Learning at altitude – African trail runners blown away by Mont Blanc
by Stephen Granger
The dust has settled on the first post-COVID Ultra-trail Mont Blanc (UTMB), and the trail and ultra-distance world is reflecting on the most intense competition in the 18-year history of the world’s largest trail event, a week...
Coloured “bib” stages during Azores trail championship a potential game-changer: organiser
A novel ‘races-within-a-race’ format for the four-day Golden Trail Championship (GTC) which commences with a prologue on the island of Faial in The Azores on Wednesday (October 28) is likely to have far-reaching consequences, according to Golden Trail founder Greg...
McCann, van Heerden top on Sandes’ mountain trail
By Stephen Granger
South Africa’s leading marathon-distance trail athletes, Johardt van Heerden and Toni McCann, raced to impressive victories in the inaugural Sanlam Cape Town Trail Marathon on a testing 46km circuit over and around Table Mountain this morning (Saturday...
Elazzaoui flies Africa’s flag at the Golden Trail
By Stephen Granger
Leading Moroccan trail athlete, Elhousine Elazzaoui, flies the African flag at this weekend’s grand finale of the 2021 Golden Trail Series on the island of El Hierro in the Canary Island Group.
The Atlantic Ocean island lies a...
PK’s trail debut at Gun Run Trail Run a talking point among pundits
One of a twin and with five siblings, Philani Sengce was born and raised in the small Eastern Cape district of Ngqeleni. Now emerging as one of the leading distance runners in the Western Cape in South Africa, Sengce...
Wild conditions give teeth to Kromrivier Beast
Nelius Swart took advantage of wild conditions at the Kromrivier "Beast", at the inaugural, 45-km trail running event, held in the heart of South Africa's Cederberg Wilderness on Saturday (May 15). Swart, 39, came home in 5 hours,...
“Berg weather” to test UTD competitors
A traditional Drakensberg electric storm and downpour greeted runners arriving at race registration at the Premier Sani Pass Hotel on the eve of the 5th Ultra-trail Drakensberg (UTD) yesterday (Thursday), underlining the fickle nature of ‘Berg’ weather conditions and the...
Africa’s most coveted ultra-trail race promises spectacular trails and a quality field
By Stephen Granger
uKhahlamba, the Barrier of Spears, the Dragon Mountains or, as most know it, the Drakensberg, is Southern Africa’s most formidable mountain massif, containing the highest peaks in Africa south of the Rift Valley. Forming the country divide...
Live action another winner at UTCT
By Stephen Granger
Jim Walmsley and Courtney Dauwalter blazed to impressive victories on Table Mountain trails in last week’s Ultra-trail Cape Town (UTCT) 100km, but there was an impressive ‘behind the scenes’ alternate ‘relay run’ over the challenging course with...
Toni top of the trail world in Chamonix
When Toni McCann bounced back from adversity on August 31, she did so less than three months after crippling injuries ruled her out of the World Mountain and Trail Championships. At the French alpine town of Chamonix, she ran...