Modern Athlete Magazine 174 November 2024 | Page 43

gained in strength as Reilly began to struggle , and it was game on with just 12km to go . “ Up till that point it had not been my race ,” admitted Simpson . “ I felt frustrated about missing the marker with the early morning sun straight in my eyes . I felt I could not get into any rhythm for much of the race , but suddenly from Scott Hut I started to feel stronger , and with the help of ice from the hut helpers , which cooled me , I came back to form in the final quarter . I thought I ’ d left it too late and didn ’ t think I could catch Kane , but he seemed to be struggling a bit and my confidence was up .”

Simpson overhauled Buys between Scott and Ngubu Huts , and when he closed the gap on his TERREX teammate , Reilly , to just over a minute at Ngubu Hut , 6km from the finish , the writing was on the wall . The Scot overhauled a flagging Reilly and raced clear past the iconic Waterfall and over the rocky stretch , to cross the line at Storms River to win by three minutes ahead of Buys , who also overtook Reilly in the final kilometre . “ I ’ m delighted to have won after so tough a race . I so enjoy the trail community here , and that brought me back to South Africa again ,” said Simpson to loud applause .

Buys was rewarded for his conservative tactics with the best result of his career , but said he was unable to stay with the flying Scotsman when Simpson came past : “ I ran with him for a bit , but even though he ducked into a few rivers to cool himself , he soon

No words can truly describe the feeling of conquering the Grail of Trails

pulled away from me .” Eastern Cape athlete , Mvuyisi Gcogco , made up ground in the second half , moving up from sixth at halfway to finish fourth and match his previous best finish at the Otter , atoning for a disappointing outing last year , while Muzopambwa held on for a well-deserved and popular fifth place .

Pushing Through

While the men were fighting for line honours , Tarboton was not much further back , in eighth place overall , and was never threatened as she defended her crown . “ The Otter is such an amazing race , nothing will keep me from coming back year after year ,” she said . Having fought through some tough challenges in the European season , Tarboton ’ s win today proved a significant tonic and encouragement for the future . “ I think I ’ d struggled in races in Europe to push through when the going got tough . But there ’ s something about the Otter that lifts my spirit , so mentally I was in a much better space today to cope with any physical dips along the way , and that made all the difference !”

Knysna athlete , Rebecca Watney , and Cape Town ’ s Sam Reilly engaged in a tough battle for second place , running close together for much of the race , before Watney ’ s finishing strength proved decisive . Coached by Simpson , Watney came home in an impressive 5:06:19 , with Reilly finishing third seven minutes later in her debut Otter . 2017 winner , Meg Mackenzie , made a welcome return to the Otter after six years , overhauling North Face athlete , Emily Djock , in the closing stages to take fourth place in 5:32:20 . Carla Collins , daughter of Otter race founders Mark Collins and Belen Sanchez , was greeted by rapturous applause and proud parents when she crossed the finish in 6:16:04 in 10th place in her first ever trail marathon .

Kane Reilly cooling off after placing third in his 12th Otter

Searing 36-degree heat and raging river crossing awaited the runners

The Otter TERREX Trail , presented by EasyEquities

The Otter TERREX Trail runs in the opposite direction each year . The Otter Edition traverses East to West , starting in Storms River and finishing in Natures Valley , while the Retto Edition runs West to East , from Natures Valley to Storms River . The 2024 edition saw athletes take on the West to East Retto route . The 42km route features rugged Indian Ocean coastline trails , indigenous forests , river crossings , spectacular scenery and around 7000 steps .

Entries for the 2025 Otter TERREX Trail open on 1 November 2024 . For more information , visit www . otter . run .

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