Hot racing expected at chilly Ultra-Trail® Drakensberg
Ultra-Trail® Drakensberg 2021 bounces back this weekend following 2020’s pandemic-enforced cancellation with a star-studded field headed by ultra-distance icon Ryan Sandes ready to take on the Southern Drakensberg trails over the five race distances with the autumn weather offering clear but chilly conditions for the tough runners.
Snow is possible over the higher ground in Lesotho on Thursday and Friday night, with the men and women taking on the flagship UTD160 hundred miler setting off from the top of Sani Pass at 10am on Friday morning, heading for the Thabana Ntlenyana, the highest peak in Southern Africa and running through the night to the finish at the Premier Sani Pass hotel more than twenty four hours and 164 kilometres later.
The year of lockdown responses to the Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the local and international ultra-trail running calendars, and the bonus for local fans is the chance to see Red Bull/Salomon star Sandes run his first hundred miler in South Africa at the UTD 160.
The 39-year old’s experience, reputation and current form will make him an intimidating adversary for arguably the strongest field that has assembled for UTD160, including 2018 champion and record-holder Jock Green, US ultra-star Adam Kimble, brothers Andrew and Steve Erasmus, Six Peak Challenge record-breaker Ruan van der Merwe, and the class of runners like Gabriel Kriel and Admire Muzopambwa.
The women’s field is headed up by former career soldier Amri Williamson, the experienced Tracey Zunkel, Linda Doke, who still holds the fastest-known-time for a mixed team at the Drakensberg Grand Traverse, Karkloof and Addo 100 miler champion Annalise Scholtz, all aiming to find some of magic that the last edition of UTD160 savoured when Naomi Brand stunned the event by winning it overall.
UTD100 gets under way at 5am on Saturday morning and starts with the brutal run up and down Sani Pass to the Lesotho border before the signature Twelve Apostles trail to Khanti Ridge and ultimately the finish at the Premier Sani Pass hotel.
The men’s field boasts the class of defending champion Martin Malherbe, Christiaan Greyling, GCU62 record-holder Rory Scheffer, Underberg local Philip Shezi, Robert Rorich, Brendan Lombard, Iain Peterkin, Mdu Zondi and Albert Phungula.
The women’s field has been rattled by the addition of former Comrades winner Ann Ashworth. Now living in Hillcrest, she is making a bold leap from the roads to long distance trail running. She will test her skills and the extent of her recovery from her Achilles problems against a field that includes Sam Reilly, racing her first 100km, Nonhlakanipho Tau and Jess Barrow.
The popular GCU62 starts at the Bushman’s Nek hotel at 7am on Saturday and covers the fabled Giants Cup route back to the Premier Sani Pass hotel, and while the big field includes many runners keen to soak up the magic of the iconic trails, it includes form trail runners JJ van der Merwe, Ben Brimble, Daniel Claassen, Addo 100 miler champion Hylton Dunn, Quintin Honey, Karkloof 100 miler winner Mzwakhe Khanyile, Thabang Madiba, Solicitor Manduwa and Nkosikhona Mhlakwana, with Taryn King the woman to beat over the 62km layout.
The field entered for SDR32 that starts at Castleburn at 1:30pm on Saturday afternoon includes the remarkable inclusion of Comrades gold medallist and UTCT100 winner Prodigal Khumalo and perennial local trail running performer Nomore Mandivengerei, Underberg local Mdu Dlamini and Brandon Keeling along with classy female runners Marianne Semmelink, Kristen Heath and UTCT winner Bianca Tarboton.
At the same time as the 62km event gets under way at Bushman’s Nek, DRJ21 race starts at the race base at the foot of Sani Pass, offering the shortest race route, taking the less hardened athletes into the remarkable Gxalingenwa Gorge, as the five-event weekend aims to bring all the finishers back to the Premier Sani Pass hotel on Saturday afternoon.
