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A 38km runner high on a traverse at around 15km into the race. The 2025 Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge , in partnership with WWF South Africa , was held on Saturday 17th May.  The day unfolded under pristine late-autumn Cape skies, offering runners ideal conditions to tackle the rugged tracks and trails of the Jonkershoek valley and surrounding mountains.  The crown jewel of this event is the 38km Classic, with over 1,950m of vertical height gain in some pretty gnarly but spectacular mountain terrain. The most popular distance is the 21.5km ‘Half’, with its fast but hilly course, complete with over 650m of vertical height gain. Then there are two shorter distances, namely the 12.5km ‘Aspire’ and the 5km ‘Micro’. Results: https://results.finishtime.co.za/results.aspx?CId=35&RId=5154 Photo gallery: https://www.mountainchallenge.co.za/copy-of-2024 Facebook (ALL images): https://www.facebook.com/wildrunner.co.za/photos_albums 🏃‍♂️ 21.5km Half: Marais sets a new bar 'The Twins' (1494m) towering over runners on the 21.5km Typical. Just when you start to wonder if faster is possible, it happens. Not only did it happen, it caught us all totally off-guard.  You see, at the half-way mark this particular sneaky record breaker was four minutes off the pace at the same point in the race as the existing record holder. Well that’s the short of it, and our somewhat lame excuse for missing it at the finish - but you know there was a lot of action and distraction at the finish line.  Did someone say SQUIRELL ? (If you haven’t seen the cartoon movie ‘UP’, or know Sean, we accept this might be lost on you…) Now, journos love to yield big clouty kinds of words around to get more clickthroughs and reads, but in this case using the word ‘obliterated’, when referring to this total annihilation of the previous record time, is totally fitting.   So here is the low down: Then elite trail runner, now turned elite pro cyclist, Hayley Preen  set a 1:47:00 back in 2022, shaving a healthy 49 seconds of the year before record-setter Lijan van Niekerk . Hayley’s pace averaged an impressive 4:57 /km, running at an average of 4:50 /km on the way up and 4:27 /km on the way down.  Fast forward to 2025 and standing on the start line was hereto unknown (to us) surprise running rocket ship Ebeth Marais .  As we stood at the finish line, observing the split time data coming in on the FinishTime timing system, we observed Ebeth clocking in at the 11km mark, four minutes behind record time, in a still very respectable 57:18. At 5:15/km, her then predicted finish time was looking like something in the region of a 1:49:00, given the uphill was over and it was mostly down to the finish. Lanah Nel (2nd) & new 21.5km record holder Ebeth Marais But no, Ebeth had other ideas, changed up a gear or two and cranked on the afterburners across the ‘Twin Traverse’ and down the switch backs of ‘Irish’ and ‘Iron Monkey’. In fact, for the second ‘half’ of the race Ebeth averaged 3:58 /km - or 1:14 /km faster than the first 11km.  Granted, the first 11km has 98% of the 660m of vertical height gain, so slower is of course expected, but still, that conversion is staggering. And so it was that coming flying along the forested ‘Dentist’ trail, and around the corner into the finish straight was a very focussed and elated Ebeth Marais , her time 1:39:28 . A full 7:32 faster than Hayleys’ 2022 time, logging an average pace of 4:36 /km. An obliteration!  The only person ahead of Ebeth was Lukas van der Merwe, who took line honours in 1:36:23. This is just shy of seven minutes slower than the record time of 1:27:58 set by Llewellyn Groeneveld  in 2020, but is still a commanding time.  Second and third place went to Nicholas and Eduan Burger respectively. Lanah Nel and Leani Potgieter had their own battle raging for the last two steps on the the ladies 21.5km podium. Potgieter had been leading Nel by just shy of three minutes at the 11km mark, but Nel put the hammer down in the second half, passing Potgieter and finishing with just under a minute advantage. 