Prodigal Khumalo successfully defends his Ultra-trail Cape Town title
Cape Town, 2 December 2017: Prodigal Khumalo successfully defended his title and smashed the Ultra-trail Cape Town (UTCT) men’s race record by just under an hour, in a time of 9:51.00.
The Zimbabwean beat off a strong challenge from race favourite Ryan Sandes. Sandes was only minutes behind him in a time of 9:56:03, with Scotty Hawker from New Zealand in third place in a time of 10:04:27.
Scotty Walker, Prodigal Khumalo and Ryan Sandes Pic: Nick Muzik
Khumalo, who can boast with a top 10 Comrades finish said of his win: “The guys really wanted it, we raced from the gun. I used the same strategy as last year but was better prepared, and with the competition around me. I had to push.”
The first three men finished under the current record, reflecting the elite calibre of competition in the race.
Sandes was happy with his first attempt at the 100km on his home turf: “It was really tough against the Comrades guys. I tried to push early on the technical bits, so I had to work harder on the flats and the downs.
“It was really awesome to run a big race at home, and the encouragement from the crowds has been incredible, all along the route at the aid stations we felt that support.”
The first woman across the line in the 100km race was Salomon team athlete Lucy Bartholomew.
Lucy Bartholomew Pic: Nick Muzik
The 21-year-old trail-running sensation from Australia finished in a time of 11:21:49, well ahead of second-placed South African, Robyn Owen, who crossed the line at 12:06:40. Another South African Naomi Brand 12:20:23 was third.
“There are not big mountains here compared to what I run in France, but this was tough, you have to have the full package – run fast and climb hills – I learnt a lot from this race, “ Bartholomew said.
UTCT presented by Salomon, this year formed part of the Ultra-trail World Tour
UTCT presents three trail races of 100km, 65km and 35km that traverse the mountains of the Cape Peninsula. The races cover sections of Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, Signal Hill, Orangekloof, Llandudno, Hout Bay, the Constantia Winelands, the upper slopes of Kirstenbosch Nature Reserve and Devil’s Peak.
Nic Bornman, the founder of the race, said he has seen the race grow exponentially since the inaugural event in 2014: “Each year the race has doubled in size, but this year, with being included in the World Tour, it has exploded, attracting numbers of elite international runners, which is fantastic to see.
“Having the support of the South African National Parks makes this possible, and now with the City of Cape Town, we expect the race to double again in size next year, putting us on the map for elite Ultra-trail runners worldwide,” Bornman said.
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For more information about Ultra-trail Cape Town presented by Salomon, visit their website at https://www.ultratrailcapetown.com/
