It’s a Reilly double-act as Kane and Sam reign supreme in the Hout Bay mountains

Kane and Samantha Reilly pulled off a remarkable brother-sister act at the 21^st Hout Bay Trail Challenge this morning (Saturday 22 July), racing to emphatic victories over the challenging 40km circumnavigation of the Hout Bay mountains.

Brother Kane raced to his fifth win out of five attempts on a course he acknowledges is one of his all-time favourites while sister Sam went one better than her second place to Katya Soggot in 2017 in what was a comeback triumph of significant proportions.

The Hout Bay mountains provide a fitting backdrop for Kane and Sam Reilly and their Hout Bay Trail Challenge trophies. Photo – Stephen Granger

Kane Reilly, 30, crossed the finish-line at Hout Bay Yacht Club in 4 hrs 05 min 01 sec, just over ten minutes outside his own course record he set in 2018. But given that Reilly only moved into race mode just four days ago following a last-minute decision to take part, and the relatively overgrown state of sections of the trail compared to those five years ago, his performance compared favourably with his other wins, including that of his 2018 record.

“I think that I’m a better athlete now than five years ago,” reflected Reilly. “But for this race you really need to do your homework and prepare specifically for the conditions. I was really focused on the record in 2018 and running under four hours, so I prepared well for that race.

Kane Reilly – in his element in the fynbos in the Hout Bay mountains on his way to his fifth HBTC win. Photo – Stephen Granger

“I felt good today out there, and thought I’d give it a good go, but a few places were a bit slower.  The path past the waterfall in the final leg was quite overgrown where I was unable to maintain my pace through that section.

“But really, no complaints – this is such a great race that it’s always good to be a part of it.”

Sam Reilly, two years older than her brother, came home fourth place overall in a fast 4:50:23 and over an hour ahead of second-placed Leigh de Necker, but owned up to an inadvertent navigational error in the second leg, which was estimated to have cut her overall time by around 12 to 15 minutes.

First to congratulate Sam Reilly on her win as she crosses the finish line at the 2023 HBTC win is her brother Kane, who won the overall race. Photo – Stephen Granger

She was given a thirty-minute time penalty but comfortably retained the top podium position.  More importantly, she would have grown in confidence ahead of her race at the Ultra-trail Mont Blanc OCC 55km in France next month, knowing her performance is in the ballpark of those of leading athletes Katya Soggot (4:59:17 in 2018) and Nicolette Griffioen (4:18:34 in 2019) and not that far off Meg Mackenzie’s 4:43:22 in 2016, the fastest run over the 40km course.

After missing the most direct route from the Hout Bay Harbour start, Reilly soon made up the lost time and was over two minutes clear of closest rival and winner of the first two of legs of the Triple Crown, Kyle Bucklow, as the athletes reached the sand dune at the base of Suther Peak.

The gap had opened to 3:30 at the first checkpoint at Suikerbossie Restaurant, Reilly ignoring the freshly baked scones and coffee on offer as he raced into the second leg up Hout Bay Corner.

Nic Rupanga finishing his leg in third position overall. Photo – Stephen Granger

Veteran trail athlete, Nicholas Rupanga, ran a strong first leg, coming through in third position and taking his team, Zlant, into the lead in the mixed-team category.

Sam Reilly came through the transition in 6^th overall, four minutes up on Nadine van Driel, running for the Gazelles women’s team, and nine minutes clear of Jess Barrow, second woman in the solo category.

Top three – winner Kane Reilly is flanked by runners-up Kyle Bucklow (right) and Kyle Nortje. Photo – Stephen Granger

Few can match Kane Reilly on the second leg of the race, and he was in his element, seemingly floating across the Back Table past Judas Peak and Grootkop. He had opened nine minutes on Bucklow by the second check point at Constantia Nek.  Kyle Nortje, running his final race in Cape Town before departing for New Zealand, was a further eight minutes back in third.

Sam Reilly ran a powerful second leg, but not quite as fast as her third overall position at the Nek suggested, following her navigational error. While she ran a similar distance, she traded several kilometres of technical single-track with a more runnable concrete surface.

