TRAIL
Challenging Conditions !
Otter African Trail Run Challenge , 4-5 October
The Otter African Trail Run Challenge , the preliminary event to the Grail of Trail , took place in initially perfect and then increasingly difficult conditions . With mist giving way to drizzle around midday , the second half of the course became rapidly drenched as tired runners slogged into a light headwind and increasingly muddy , energysapping conditions , but it just made the experience more of an adventure .
The athlete who dealt best with the conditions was Joshua Nuttal , leading from the gun to win the men ’ s race in 5:16:11 , finishing just over 22 minutes ahead of Nelius Swart . “ Some words to describe the Otter : Beautiful , but extremely brutal ,” said Nuttal . “ It ’ s a stunning race . I feel very fortunate to be here and thanks so much to the team behind the race , it ’ s an awesome event !”
Women ’ s winner Mellusca Toovey finished eighth overall in 6:27:37 , and enthused , “ This was my first Otter , and I loved it ! It was super challenging , and there ’ s never a dull moment or the chance for a breather ,” Toovey enjoyed her win all the more , as her husband told her before the race she would not beat him by more than an hour , but he crossed the line more than two hours after her . “ I whipped his butt , and if you want to showcase how good at endurance sports women can be , this is definitely the course for it ,” she laughed .
Joshua Nuttal , men ’ s winner in the Challenge
Mellusca Toovey on her way to winning the women ’ s Challenge
This article is based on media releases issued after the 2023 Otter African Trail Run . For more information on the event , visit www . otter . run .
Images : Caleb Bjergfelt , Johan Minnaar , John Tanner
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