About MUT 100
MUT 100 is the 98.0km ultra trail at MUT - Mountain Ultra Trail by UTMB 2026 (George, South Africa). The race starts on May 30, 2026.
Race strategy
Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.
- 888m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
- Steep 29% 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 49.9km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 91.9km.
- 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–13.2km · Climb of 702m, high point 985m. 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 · 13.2km–49.9km · Descent of 420m averaging 15%, descent of 369m averaging 8%, descent of 888m averaging 7%. Plus 2 more climbs. 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. Hike the steepest pitches.
- Fade · 49.9km–91.9km · Plus 3 more climbs and 2 descents. 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. Hike the steepest pitches. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
- Home · 91.9km–99.1km · Descent of 466m averaging 6%. 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 4717m+. With 48m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 36% of the distance is uphill, 36% downhill and 28% flat. The longest climb runs 6.1km at an average 6.6% grade (401m of vertical). The longest descent runs 13.0km at an average 6.8% grade (888m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 33.4% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 35.2% over 0.2km. Surface: 73% trail and 17% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 140.0 FlatKM.
Poles
Poles bring little benefit here: only about 13.6km of pole-friendly terrain.
Quad damage
Quad damage risk is moderate (index 47 of 100), with 59% of the load in the first half: 3 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 49.9km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 91.9km.
- #2 · 13.2–16.0 km · 420 m D−, -15.1% · 83.1 km ahead → control
- #3 · 20.2–24.5 km · 369 m D−, -8.4% · 74.6 km ahead → control
- #1 · 36.9–49.9 km · 888 m D−, -6.8% · 49.3 km ahead → control
- 80.6–82.4 km · 361 m D−, -20.3% · 16.8 km ahead → your pace
- 91.9–99.1 km · 466 m D−, -6.4% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end
- Plus 1 more notable descent not listed: your pace.
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%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 3% of days around this date.
Results
106 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Daniel Claassen (South Africa) in 10:29:17. Women's winner: Kerry-Ann Marshall (South Africa) in 13:00:19.
This page has the full results and splits, a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for MUT 100.
