On Saturday, 25 May, Douglas Pickard and Maria Marincowitz along with 45 other MUT Miler athletes conquered a tough 100 Mile course through the Outeniqua Mountains. The flagship MUT by UTMB distance runners were joined by nearly 2 000 fellow trail runners on their quest to complete one of six race distances.
\nSuch is the nature of running in South Africa\u2019s scenic Garden Route that each individual had a story to tell\u2026
\n\u201cThe MUT by UTMB\u2019s 100 Miler course is like a mix of every other 100 Miler in the county blended into one,\u201d Pickard explained after sealing victory. \u201cIt features high mountains, pristine fynbos, incredible indigenous forests, river crossings, mud, and even a stretch on the beach. It\u2019s tough, but it\u2019s beautiful.\u201d
\n\u201cI always say if I were to live anywhere other than Cape Town I\u2019d live in George,\u201d South African trail running legend and MUT Marathon winner Ryan Sandes praised. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful and there\u2019s so many outdoors things to do here, not just trail running. The Outeniqua Mountains are special though. It doesn\u2019t matter what distance you run here; the trails are
\ntechnical, challenging, and rewarding!\u201d
\nThe community spirit of the event augments the trails themselves and adds a special atmosphere to the race, while also taking the sting out of the difficulty. \u201cThe support crew, at the aid stations, are amazing,\u201d Pickard stated. \u201cThey are so helpful and go the extra mile to assist everyone as they come into the check points.\u201d Which is particularly important to the slower runners on the 100 Mile and 100 kilometre routes, the remote aid stations where the runner\u2019s seconds cannot reach are manned solely by volunteers who provide the care and support one would usually only expect from a loved one.<\/p>\n
MUT Miler by UTMB
\nPickard set out like a man on a mission when the MUT Miler got underway on Friday afternoon at 14:00. The Kwa-Zulu Natal based runner established a lead on the vertical kilometre ascent to the summit of George Peak and extended it on the next climb to the highest summit in the Outeniqua range, Craddock Peak. By the time he reached the first aid station, after 15 kilometres, Pickard\u2019s lead was 3 minutes and 20 seconds. Over the next 148 kilometres he inexorably extended that advantage, while behind him Christiaan Greyling, Brandon Hully and Gabriel Kriel held second, third and fourth.
\n\u201cTo be honest I didn\u2019t have a plan,\u201d Pickard confessed. \u201cI 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. But while I was feeling good, I decided to just keep pushing because I knew if I could get into the middle section, which is more runnable,
\nit would get easier.\u201d
\n\u201cEmotion are high,\u201d he added on the finish line. \u201cThe 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\u2019m very happy with the result!\u201d
\nPickard\u2019s winning margin was 2 hours, 18 minutes and 12 seconds over Miler debutant Greying. Like Greyling, Hulley also completed his first 100 Miler at the MUT by UTMB. \u201cIt\u2019s my third Miler start but my first finish,\u201d he smiled. \u201cI learnt a lot out there, but it was also good to just get a finish under my belt.\u201d The unspoken implications for the George local are that he has aspirations of winning his home race. A feat which would make him even more popular with the George Trail Running community.
\nIn the women\u2019s race Janet Woodhead was the early pace setter. It was only during Friday night that Marincowitz moved into the lead. \u201cIt was a close race,\u201d Marincowitz recounted. \u201cI was looking over my shoulder constantly. Sveta [Becker] and Janet [Woodhead] had me on my toes and pushing. For a long time one of them was 10 minutes behind me and that kept
\nme pushing to the finish.\u201d
\nMarincowitz\u2019s winning time was 32 hours, 15 minutes, and 29 seconds. Becker was second, 28 minutes and 26 seconds later, ahead of Woodhead in third.
\nMUT 100 by UTMB Axel Sleebus and Natalia Mastrota dominated the men\u2019s and women\u2019s races, respectively, in
\nthe MUT 100. Sleebus, who hails from Belgium but lives in Switzerland, was at home on the technical trails, leading from pillar to post. Mastrota was even more dominant on her way to victory and was as high as third overall on the trails, before finishing fourth.
\nThey were joined on the podium by Michael Molyneaux and Thato Kabeli, as well as by Kerry-Ann Marshall and Simone Malan. Like the women\u2019s race winner, Marshall ran her way into the top ten overall; showcasing in the process just how competitive the MUT 100 women\u2019s race was.<\/p>\n
MUT 60 by UTMB<\/p>\n
The MUT 60 was the event\u2019s premier distance when it was launched in 2018. Over the last six years Kane Reilly has virtually perfected the preparation and effort required to emerge victorious. In 2024 he was not quite able to execute to his plan. Cramps put pay to his chances of victory, while Andreas Lundeg\u00e5rd ran a perfectly paced race to surge to gold. The Swede was joined on the podium by Reilly and Admire Muzopambwa who crossed the finish line alongside each other, having decided on a truce after duking it out over the closing kilometres.
\nEmily Djock was the undisputed queen of the distancing, putting together a flawless performance on her MUT by UTMB debut. The American, who now calls Cape Town home, was awed by the mountains. \u201cComing to run here has been on my bucket list for a while, and I\u2019ll definitely be back,\u201d she promised, in response to the query if she would like to take on the MUT 100 in 2025. Djock was followed across the line by Brigitte Joubert and Michelle Rolfe.<\/p>\n
MUT Marathon<\/p>\n
The 43 kilometre mountain marathon distance saw, the 2023 MUT Miler champion and South African trail running legend, Ryan Sands overcoming Robert Rorich and Iain Peterkin.