🏔️ 38km Classic: Kapito powers through in style Alick Kapito in power mode up Swartboskloof Malawian born Alick Kapito  showed why he was placed 7th at UTCT 35km last year, with a dominant line honours in the 38km. Hot on his heels was the trio of Patrick Cameron-Smith , Chesney Huskisson  and Andrew Whiley .  At the 17.3km mark (Kurktrekker), Kapito had opened up a 6 min lead, with Cameron-Smith in 2nd  - who in turn was 75 seconds ahead of Huskisson and Whiley. At the 27km mark, and with the big mountain trails firmly behind, Kapito had extended to hold a firm 9 38km mens podium L to R: Cameron-Smith, Kapito, Huskisson minute lead on Cameron-Smith - who had himself also extended on the chasing duo to four minutes.  Huskisson had eeked out a 41 second lead on Whiley at this same point.   There was no catching Kapito from here, although Cameron-Smith did manage to pull back a minute on the faster open MTO trails. Kapito broke the tape in 3:47:25.  Huskisson pushed home for second, extending his lead on Whiley to around a minute and half at the line.  Incidentally, this is Cameron-Smith second 2nd place finish in the 38km in a row!  Kerry-Ann Marshall leading Guido Tagge in the 38km race In the ladies battle, it was experience that dominated the show, with Kerry-Ann Marshall  taking the win, and crossing the line 6th overall. Marshall had pulled out a commanding 15 minute lead over 2nd Uta Lehmann  and 3rd place Veron Grobler . Lehmann  and Grobler  exchanging places between Bergriviernek and Langrivierkloof, with Lehmann haulling in what was a three minute lead by Grobler, and holding a narrow 11 second lead at the 27km aid station. By the finish Lehmann had extended this to over three minutes. 🏃🏽 12.5km ‘Aspire’: Wilson and Snethlage rule Just three seconds separated the top two in the fast and furious 12.5km ‘Aspire’, with Finley Wilson  managing to stay ahead of Lambert Brink  to the line, with a 53:06 winning time.  Joshua Bransgrove  secured third. Incidentally, Brink finished 4th in 2023, 3rd in 2024 and now 2nd in 2025.  Could 2026 be his year?  Caitlin Snethlage  totally dominated the ladies race, finishing in 6th overall in a time of 1:00:41. Mariska Thorpe  took 2nd and Juddith Goddard  3rd. 🏃🏽 5km ‘Micro’: a new addition to the mix This fun 5km was 95% single track, combining the best of ‘Dentist’, ‘Canary’ and ‘Yellowwood’ trails.  Ricarlo Loots  took line honours in 31:54, with Seana Austin  claiming the ladies win - and a top 3 finish to boot - in a time of 37:58. Results: https://results.finishtime.co.za/results.aspx?CId=35&RId=5154 Photo gallery: https://www.mountainchallenge.co.za/copy-of-2024 Facebook (ALL images): https://www.facebook.com/wildrunner.co.za/photos_albums

Results: https://www.mountainchallenge.co.za/mcs-results Photos: https://www.mountainchallenge.co.za/gallery2024 It was a proverbial Royal Flush of weather on Saturday 18th May for the 13th edition of the Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge, in partnership with WWF South Africa. No wind, a light blanket of thin cloud in the morning keeping the warmth in, and beautiful winter sunshine streaming down into the valley. A nicer day in the Jonkershoek Valley you do not get. And a perfect setting for some tight racing. 'Weather A' was the call for the 38km, and bags were repacked to exclude the compulsory survival gear needed to preserve life at 1300m in a typical Jonkershoek Winter weather day.  Yup, it was shorts and windbreakers as civil twilight emerged as the 38km Classic competitors were released onto the trails. This year was a ‘Classic’ year, meaning an anti-clockwise race course as per the original 2010 event. For the 38km this meant a 3km, 600m vertical height gain, climb up Swartboskloof was on the menu; and for the 21km a 5.5km, 400m vert gain climb up the aptly named ‘Never Ending Story’. Katjiri v Cameron-Smith At the first timing point in the 38km, at Kurktrekker Saddle, some 17.5km into the race, recent record-breaker in the Noordhoek Superbowl Wano Katjiri had opened up a four-minute lead on second place ultra runner Patrick Cameron-Smith. Just 3km later though, at Berg Rivier Nek,  Cameron-Smith was showing his mountain strength, gaining two minutes back on Katjiri’s lead, leaving just two minutes between them with 18km to go. Amazingly, at the 27km mark,  Cameron-Smith had hauled in Katjiri even further, leaving the Wildrunner team at the aid station to remark “They are so close, they are in each other's pockets!”