Tarboton makes history as Rorich claims first Otter Trail win

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - Bianca Tarboton claimed her fifth Otter TERREX Trail women’s title in six years, while Robbie Rorich secured his first victory in the iconic race along the Tsitsikamma coast in the Garden Route National Park on Saturday 26 September.

Robbie Rorich won the men’s race in 4:08:11, beating 2025 runner-up Thabang Sengce by just over a minute.

Sengce finished second in 4:09:16, with Kane Reilly third in 4:12:00. Pieter du Plessis was fourth in 4:16:07 and Nico Buys fifth in 4:21:01.

Rorich, who finished third in the Otter in 2017 and 2022 and runner-up in 2025, moved into the lead after Sengce took a wrong turn on a double staircase.

The 2026 race was run in the reverse “Retto” direction from Nature’s Valley to Storms River. The route alternates direction every second year and is known for its rocky coastline, narrow forest tracks, river crossings and steep climbs.

The course has about 2 600m of elevation gain, including three climbs of more than 100m and nearly 7 000 ascending stairs.

Tarboton extends record

Bianca Tarboton continued her dominance of the women’s race, winning in 4:55:22 to claim her fifth title in six years.

Tarboton was followed by Sarah Geldenhuys in 5:14:12 and Sarah Booyens in 5:16:05. Elana Burger finished fourth in 5:19:29, with Anel Pahl fifth in 5:27:18.

The race was held in cool, misty and overcast conditions, with light rain later in the day making sections of the trail muddy after recent rainfall.

R100 000 prize for winner

The men’s and women’s winners each received R100 000, with R50 000 for second place and R25 000 for third.

Fourth place received R12 000 and fifth place R10 000. Part of the prize money is placed into an EasyEquities investment account.

241 runners finish within cut-off

A total of 241 runners finished before the nine-hour cut-off, with Danielle Lubbe the final runner to cross the finish line. The field was supported by 118 crew members.