MUT 60

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 448m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 28% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 24.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 50.0km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.4km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.4km–13.3km · Climb of 706m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
• Work · 13.3km–24.7km · Descent of 448m averaging 17%, high point 985m, climb of 535m, descent of 371m averaging 8%. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Hike the steepest pitches.
• Fade · 24.7km–50.0km · Plus 2 more climbs and 1 descent. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 50.0km–57.2km · Descent of 466m averaging 7%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 40% downhill and 21% flat. The longest climb runs 4.6km at an average 15.3% grade (706m of vertical). The longest descent runs 9.3km at an average 7.8% grade (721m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 33.4% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 30.3% over 0.4km. Surface: 67% trail, 20% smooth, and 6% road. Flat-equivalent effort: 83.6 FlatKM.

Poles

Trekking poles are worth taking: about 6.2km of the course favours them.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 35 of 100), with 46% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.

• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 24.7km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 50.0km.
• #1 · 13.3–16.0 km · 448 m D−, -16.5% · 41.1 km ahead → control
• #2 · 20.3–24.7 km · 371 m D−, -8.4% · 32.5 km ahead → control
• 37.0–46.3 km · 721 m D−, -7.8% · 10.9 km ahead → your pace
• 50.0–57.2 km · 466 m D−, -6.5% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 12°C to 17°C, with around 13°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 23%.

Results

205 finishers completed the 2025 edition. Men's winner: Kane Reilly (South Africa) in 6:06:50. Women's winner: Samantha Reilly (South Africa) in 6:30:51.