UTD Miler

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• 669m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Steep 34% wall. Control your pace and stay focused.
• Final 978m descent. Save your legs to go all out on it.
• Long race. Control your HR and effort. Early mistakes cost the most.
• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 135km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 147km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• Start · 0.0km–1.3km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
• Settle in · 1.3km–9.3km · Descent of 351m averaging 7%. Plus 1 more climb. Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. 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.
• Work · 9.3km–84.7km · Descent of 354m averaging 14%, descent of 669m averaging 5%, climb of 1698m. 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. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine.
• Fade · 84.7km–147km · 7.1km of runnable trail, high point 3473m, descent of 372m averaging 13%, descent of 1021m averaging 11%. Plus 1 more climb 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. This descent is hard on the legs: short steps, stay in control, poles if you have them. Running pays off here: run wherever you can. At altitude your pace drops, and that's fine. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 147km–162km · Descent of 978m averaging 6%. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Very long descent: first half under control, then even, let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 6200m+. With 39m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 35% of the distance is uphill, 31% downhill and 34% flat. The longest climb runs 18.5km at an average 9.2% grade (1698m of vertical). The longest descent runs 15.6km at an average 6.3% grade (978m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 47.3% over 0.2km. The steepest descent drops at 33.9% over 0.9km. Flat-equivalent effort: 264.3 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 17.5km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is high (index 59 of 100), with 38% of the load in the first half: 5 critical descents, the last of them run on already damaged legs. Downhill-specific preparation and a controlled early pace pay off here.

• Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the descents until 135km, then run your race pace, and start the final descent from 147km under control, then go all out near the bottom.
• #2 · 4.5–9.3 km · 351 m D−, -7.4% · 153.0 km ahead → control
• #3 · 24.0–26.6 km · 354 m D−, -13.7% · 135.7 km ahead → control
• #1 · 35.6–48.4 km · 669 m D−, -5.2% · 113.8 km ahead → control
• #5 · 91.8–94.7 km · 372 m D−, -13.0% · 67.6 km ahead → control
• #4 · 125.8–135.1 km · 1021 m D−, -10.9% · 27.1 km ahead → control
• 146.6–162.2 km · 978 m D−, -6.3% · 0.0 km ahead → even, first half under control, let go at the end
• Plus 1 more notable descent not listed: your pace.

Weather

On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 14°C to 23°C, with around 8°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 30%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 3% of days around this date.

Results

51 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Thato Kabeli (South Africa) in 24:24:57. Women's winner: Rinel McLaren (South Africa) in 41:23:53.