The eighth edition of South Africa’s premier ultra-trail running event, Ultra-Trail Cape Town (UTCT), took place on Saturday, November 27 and it was the Americans who dominated.
The USA’s Courtney Dauwalter and Jim Walmsley won without challenge from the rest of their respective fields, but certainly faced the challenges of the race’s unforgiving terrain.
Race:
According to the website, I Run Far, the 97-kilometre course featured some 4,560 meters of vertical gain as it makes its way amongst the famed trails in and around Cape Town. The race began at 4 am in the dark and fog and with temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius.
On the higher terrain, fog, mist, rain, and high winds kept everyone attentive while down lower conditions abated. Cloud cover moderated the temperature to a high of about 21 Celsius, but high humidity followed runners from start to finish.
Win, lose, or draw, you can always count on the USA’s Courtney Dauwalter to be smiling, and that’s what happened as she dominated the women’s race. And just like Dauwalter dominating the women’s race, there was a no-contest win for Jim Walmsley in the men’s race.
Watch the race here:
Men’s Top-Five Finishers:
Jim Walmsley (U.S.) — 9:47:20
Sébastien Spehler (France) — 10:16:20
Andreas Reiterer (Italy) — 10:41:21
Mathieu Blanchard (France) — 10:54:18
Daniel Claassen (South Africa) — 10:56:16
Women’s Top-Five Finishers:
Courtney Dauwalter (U.S.) — 11:20:04
Marianne Hogan (Canada) — 12:15:13
Maryline Nakache (France) — 12:27:06
Ann Ashworth (South Africa) — 12:50:57
Kerry-Ann Marshall (South Africa) — 13:14:52
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Picture: Twitter/ @UltratrailCT