It’s three out of three for Robbie on the opening day of the RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town

by Stephen Granger

Robbie Simpson made it three in a row as Spanish veteran, Anna Tarasova, turned back the years to win the respective titles in the RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town Peninsula Traverse 55km, run in changeable conditions between Llandudno and the City Bowl this morning (Friday 22 November).

The 33-year-old Scot has been a frequent visitor to South Africa in recent years and took his hat trick of PT55 wins after a tough battle with his American TERREX teammate, Jeshurun Small.

A third TERREX runner, Petter Engdahl of Sweden, was forced to quit the race at the Alphen Trail aid station 32km into the race, suffering from a knee injury which had impacted his race preparation building to the race.

“That was fun, although pretty tough, to be honest,” reflected Simpson. “I struggled in the first half, but after icing my body at Alphen things began to improve in the second.  It’s great to have three wins, but I think that’s it – I’m done!”

In her UTCT debut, Tarasova put her stamp on the race early on and raced through to an impressive win in 6:02:55, 15 minutes off Toni McCann’s record set last year.

““It was really amazing today,” said Tarasova. “It’s my son’s birthday tomorrow so we will celebrate together!”

The TERREX trio of Simpson, Engdahl and Small raced through the Rocket Road checkpoint 7km into the race 40 seconds clear of Johannesburg athlete Admire Muzopambwa and German Michel Nouguier, with experienced South African trail quartet of Bongani Mbanjwa, Daniel Claassen, Thabang Madiba and Ryan Sandes running in 6^th to 9^th places.

Engdahl pushed the pace on the climb up Suther Peak, dropping Small, who opted for a more cautious climb to the peak, and was just over a minute behind the two leaders through Hout Bay Beach at 16km.

Small closed the gap on the climb above East Fort, overtaking Engdahl beyond the Manganese Mine before joining Simpson on the descent to Constantia Nek.

Simpson and Small ran through halfway at Constantia Glen in2:44:40, six minutes clear of Muzopambwa and Jacques Buys, with Sandes a further five minutes in arrears, before Engdahl limped through in 6^th, clearly in pain.

The lead pair opened a seven-minute gap on Muzopambwa through the Alphen aid station at 32km and were inseparable back on the contour path through Nursery Ravine in 3:22:04, with Muzopambwa, Buys and Sandes holding their positions further back.

The decisive moment came as Simpson and Small summitted the ‘four hundred stairs’ between Kirstenbosch and Newlands Forest and it was Simpson’s dexterity over the boulders on the scree slope which left his younger teammate struggling.

“I’m not always great over rocks in the beginning of a race,” Simpson explained, “but I get more confident as race goes on and I managed to gain a few metres on Jeshurun over the rocks.”

Simpson grew the gap to three minutes through the last aid station at the University of Cape Town and there was no catching the tearaway Scot on the final 10km around Devil’s Peak and Table Mountain.

He raced down to the finish at the Gardens Tech Rugby grounds in Oranjezicht to stop the clocks at 5:18:58, 13 minutes faster than his time last year but 18 minutes off his record in 2022.

Small finished less than five minutes back to record his second PT55 silver, after finishing second to Simpson two years back.

“It was awesome running with Robbie,” said Small. “For me, there’s a real feeling of camaraderie. It’s a little less competitive sharing miles with your teammate!  I found the weather quite tough. Even though it was foggy and cool in places, the humidity was high throughout.”

Excitement built at the finish as word came through that ‘the Sandman’ was making a move for the final podium position.

Fifth at Nursery, Sandes had closed five minutes to overtake Buys and move into fourth through the UCT aid station. He overtook Muzopambwa on the climb to the Kings Block House to finish well clear in third, 18 minutes back of Small.

“I grew up near Llandudno Beach, lived in Hout Bay and studied at UCT so the route more or less followed my childhood journey to where I am now!” reflected Sandes with some emotion.

“The Cape Town weather throws everything at you and the terrain is challenging. I’ve run all around the world, but Table Mountain trails are special. They are brutal though!

“It was really special to compete in the 10^th UTCT.  I remember talking to the race founders about their vision in Hong Kong eleven years ago.  I didn’t think anything was going to come from it.

“But what Stu (McConnachie) and the trail community have done to put South African trail running on the map is just mind blowing. A high five to RMB, Stu and the team.”

Buys fought back to take fourth with an exhausted Muzopambwa in fifth, like many, feeling the accumulated effect of a long season.

Tarasova, who won the Madeira Island Ultra-trail 60km in April and the Andorra 50km in June before running to 12^th in the competitive UTMB OCC in August, finished just one place back in 6^th overall.

Setting a fast pace from the start, she was already two minutes up on French athlete, Louise Serban, through Rocket Road 7km into the race with South Africans Rebecca Watney and Landie Greyling trailing in 3^rd and 4^th.

Tarasova was in 14^th place overall through Hout Bay and almost three minutes clear of Serban, with Watney and Greyling a further three and four minutes back.

Serban fell heavily on the descent to Constantia Nek, opting to run more conservatively, and was five minutes back of Tarasova through Alphen Trail aid station at 32km.  Greyling had moved up to third as Watney dropped out, not fully recovered from illness prior to the race.

Tarasova’s strength on the climbs took her from 16^th at Alphen to 9^th at Nursery before her strength over the final kilometres moved her up another three positions to win by 12 minutes over Serban. Greyling was a popular finisher in third to be greeted by her children and husband Christiaan, shortly before he started the UTCT 100 miler.

David Long won the inaugural ‘Kickstarter’ 16km between Constantia Nek and Oranjezicht, winning by four minutes ahead of Marcel Krieghoff and Mthobisi Ntanzi.

Marina Egorov took the honours in the women’s competition in 1:44:18, less than a minute clear of master athlete, Julie Huckle, with Emily Gray third.

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