After the World Trail Majors saw some of the world’s best trail runners take on Madeira Island, Laurentian Mountain in Quebec, and Mount Fuji, they now set their sights on Table Mountain for the RMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town.
With world-class athletes, competitive storylines, and a live YouTube broadcast, the Mother City watches on as these professional trail runners push themselves to the limit. Here’s everything fans need to know.
Learn more about the RMB Ultra-Trail 2026 Cape Town
From an accessible 16km exhibition to the gruelling 100-mile challenge, runners race across the Cape Peninsula and Table Mountain in this ultimate test of fitness and dedication. The competition grows stronger each year, going from 17 runners in its inaugural edition to 2800 fitness freaks in 2025.
RMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town serves as the finale of the World Trail Majors, a collection of independent “bucket list” races that attract only the top athletes in trail running – with many requiring over 30 hours of backbreaking cardio to complete. This year’s total prize money is over R800,000, with identical prize money for the champions in both the men’s and women’s divisions.
In 2025, South African athletes took home the medals: Douglas Pickard won the men’s race in 21:49:11, and Nicolette Griffioen set a new course record of 24:40:58 in the women’s race. Jeff Mogavero (USA) and Sunmaya Budha (Nepal) won the UT100, with Sunmaya Budha and Caleb Olson (USA) being crowned the ultimate World Trail Majors champions.
This year, Pickard is the favourite to defend his title, although he’ll face stiff competition from Aleksei Tolstenko (Russia) and Admire Muzopambwa (Zimbabwe). In the women’s division, Griffioen’s championship is being threatened by Careth Arnold (US), who finished fourth at UTMB, a major trail run through the Alps, this year.
Other South African challengers include Lodelia Kombrink, Robbie Rorich, and Kerry-Ann Marshall, who could become the first person to run more than 1,000km across UTCT’s races.
The UT100 field is just as stacked, with participants taking on approximately 100km of terrain, rather than the 100-mile UTCT. Caleb Olson is back with his eyes on the top prize, alongside local heroes Thato Kabeli, Matt Bouch, and Ryan Sandes, South Africa’s most experienced athlete. The women’s race sees Antonina Iushina face off against Rebecca Kohne (South Africa) and Martina Valmassoi (Italy).
How to follow the action
Those of us who prefer watching world-class athletes take on Sisyphean tasks, rather than taking them on ourselves, can cheer on the runners at either Gardens Rugby Club, Newlands Forest Picnic Area, Alphen Trail Aid Station and the Hout Bay Aid Stations. Alternatively, viewers can get live updates from @UTCT on Instagram, and watch the race unfold on the official YouTube channel.
RMB’s UTCT forms part of a wider programme supporting African trail running, with Cape Town hosting the World Athletics World Mountain & Trail Running Championships in 2027.
When: Friday – Sunday, 20 – 22 November 2026
Where: Start & finish at Gardens Rugby Club, Montreal Ave, Oranjezicht, Cape Town
Website: ultratrailcapetown.com
Instagram: @UTCT
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