TRAIL
The Ultra-Trail Drakensberg ( UTD ) festival of trail running took place from 26 to 28 April , with events of 160km , 100km , 65km , 36km and 25km . Four of the five courses traverse the Giant ’ s Cup Trail , in the southern section of the UNESCO Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site in KwaZulu-Natal . This park was granted World Heritage status for two reasons : The outstanding natural landscapes , and its cultural wealth of San rock art . The races incorporate well known features of the southern Drakensberg , including Sani Pass , Twelve Apostles and Khanti Ridge .
The 2024 UTD
A look into Ultra-Trail Drakensberg in 2024 , from a misty start in Lesotho to a sunshine day for the Saturday races , capped off with an emotional finish on Sunday with the final runners crossing the line . Video by Mentz Germishuis .
This year ’ s UTD saw the introduction of a new Race Village and finish line venue at Glencairn Farm , just outside Underberg , which also meant some changes to the various routes . For example , the UTD160 featured fewer kilometres of the Lesotho landscape , with runners coming down the Sani Pass earlier in the day , which resulted in less time at altitude , and a faster , more competitive racing field . And once again , the top runners in the field ensured exciting racing from start to finish .
Admire Muzopambwa
Nicolette Griffioen
The Ultra-Trail Drakensberg 160
Starting at the Lesotho Border Post , the women ’ s race was dominated by Nicolette Griffioen , who led from the misty start in Lesotho , with the gap to second increasing at nearly every checkpoint . By the time she broke the tape , she had worked her way into the top five overall standings – an achievement of some substance , considering the depth of talent in the men ’ s field . Behind her , Jessica Barrow , and Nikki Caromba battled the isolation of the course to hold on to their podium spots .
The story of the men ’ s race could not have been more different . From the time the field crossed back into South Africa after the Lesotho loops , the lead trio of Matt Bouch , Grobler Basson and Admire Muzopambwa ( Zimbabwean ) appeared inseparable
UTD160 Men
Admire Muzopambwa |
21:01:01 |
Matt Bouch |
21:08:48 |
Tiaan Erwee |
22:07:58 |
as they traded surges and counter-surges , leading to an ever-increasing lead pace . Meanwhile , Tiaan Erwee tracked them patiently in fourth place . Coming into the Swiman Aid Station at 112km , Bouch had opened a four-minute lead on Muzopambwa , but the Zimbabwean put in an epic last 30km surge to take the win .
Special mention must be made of Basson , who dropped off the lead due to an injury , but instead of bailing , he elected to sleep it off , then put on an audiobook and slowly hobbled his way to the finish line in a shade over 32 hours . The sight of him coming across the finish line and being presented with his finisher ’ s medal by Bouch moved some supporters at the finish line to tears .
UTD160 Women
Nicolette Griffioen |
25:51:40 |
Jessica Barrow |
29:06:36 |
Nikki Caromba |
30:06:10 |
Images : Grae Holliday , Fahwaaz Cornelius , Kelvin Trautman , Zac Zinn
38 ISSUE 168 | www . modernathlete . co . za