women:
1.Emily Djock (07:17:18)
2.Brigitte Joubert (08:42:51)
3.Michelle Rolfe (08:46:09)
MUT Marathon by UTMB | Men:
1.Ryan Sandes (04:12:00)
2.Robert Rorich (04:30:37)
3.Iain Peterkin (04:32:20)
MUT Marathon by UTMB | Women:
1.Rebecca Kohne (04:52:52)
2.Maryke van Zyl (05:07:51)
3.Sabrina Daolio (05:22:44)
MUT Challenge by UTMB | Men:
1.Philani Sengce (01:49:01)
2.Jacques Du Plessis (01:49:11)
3.Underson Ncube (01:49:15)
MUT Challenge by UTMB | Women:
1.Mila Bianca Geldenhuys (02:12:36)
2.Lijan Burger (02:12:40)
3.Lisa Kathryn Geffen (02:20:15)
MUT Lite by UTMB | Men:
1.Sindrino Matthews (47:20)
2.Luan Van Der Vyver (47:48)
3.Lunga Nolakana (48:34)
MUT Lite by UTMB | Women:
1.Jandri Snyders (58:53)
2.Bailee Nell (01:01:23)
3.Esrie Loock (01:03:04)
Runners had to traverse across the Outeniqua Mountains. Photo: MUT by UTMB
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