.  Game on with 11km to go. The race across the Twin Traverse - the last 3km of the mountain trail section - the two raced within sight of each other.  But no sooner had the downhill section started, than Katjiri put the hammer down.  This pace proved too much for Cameron-Smith, leaving Katjiri uncontested over the last 6km, to romp over the line in 03:46:51. Gerber unchallenged Courtenay Gerber ran relatively unchallenged at the front of the ladies race, winning in a fantastic time of 04:39:12.  At the 17km mark she had a seven and half minute lead over Mia Uys, which she then extended at the 20km mark to nine minutes.  Uys clawed back four minutes at the 27km mark, but Gerber largely maintained this gap to the line.  A few minutes back from Uys was third place Ana Niemann in 04:52:06. Keeling on fire in the 21km Fresh off a second place in the Noordhoek Superbowl a few weeks back, Brandon Keeling was in full charge in the 21km JMC Half race. At the 11km mark, Keeling had opened up a minute forty lead on chasing Nicholas Campbell, and extended this to over five minutes at the finish line, breaking the tape in 1:38:33. Jan Smuts claimed the third step on the podium with a 1:47:38. Ladies 21km race a nailbiter Master trail runner Julia Walford pushed Anni de Klerk all the way up the climb to the 11km mark, with de Klerk holding a narrow 21 second lead on Walford, who in turn had a 55 second lead on third place Gianna Marais. Jessica Magner was also in touch with the top three, with just a minute and change behind Marais in fourth, with 10km to go. But de Klerk clearly had fuel in the tank, smashing the Twin Traverse and downhill, and opening up a two minute twenty second lead on second place at the line, winning in 2:00:47.  Walford paid the price for the pace to the 11km mark, and dropped out of contention for the podium, eventually finishing at a very respectable 5th. The big mover however, was Emma van der Merwe. She clocked in 5th at the 11km mark  - some three and half minutes off the leading pace. But from here van der Merwe turned on the afterburners, overtaking both Jessica Magner and Julia Walford to take third on the line,  and just 45 seconds behind eventual second place Gianna Marais. Buter and Nel triumph in the 12km Aspire Vincent Buter totally dominated the 12.5km Aspire race, clocking in 49:10 and over a three and half minute lead on second place Deon Bochnig. Lambert Brink completed the podium in 53:32. Similarly in the ladies race, Lanah Nel totally stole the show with an incredible 4th overall and a 56:17 finish time. Sarah Heneck and Mariska Thorpe took second and third respectively, with just 21 seconds separating them on the line. With the weather so good, and the magnificent HogHouse craft beer flowing, finishers hung around and traded war stories deep into the afternoon. Grand Master Cornelius Jansen was the last runner to cross the line. Huge thanks to sponsors, partners and the Wildrunner team for making the 13th edition of this Cape Classic one to remember. Results: https://www.mountainchallenge.co.za/mcs-results Photos: https://www.mountainchallenge.co.za/gallery2024

The 12th edition of the highly anticipated Jonkershoek Mountain Challenge took place on Sat May 20, 2023, showcasing some of the most breathtaking alpine-like mountain scenery of the Western Cape, with its towering grey quartzite cliffs and spires reaching up into the clouds. As usual this event provided a true test of strength and endurance. Runners could choose from three challenging race distances: the 38km Classic, the 21.5km Lite, and the 12.5km Aspire. The 38km Classic (known for its extreme toughness) participants faced a grueling 1,900+m of vertical height gain. The race reached its highest point at 1,250m above sea level, deep within the Jonkershoek Mountain Nature Reserve, a World Heritage site managed by Cape Nature. The trail itself was a wilderness mountain route, featuring highly technical rocky sections. A notable section of the course was the descent from the 24km mark, where runners had to navigate a steep 900m drop in just over 2km. The 21.5km Lite distance showcased the best of the MTO