An ultra-fast Otter could be on the cards

By Stephen Granger

It’s not for nothing that the Otter African Trail Run carries the epithet “The Grail of Trail”. 

The fabled footrace between Storm’s River and Nature’s Valley along South Africa’s most popular hiking trail takes place tomorrow (Saturday 9 October) and once again, South Africa’s leading marathon-distance trail athletes will be lining up to do battle on this magnificent stretch of coastline.

Trail runners and walkers not entirely focussed on arriving at the finish across the floating jetty on Groot Rivier Lagoon as fast as their bodies will allow, will be able to appreciate the rich biodiversity of the Tsitsikama Forest, through which the trail meanders, and the adjacent the coastal waters. Fynbos and forest ecosystems are home to small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and abundant bird life while whales, dolphins and sharks often frolic in the waters of the marine-protected area off the Tsitsikama coast.

But for one week of the year, runners take centre stage and following the Otter Challenge where the not-so-swift completed the run, the elite runners step up to race South Africa’s most prestigious marathon-distance trail race.

With the exception of one or two athletes recovering from injury or European racing, the cream of South Africa’s crop will be racing on Saturday (October 9) and the action can again be expected to be swift. Recent rains have left the trail firm and ideal for fast running, while a wild-fire which burnt part of the forest for a few kilometres alongside the trail, could further enhance fast times.

While Swiss athlete Marc Lauenstein broke the four-hour barrier for the “Classic” east to west run in 2015, setting the record of 3 hrs 59 min 29 sec, no South African has succeeded in doing so. The organisers have put up R50 000 for the first South African under four hours (and a similar amount for the first woman to break the 4 hr 40 barrier).

Former Mbombelo athlete, now resident in Cape Town, Johardt van Heerden, won the Classic race two years ago in 4:02:59 and will start one of the strong favourites both to win and break the barrier but several athletes are capable of stealing his thunder. Kane Reilly is undoubtedly the best athlete never to have won the Otter, and the Cape athlete is looking strong to do so on his ninth attempt.

Reilly was in top form earlier this year in winning the Special Edition 25km and the George Mountain Marathon in impressive style and if he can replicate that form at the Otter, he could be hard to beat.

Pretoria athlete, Jacques Buys, shared the fastest prologue time with Van Heerden, both athletes timed at 16:18 for the 3,4km loop along the Kalanderkloof Trail near Nature’s Valley today (Thurs 8 Oct), and although many athletes have suffered on the Otter marathon following too fast a prologue the day before, Buys has the credentials to succeed.

Robbie Rorich is enjoying a rich vein of form and won the recent Mont Rochelle Sky Race over 26km by a 9 minute margin. At the time of writing he had not yet recorded a prologue time, but he will certainly threaten any would-be winner tomorrow.

Kennedy Sekuthe has had his best year of trail and recorded the third-fastest prologue time. He will be there or thereabouts towards the final stages tomorrow, while 2017 winner, Christiaan Greyling, last year’s 4^th placed finisher Mvuyisi Gcogco, Jonathan Black (second at Mont Rochelle), Van Heerden’s brother Arlo and the talented Jarryd Dunn could also challenge for podium positions.

Ultra-trail king, Ryan Sandes, won the Otter in 2011 and returns for another bite at the cherry. His 12^th position in the prologue – about 96km too short for his talents – could see him coming through strongly in the latter stages when others are falling back.

KZN LIV2Run athlete, Sinovuyo Ngcobo, misjudged the pace of the prologue and fell just outside the top 25 positions required to race for line honours. Nonetheless, without the pressure of an ultra-fast start, and starting in the first wave after the lead ‘Abangeni’, the 27-year old can gain from the experience, setting his store for future success in the Otter and other top races.

UCT chemical engineering graduate, Bianca Tarboton starts a clear favourite in the women’s race. Although up against former winners, Robyn Owen and Landie Greyling, Tarboton appears too strong to be beaten tomorrow and should go one better than her second place to Toni McCann (not racing tomorrow) in last year’s ‘Retto’ run in the reverse direction.

Other contenders for podium positions are Greyling, Owen, Julika Pahl (third in the prologue behind Tarboton and Greyling), Susan Sloane, Marina Hand and Leilani Scheffer.

Prologue Results

Men: 1 Jacques Buys 16:18; 2 Johardt van Heerden 16:18; 3 Robbie Rorich 16:28; 4 Kennedy Sekuthe 17:04; 5 Arlo van Heerden 17:08; 6 Jonathan Black 17:50; 7 Simon Purdon 17:58; 8 Christiaan Greyling 18:03; 9 Jarryd Dunn 18:05; 10 Kane Reilly 18:06

Women: 1 Bianca Tarboton 19:56; 2 Landie Greyling 20:55; 3 Julika Pahl 21:00; 4 Nadia Jooste 21:11; 5 Marna van Deventer 21:21; 6 Marina Hand 21:33; 7 Susan Sloane 21:42; 8 Leilani Scheffer 22:17; 9 Georgie Kelly 22:26; 10 Michelle Bezuidenhout 22:43