Alick Kapito loves mountains, none more so than those in the Table Mountain National Park where he spends his weekdays working for Friends of Table Mountain. On weekends he is free to indulge in his passion of trail running and he put his knowledge of mountain trails to good effect in winning this morning’s Hout Bay Trail Challenge (HBTC).
Richard Sutton started the race around the mountain peaks surrounding Hout Bay in 2002 and again curated the 23rd edition of the 40km race, which has seen many of South Africa’s leading trail athletes compete for race honours, either individually or as part of the three-person teams.
One of Cape Town’s important assets, Kapito plays a key role in maintaining the mountain paths and keeping the national park clean and safe for the thousands who enjoy its natural beauty and has been prominent in several trail races in the Western Cape in recent years, having won the Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge last year.
Today’s race marked his HBTC debut and he was delighted to cross the finish line at the Kronendal School in 5 hrs 34 min 38 sec, over twenty minutes clear of second-placed Michael Robey, with Cobus Smit a further four minutes back in third.
Tanya Kotze won the women’s contest in 6:27:02, just seven minutes clear of Kelly Shepherd. Remarkably Sylvie Scherzinger, who won the first edition in 2002, returned to the race she made her own to win the masters category and take third overall in 7:07:09.
Josh Cawood anchored Team All Bull, No Brains to victory in the men’s team competition and was the first runner across the finish line at Kronendal in an impressive 4:25:04 after Joshua Blackshaw and Didier de Villers had completed the first two legs. Their time was 2 min 03 sec inside last year’s winning team time and constitutes a record for the new and lengthened course.
Team Biker Surfer and a Yogi finished 8 minutes back in second.
Erika Mohr-Holland anchored Team Paws, Peaks and Prosecco to a win in the women’s team contest after Brigitte Melly and Leigh de Necker had built a strong foundation in the first two legs. They crossed the line in 5:32:32, 20 minutes inside last year’s winning time and also a record for the new course.
Team All Bull, No Brakes took honours in the Mixed Team contest in 5:11:23.
“It’s the first time I’ve run this race,” said Kapito. “ And I’m very happy to win on my first attempt. I want to give thanks to almighty God who gave me the ability to be a winner today. Secondly, I want to thank my coaches, Andy and Didier.”
Coach Andy Davies, Chair of Friends of Table Mountain, is also his boss. “Alick is awesome and we are very proud of him,” Davies said proudly. “He has developed a real passion for Table Mountain which no doubt pushes him to train and race hard.”
“I wasn’t on my own on the trails,” Kapito continued. “My friends from the Gonzo Team were out on the mountain to give me support – we run together every Saturday.
“I appreciate the views and fresh air I get from being outdoors. Most of the time I just like to be on the mountain. My job is to take care of the mountain by maintaining the trails, cleaning up any litter and making the mountain a safer place by being on the mountain trails.
“So I had the advantage of knowing the trails we raced today. I knew when I could accelerate and where I needed to slow down.
“The hardest part for me was on the first leg when we climbed up from Hout Bay Harbour to the top of Karbonkelberg. The climb just seemed to go on forever – it was the first time I’d run up there. And the last leg was very hot – the sun was out and blazing.”
The Hout Bay Trail Challenge remains one of the most popular events with local trail communities and deserves stronger support from current elites as it approaches its jubilee (25 years).
Kane Reilly has the most individual wins against his name (5) with the fastest time (3:54:35 in 2018) with Sylvie Scherzinger having four wins to her name. AJ Calitz and Mark Preen took the title on three occasions with Will Robinson, Kristin Heath, Nicolette Griffioen, Karoline Hanks and Katya Soggot winning twice.
Results: 2026 Hout Bay Trail Challenge
Men
1 1 Alick Kapito 5:34:38; 2 Michael Robey 5:54:46; 3 Cobus Smit 5:58:34; 4 Athenkosi Nkonki 6:20:30; 5 Devin Paisley 6:22:36
Veterans
1 Devin Paisley 6:22:36; 2 Armand du Plessis 6:25:50; 3 Andreas Bergemann 6:38:47
Masters
1 Mike Clarke 7:30:52; 2 Joe Newbert 7:41:48; 3 Barry Futter 7:49:14
Women
1 Tanya Kotze 6:27:02; 2 Kelly Shepherd 6:34:16; 3 Sylvie Scherzinger 7:07:09; 4 Nikk-Leigh Piper 7:35:32; 5 Marli Kriek 8:28:42
Veterans
1 Piper
Masters
1 Scherzinger; 2 Sharron Brouckaert 8:51:28
Teams
Men’s Teams
1 All Bull, No Brains (Joshua Blackshaw, Didier de Villers, Josh Cawood ) 4:25:04; 2 Biker, Surfer and a Yogi (Michael de Kwaadsteniet, Nicholas Lamprecht, Robert Shaff) 4:33:13; 3 The Drunkards (Thomas Ashworth, Justin Green, Ben Fisher) 5:07:04; 4 The Vlakkenburgers (Piet Lourens, Ryan du Plessis, Teager Eales) 5:11:48; 5 The Burbs Boys (Dylan Heard, Michael Muller, Crunchy Cronje) 5:33:13
Mixed Teams
1 All Bull, No Brakes (Christopher Hale, Connor Whiting, Jaime Farara) 5:11:43; 2 Over the Hill (Dale Symons, Brenton Ashby, Julie Huckle) 5:29:21; 3 Hout Klappers (Matt Watson, Jodi Marcus, Grant Marcus) 6:10:17
Women’s Teams
1 Paws, Peaks and Prosecco (Brigitte Melly, Leigh de Necker, Erika Mohr-Holland) 5:32:32; 2 Kula Kats (Tess Kalf, Nadine Arnold, Kim Corry) 5:50:47; 3 The Trail Mavens (Michelle Rolfe, Esther Hoogstad, Hanlie Rennie) 6:04:56
