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Ultra-Trail Cape Town
163km16399.1km99.156.7km56.734.5km34.523.5km23.515.8km15.8

EX23 Explorer

23.5km·1038m+
November 20
South Africa
source

Race Pace Calculator · GPX Analyzer · Trail Finder

Other races: South Africa

  • Mountain Ultra Trail by UTMB · MUT ChallengeMay 30, 2027 · 25.0km · 1043m+
  • Mountain Ultra Trail by UTMB · MUT LiteMay 30, 2027 · 11.9km · 312m+
  • Otter African Trail Run · Otter ChallengeSeptember 30, 2027 · 42.0km
  • Otter African Trail Run · Otter RaceOctober 2, 2027 · 42.0km
  • Mountain Ultra Trail by UTMB · MUT MarathonMay 30, 2027 · 43.0km · 2312m+
  • Two oceans Marathon · UltraApril 4, 2027 · 56.0km

Read

  • How to Taper for a Marathon, Half Marathon or Ultra
  • Types of Runs and What Each Workout Actually Trains
  • Hill Training for Trail Runners: Train the Descents

EX23 Explorer · Race profile

Distance
23.5km
Gain
1038m+
Max
533m
Min
58m

About EX23 Explorer

EX23 Explorer is the 23.5km trail race at Ultra-Trail Cape Town 2027 (South Africa). The race starts on November 20, 2027.

Race strategy

Run easy on the first mountain, then go all out on the second.

  • 427m descent. Go easy, save your quads.
  • All downhill to the finish: go all out!
  • Control your HR on the first mountain, save your quads on the way down from it until 12.8km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 18.0km.
  • Start · 0.0km–2.5km · Race-day nerves push your heart rate up: don't follow the crowd, find your own rhythm.
  • Settle in · 2.5km–12.8km · Descent of 427m averaging 8%. 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 · 12.8km–18.0km · Climb of 487m, high point 535m. This is where the race is built: steady, solid effort. Climb by heart rate or breathing, not pace.
  • Home · 18.0km–23.1km · Descent of 386m averaging 8%. Build to the finish: leave whatever you have left out on the course. Long descent: keep it even and let go only near the end.

Course

The course climbs 1038m+. With 44m/km of climbing, this is a rolling, mostly runnable course. By gradient, 40% of the distance is uphill, 42% downhill and 18% flat. The longest climb runs 7.2km at an average 6.3% grade (449m of vertical). The longest descent runs 5.7km at an average 7.6% grade (427m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 36.0% over 0.4km. The steepest descent drops at 30.0% over 0.4km. Surface: 63% trail, 20% smooth, and 16% road.

Summits

The course also passes close to Oppelskop (560m).

Poles

The course is runnable enough that trekking poles are not needed.

Quad damage

Quad damage risk is low (index 13 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 12.8km, then run your race pace, and go all out on the final descent from 18.0km.
  • #1 · 7.2–12.8 km · 427 m D−, -7.6% · 10.2 km ahead → control
  • 18.0–23.1 km · 386 m D−, -7.6% · 0.0 km ahead → even, let go at the end

This page has a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for EX23 Explorer.

Other distances of Ultra-Trail Cape Town 2027UTCT 100 Miler (163km)·UT100 (99.1km)·PT55 Peninsula Traverse (56.7km)·TM35 Table Mountain (34.5km)·KS16 Kickstarter (15.8km)

Other editions of EX23 Explorer2026

Official websitewww.ultratrailcapetown.com