MUT Marathon

Race strategy

Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.

• Start easy and control your HR up to 13.3km.
• 310m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
• Hold your race pace up to 23.4km, but stay in control.
• Ease into the early runnable section, save your quads on the descents until 31.5km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 35.3km.
• 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–13.3km · Climb of 700m. 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–23.4km · Descent of 310m averaging 12%, high point 985m. 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.
• Fade · 23.4km–35.3km · Descent of 714m averaging 9%. Plus 1 more climb. 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. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
• Home · 35.3km–42.6km · 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 2312m+. With 54m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 36% of the distance is uphill, 35% downhill and 29% flat. The longest climb runs 4.5km at an average 15.6% grade (700m of vertical). The longest descent runs 8.1km at an average 8.8% grade (714m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 38.3% over 0.3km. The steepest descent drops at 37.9% over 0.2km. Surface: 82% trail, 8% road, and 8% smooth. Flat-equivalent effort: 60.1 FlatKM.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 4.2km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is moderate (index 27 of 100), with 34% 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 31.5km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 35.3km.
• #1 · 13.3–15.9 km · 310 m D−, -12.0% · 26.7 km ahead → control
• #2 · 23.4–31.5 km · 714 m D−, -8.8% · 11.1 km ahead → control
• 35.3–42.6 km · 466 m D−, -6.4% · 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%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 3% of days around this date.

Results

448 finishers completed the 2026 edition. Men's winner: Jacques Du Plessis (South Africa) in 4:02:01. Women's winner: Mila Geldenhuys (South Africa) in 4:51:04.