Sam Reilly crosses a sand dune before her descent to Sandy Bay during the first leg. Photo – Stephen Granger

Kane Reilly opened another 12 minutes on Bucklow in the third and final leg over Vlakkenberg, down to East Fort and back along the beach to the harbour, and raced across the line to clinch the title for the fifth time. The manner of his win will give him confidence ahead of his travel to the USA to race the Golden Trail Series event, Pikes Peak Marathon, in September.

Bucklow was pleased with his runners-up position which clinched the Triple Crown, following his wins at Muizenberg Trail and Old Fisherman’s Trail Challenge. Nortje enjoyed a strong send-off to New Zealand by finishing third, 26 minutes behind Bucklow.

Kyle Bucklow running in second place between Sandy Bay and Llandudno during the first leg. Photo – Pete Kirk

Sam Reilly matched third-placed male, Nortje, for time on the final leg before crossing the finish line well clear of the field in the women’s competition.

De Necker began conservatively and was 12 minutes off the pace through Suikerbossie, but grew stronger as the race unfolded, overhauling second-placed Barrow near the top of the climb up Vlakkenberg in the final leg to claim the first runners-up berth, 10 minutes up on Barrow at the finish.

Kate Mapham (left) anchors Team Gazelles to a win in the women’s competition at the Hout Bay Yacht club finish. Her teammates Jada Linstrom (right) and Nadia van Driel (behind) are in support. Photo – Stephen Granger

The quaintly-named team, Do Leki Make Crutches, took honours in the men’s team competition, their trio of Michael Oberty, Julian Dean-Brown and Brode Gleeson, crossing the finish in 4:30:09, three minutes behind Bucklow, while Team Gazelles (Nadine van Briel, Jada Linstrom and Kate Mapham) pronked home in the women’s team competition in a competitive 5:00:42.

Seasoned trail runners, Julie Huckle, Dale Symons and Allan Benn, aka Team Not So Faster Masters, were overhauled by Team Gazelles on the beach near the finish, but did enough to win the mixed category competition, finishing in 5:01:36.

An athlete makes her way past the old manganese mine towards the end of the third and final leg of the Hout Bay Trail Challenge. Photo – Pete Kirk

RESULTS

Men

1)Kane Reilly  4.05.01; 2) Kyle Bucklow  4.27.08; 3) Kyle Nortje  4.53.21; 4) Michael Molyneaux  4.54.33; 5) Kevin Spratley 5:11:07; 6) Nelius  Swart  5.15.34; 7) Cobus Smit  5.17.01; 8) Dave van Ginkel  5.27.19; 9) Travis Green  5.30.20; 10) Nicholaas  Du Plessis  5.35.06

Veterans

1) Michael Molyneaux  4.54.33, 2) Nelius  Swart  5.15.34, 3) Travis Green  5.30.20,

Masters

1) Kevin Spratley  5.11.07, 2) Dave van Ginkel  5.27.19, 3) Costa Dimopoulos  5.45.16

Women

1) Samantha Reilly 5:20:23; 2) Leigh de Necker  5.52.28; 3 Jess Barrow 6:02:37; 4) Mabru Lourens  6.10.50; 5 Mags Wright 6:11:21; 6) Bronwen Moodie  6.28.24; 7) Jolene Wium  7.05.41; 8) Nikki Klarenbeek  7.08.56; 9) Micaela Clifford  7.11.15; 10) Suzanne Germs  7.21.07

Veterans

1) Jess Barrow  6.02.37, 2) Mags Wright  6.11.21

Masters

1) Roldah Orrie  8.33.50, 2) Trish  Lane  8.37.58

Madziko Tinashe makes his way up the steep climb to Vlakkenberg at the start of the final leg, anchoring the Hout Bay Harriers team. Photo – Pete Kirk

Men’s Teams

1) Do Leki make crutches  4.30.09, 2) Olypmic Outbacks  4.50.47, 3) Bosch  4.59.09

Women’s Teams

1) Gazelles  5.00.42, 2) Unknowns  6.00.03, 3) Striped Unicorns  6.02.32

Mixed Teams

1) Not so Faster Masters  5.01.36, 2) Devil’s Peak  5.52.26, 3) Zlaant  6.00.05,