\nThe ultra-distance specialist dispelled the notion that he would struggle to match the speed of Rorich and Peterkin, by timing his assault on the lead to perfection. Showing all his experience and racing nous, Sandes conserved his energy for the second half of the course and used his technical trail running skills to distance his rivals.
\n\u201cI remember how broken I was in the final kilometres, coming through Tonnelbos,\u201d he laughed. \u201cThis year I was able to push through there knowing I only had 30 kilometres, rather than 150, in my legs!\u201d
\nLocal favourite, Rebecca Kohne wowed the home crowds by running to victory in the women\u2019s MUT Marathon. \u201cIt was amazing to run on home trails and to share them with so many international and local visitors,\u201d she said. Kohne\u2019s closest rival was Maryke van Zyl, with Sabrina Daolio coming home in third.<\/p>\n
MUT Challenge and Lite<\/p>\n
Sunday saw the MUT by UTMB festivities continue as the final MUT 100 runners struggled home to beat the 05:00, 24 hour, cut-off. There after the speedsters took to the trails for a 24 kilometre, MUT Challenge, and an 11 kilometre, Lite. The men\u2019s race in the Challenge came down to just 14 seconds between the winner Philani Sengce and Underson Ncube in third. Between them Jacques du Plessis was 10 seconds off first and 4 ahead of Ncube.
\nThe women\u2019s MUT Challenge was even closer as Mila Bianca Geldenhuys held off the double defending champion and pre-race favourite Lijan Burger by just 4 seconds. Lisa Kathryn Geffen completed the podium places.<\/p>\n
In the MUT Lite Sindrino Matthews was unstoppable, despite the best efforts of Luan van der Vyver and Lunga Nolakana. Jandri Snyders dipped under the hour mark en route to victory in the women\u2019s MUT Lite. In so doing she bested Bailee Nell and Esrie Loock.<\/p>\n
MUT by UTMB Wrap<\/p>\n
After the final prize giving, at 13:00, the attention turned to the last men out on the MUT Miler course. Morocco\u2019s Hicham Mikou scraped home just 58 seconds before 14:00, visibly relieved to have made the cut-off. Nearly 9 minutes later Tobie Reyneke was the final official finisher in a time of 50 hours, 8 minutes and 26 seconds.
\nIn 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.
\nTo relive the action from the 2024 MUT by UTMB trail running fans and participants can follow the @georgemountainultratrail Instagram handle or like the Mountain Ultra-Trail by UTMB Facebook page. Further information can be found at mut.utmb.world.<\/p>\n
2024 MUT by UTMB Results
\nMUT Miler by UTMB | Men:
\n1. Douglas Pickard (22:25:26)
\n2. Christiaan Greyling (24:43:28)
\n3. Brandon Hulley (26:10:17)<\/p>\n
MUT Miler by UTMB | Women:
\n1. Maria Marincowitz (32:15:29)
\n2. Sveta Becker (32:43:55)
\n3. Janet Woodhead (35:23:41)<\/p>\n
MUT 100 by UTMB | Men:
\n1. Axel Sleebus (11:48:51)
\n2. Michael Molyneaux (12:40:20)
\n3. Thato Kabeli (13:20:57)<\/p>\n
MUT 100 by UTMB | Women:
\n1. Natalia Mastrota (13:29:49)
\n2. Kerry-Ann Marshall (13:51:50)
\n3. Simone Malan (15:22:50)<\/p>\n
MUT 60 by UTMB | Men:
\n1. Andreas Lundeg\u00e5rd (06:08:50)
\n2. Kane Reilly (06:22:34)
\n3. Admire Muzopambwa (ST)<\/p>\n
MUT 60 by UTMB | Women:
\n1. Emily Djock (07:17:18)
\n2. Brigitte Joubert (08:42:51)
\n3. Michelle Rolfe (08:46:09)<\/p>\n
MUT Marathon by UTMB | Men:
\n1. Ryan Sandes (04:12:00)
\n2. Robert Rorich (04:30:37)
\n3. Iain Peterkin (04:32:20)<\/p>\n
MUT Marathon by UTMB | Women:
\n1. Rebecca Kohne (04:52:52)
\n2. Maryke van Zyl (05:07:51)
\n3. Sabrina Daolio (05:22:44)<\/p>\n
MUT Challenge by UTMB | Men:
\n1. Philani Sengce (01:49:01)
\n2. Jacques Du Plessis (01:49:11)
\n3. Underson Ncube (01:49:15)<\/p>\n
MUT Challenge by UTMB | Women:
\n1. Mila Bianca Geldenhuys (02:12:36)
\n2. Lijan Burger (02:12:40)
\n3. Lisa Kathryn Geffen (02:20:15)<\/p>\n
MUT Lite by UTMB | Men:
\n1. Sindrino Matthews (47:20)
\n2. Luan Van Der Vyver (47:48)
\n3. Lunga Nolakana (48:34)<\/p>\n
MUT Lite by UTMB | Women:
\n1. Jandri Snyders (58:53)
\n2. Bailee Nell (01:01:23)
\n3. Esrie Loock (01:03:04)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"