SDR36

Race strategy

Run hard on the first mountain, but save energy for the second.

• Start easy and control your HR up to 8.5km.
• 642m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Hold your race pace up to 25.6km, but stay in control.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 20.8km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 25.6km.
• Start · 0.0km–1.6km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.6km–8.5km · Climb of 464m, high point 1969m. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
• Work · 8.5km–25.6km · Descent of 642m averaging 5%. Plus 1 more climb. 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.
• Home · 25.6km–34.1km · Descent of 311m averaging 4%. 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

The course climbs 1200m+. With 36m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 32% of the distance is uphill, 34% downhill and 33% flat. The longest climb runs 8.5km at an average 5.4% grade (464m of vertical). The longest descent runs 12.3km at an average 5.2% grade (642m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 21.7% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 17.4% over 0.2km. Flat-equivalent effort: 45.4 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 0.8km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 15 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 20.8km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 25.6km.
• #1 · 8.5–20.8 km · 642 m D−, -5.2% · 13.3 km ahead → control

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 17°C to 24°C, with around 18°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 29%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 3% of days around this date.

Results

223 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Jacques du Plessis (South Africa) in 2:53:18. Women's winner: Meg Mackenzie (South Africa) in 3:18:44.