Now in its fifth year, the Ultra-trail Cape Town (UTCT) race is taking the Mother City by storm. It has established itself as a bucket-list event for local and international ultra distance trail runners. Participation grew from 200 runners in 2014 to 1700 competing in all four of its races in 2018.
It combines running and hiking and allows participants to see the hidden gems the city has to offer.
With its inclusion in the Ultra-trail World Tour since 2017, UTCT is now attracting elite international runners and their supporters. More than 300 international entries have been confirmed for the December event.
UTCT routes combine beautiful sights in the Mother City with the rugged, technical terrain of Table Mountain. The 100km, 65km and 35km races will be held on December 1, and the 21km race on December 2. The 21km race was introduced last year.
Local trail running enthusiast Mubeen September said he took part in the event, which he called a “perfect experience”, for the first time in 2016.
The civil engineer from Surrey Estate and father of two said the money he had spent on competing in the event had been an investment in his health, and he had been truly privileged to see the splendour of Cape Town while participating in it.
“You are in nature. You see the beautiful flowers. You see beautiful dams. This is perfect if you like nature and running,” he said.
September said trail running was slower than road running and required more preparation.
To prepare for a race, September and other professionals follow a strict diet that enables them to have endurance. On race day some of them consume food in a liquid form.
“Some professionals mix their own food. It’s called gu and tailwind, which basically means that they drink their food to sustain them during the event,” said September.
His “padkos” included eggs, potatoes, chocolate and fruit.
UTCT founder and race director Nic Bornman said the event’s inclusion in the Ultra-trail World Tour had been a game changer in terms of attracting more international competitors.
“The primary criterion for inclusion in the tour is that a race must be set in an iconic destination, and Cape Town as a canvas really speaks to that. It’s (UTCT’s inclusion in the tour) created an opportunity for us as an event, but for Cape Town in particular, to really be noticed by the trail running world,” said Bornman.
Organisers were delighted a full complement of entries had been received for all races except the 100km, which was 93% subscribed, with visitors making up 40% of runners registered for the latter race.
Chief executive of Cape Town Tourism, Enver Duminy said events such as Ultra-trail Cape Town were essential in efforts to boost the city’s economy. They generated employment, contributed to job-sustainability, attracted new visitors and provided enjoyment for locals. “Events like these are part of our reinvention strategy as a tourism organisation; we want to give more people more reasons to visit Cape Town... (the turnout for) Ultra-trail Cape Town is proof that there’s a hunger to do more and see more in the city. Visitors attend sport, business and cultural events, and then spend more on tourism activities and in our restaurants, so we value the creation of more of these events.”