Nature’s Valley, Southern Cape
Tension is rising ahead of tomorrow’s (Saturday 7 October) Otter African Trail Run, presented by Easy Equities, as one of the strongest marathon trail fields in African history prepares to line up for the 06h30 start at Storms River.
Run over 42km between Storms River and Nature’s Valley along the iconic Otter Trail through the Tsitsikamma National Park, the race, which includes four river crossings, 11 significant hill climbs and almost 2500m of elevation gain, provides a stern test of athletes’ trail running abilities.
Johannesburg-based Admire Muzopambwa – running to 11th place in the 4,5km prologue. Muzopambwa could challenge for a podium position tomorrow. Photo – Stephen Granger
The ‘Classic’ (east to west) Otter records stand behind the names of Marc Lauenstein (3:59:29 – 2015) and Bianca Tarboton (4:45:34 – 2021).
A new technical sponsor – adidas TERREX – has come on board this year with supporting partners SANParks, Europcar and Maurten adding substantial value to the event.
A rain squall with high winds is forecast for the race, but that’s not the only element of uncertainty making predications for the 14th edition of the race more precarious than ever before. Key questions which will only be answered by 11am tomorrow include:
- Will the heavy rain count against fast times and eliminate chances of race records?
- How will world-class adidas TERREX athletes, Robbie Simpson (Scotland) and Marcel Hoeche (Germany), cope on a route which often demands prior knowledge and experience?
- Will the weather kibosh Bianca Tarboton’s hopes of breaking her own record?
- Will the new crop of younger, fast runners be able to sustain their form over the full distance?
- Will South Africa’s leading trail athletes, Kane Reilly, Johardt van Heerden and Robbie Rorich be able to get the better of the visiting internationals?
- Might some of tomorrow’s fastest times come from runners not part of the seeded ‘Abangeni’?
All participants in tomorrow’s race took part in a 4,5km prologue today over a new, testing course in Nature’s Valley, the results of which have determined starting times tomorrow. Only the top 32 male and female athletes will start up front as part of the ‘Abongeni’ and will be able to contend for podium places and prize money.
Usually the favoured athletes have little trouble in qualifying and take care not to race the prologue at full effort, but the depth of quality in the men’s field this year and the presence of the crop of younger athletes, left leading campaigners, Christiaan Greyling, Mvuyisi Gcogco, Rikus Saayman, Cullen Kelly, Dom Wills and Diederik le Grange out in the cold.
Defending champion, Johardt van Heerden, left it tight and was just 13 seconds away from missing out on a chance to defend his title.
Kane Reilly is undoubtedly the best trail runner never to have won an Otter title and the trail community would love the popular athlete to correct that short-coming on his running CV tomorrow. Running in the colours of his new team adidas TERREX, Reilly completed the prologue in relaxed fashion but is uncertain as to the impact of the predicted heavy rain on the race.
“I definitely prefer cooler weather, but not necessarily the rain,” Reilly admitted, “I think the race is Robbie Simpson’s to lose – he is well used to wet and muddy terrain. And I don’t think many can match Robbie Rorich’s technical skills and the conditions could play to his advantage.”
Simpson gave an indication of his form by racing the prologue with apparent ease to finish fastest in 21 in 13 sec, 18 seconds ahead of surprise package Simon Purdon, who has achieved two podium places in the recent Skyrunning SA series. Zimbabwean Petros Chigomararwa, Hoeche and Bradley Claase rounded out the top five.
Christiaan Greyling starting out on the prologue. Too conservative an approach saw him missing the cut to contend for the race
The big talking point was the failure of former Otter champion, Christiaan Greyling, and regular Otter top five, Mvuyisi Gcogco, to make the Abangeni. “I ran at a comfortable pace, which is my usual strategy for the prologue,” explained Greyling. “I never want to be competitive in the prologue and prefer to make it count in the main event.
“But we’ve never seen such depth in the men’s field at the Otter and that took me by surprise. I think there are a number of guys who are fast over the shorter distance who could struggle over the marathon tomorrow.”
Defending champion, Johardt van Heerden, is a tough competitor, who will not lightly surrender his crown, while Reilly can never be discounted especially given his current form which saw him finish 14th in the national cross-country championships in Gqeberha last month.
But look to the Robbies in 2023, with an intriguing battle in store between Simpson, who will be looking to add to his South African success when he won the Ultra-trail Cape Town 55km last year, and Rorich, who scored a full house of wins in the recent Skyrunning SA series.
Making it look easy – Bianca Tarboton running to the fastest prologue time of the day
Unlike last year, when a strong women’s field competed hard for podium places, 2021 winner and defending champion for the ‘Classic’ east to west run, Bianca Tarboton, is in a class of her own this year in her quest for another sub-5 hour time, potentially inside her own classic direction record of 4:45:34. Such a feat would earn her a bonus R100 000 in addition to first prize of R70 000.
Lijan Burger, Tarboton’s teammate at the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Austria in June, will contend strongly for a podium position, as will Otter debutant and winner of last year’s Mont aux Sources , Ruth Cozien. Those athletes recorded the next fastest prologue times behind Tarboton.
Results of Prologue
Men
1 Robbie Simpson 21:13; 2 Simon Purdon 21:31; 3 Petros Chigomararwa; 4 Marcel Hoeche 21:59; 5 Bradley Claase 22:01; 6 Angus Teeton 22:02; 7 Oli Morris 22:03; 8 Robbie Rorich 22:12; 9 Armin Botha 22:24; 10 Oliver Munnik 22:34; 11 Admire Muzopambwa 22:47; 12 Christiaan van den Heever 22:48; 13 Tseilo Tsanyane 22:56; 14 James Miller 22:59; 15 Kane Reilly 23:00; 16 Thabang Madiba 22:03; 17 Lovemore Nyaude 23:03; 18 Ryan Sandes 23:09; 19 Johardt van Heerden 23:10; 20 Kevin Evans 23:13; 21 Phakamani Madlala 23:16; 22 Sinovuyo Ngcobo 23:17; 23 Brode Gleeson 23:22; 24 Melikhaya Msizi 23:23
Women
1 Bianca Tarboton 25:13; 2 Lijan Burger 26:15; 3 Ruth Cozien 26:33; 4 Marina Egorov 27:18; 5 Mila Geldenhuys 27:30; 6 Rebecca Watney 27:33; 7 Annalise Scholtz 27:37; 8 Mareli van Schalkwyk 28:27
