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Otter African Trail Run
42km4242km42

Otter Challenge

42.0km
September 30
Storms River Mouth,
South Africa
source

Race Pace Calculator · GPX Analyzer · Trail Finder

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Read

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  • Hill Training for Trail Runners: Train the Descents

Marathon trail race calendar

Otter Challenge · Race profile

Distance
42.0km
Max
161m
Min
-2m

About Otter Challenge

Otter Challenge is the 42.0km trail race at Otter African Trail Run 2027 (Storms River Mouth, South Africa). The race starts on September 30, 2027. It starts in Storms River Mouth and finishes in Nature's Valley. The time limit is 11 h.

Race strategy

Start easy, build your effort, and go all out at the finish.

  • Start easy and control your HR up to the aid station at 27.9km.
  • The finish is runnable. Save your legs to run it all the way.
  • Ease into the early runnable section, then run your race pace.
  • 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–28.1km · Ease in: hold back more than feels necessary. The race is still ahead. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.
  • Fade · 28.1km–29.4km · Climb of 151m, high point 162m. Your energy fades, and that's normal: hold a steady effort and stop counting the miles. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace. Your heart rate drifts down on its own: don't chase your early-race numbers, go by feel.
  • Home · 29.4km–39.3km · 9.9km of runnable trail. No heroics: settle back into your own effort and hold it to the line. Running pays off here: run wherever you can.

Course

By gradient, 38% of the distance is uphill, 35% downhill and 28% flat. The longest climb runs 1.3km at an average 12.1% grade (151m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 34.0% over 0.2km. Surface: 89% technical and 6% trail.

Poles

Poles bring little benefit here: only about 2.0km of pole-friendly terrain.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 19 of 100): a few descents worth noting, none of them decisive.

This page has a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for Otter Challenge.

Other distances of Otter African Trail Run 2027Otter Race (42.0km)

Other editions of Otter Challenge

2026

Official websiteotter.run