Jonkershoek MTB trails. The route included a remarkable descent down the renowned 'Never Ending Story' trail. The Lite still presented a significant challenge, with a vertical height gain of over 600m, mainly concentrated within the first 6km. The 12.5km Aspire race captures the essence of the Jonkershoek Valley, providing runners with a taste of its wild mountain beauty and rugged terrain without the mammoth vertical height gain found in the two longer distances. Over 800 runners gathered to take on these impressive challenges, each aiming to conquer the mountain trails by taming their endurance minds to emerge victorious. Let's dive into the intense battles that unfolded at the front of the pack in all three distances, based on the results from FinishTime: https://results.finishtime.co.za/results.aspx?CId=35&RId=3878 Lourens controls the 38km At the 9km mark, Leo Sorensen owned a slender 4 second lead over Piet Lourens, with Stephan Mare a further 3 seconds back in 3rd. Cornel Smuts and Nichol Jordaan made up the top five. Sorensen's clock-in time was 53:43. A decent start given the 600m, or so, of climb to this point. From 9km to the next timing point at 16km however, Lourens made his move and clocked in at 1:39:32, putting 3 minutes and 6 seconds of daylight between him and Sorensen. Mare was hot on Sorensen's heels, just 5 seconds back. Smuts was lying 4th at this stage, 17 seconds behind Mare. 24km in, at the top of Swartboskloof, Lourens was proving his mountain-metal having extended his lead to over 5 minutes. The big mover on this segment was Cornel Smuts though, who had overtaken Stephan Mare and moved to within 4 seconds of second placed Sorensen. Mare was clearly taking strain, dropping 6 minutes on the leading pack. The descent down Swartboskloof and the Sossyskloof traverse made its mark, and anyone who had left something in the legs for this mammoth segment was going to make some big moves up the ranks. And so it was at the next split time at 33km, Piet Lourens had further extended his now unassailable lead to over six minutes. The battle for second was real, with only 6 seconds between Sorensen and Smuts. The big mover here was UTCT's own Stuart McConnacchie, who cruised from 6th to 4th in this segment, overtaking Mare and Travis Green. And so at the line, Piet Lourens was rewarded for a dominant display in all segments, showing no weaknesses. Lourens broke the tape in 3:52:21 and secured a 5 minute winning margin. Leo Sorensen held on to a 10 second margin to take second from Cornel Smuts. Minette Naude owns the ladies 38km Championship To the 9km mark three names stood out. Virone Grobler led the charge in 59:54, with Minette Naude 10 seconds behind and Kate Mapham a further minute back. From the 9km to 16km mark at Bergriviernek, Minette Naude put the hammer down, overtaking Grobler and establishing a 2 and a half minute lead. Similarly, Grobler extended her lead over Mapham to 3 minutes. From this point until the finish, Minette extended her time at every timing point, clocking in at the finish in 4:37:52 - taking the trophy and completing a top-20 finish, clear ahead of second placed Grobler by just shy of 10 minutes. Similarly, Grobler extended to hold a seven minute gap on Mapham. Morris, Buckley and Cronje go to battle in the 21.5km Lite Just two seconds separated the top two in the 21.5km Lite race. Oli Morris owned the first 9km by a whisker. Just 6 seconds behind was Kyle Bucklow, biding his time to the apex of the route. A minute and five seconds back, Charl Cronje was chasing hard, but probably realising that with mostly downhill to come, it was going to be a tough ask reeling the two leaders in. Despite throwing everything at Morris in the remaining 11.5km, Bucklow could only reel in 4 of the six seconds to the line, proving that Morris is the whole package - owning both the ups and the downs. Cronje took third place, a minute and sixteen seconds back. Morriss' winning time was 1:32:37. Llewellyn Groeneveld's record remains intact at 1:27:56. van Niekerk dominates the 21.5km ladies race Fresh from her second place in the Noordhoek Superbowl, Marguerite van Niekerk led from start to finish in the ladies 21.5km race, breaking the tape in 1:57:36 and securing a top 20 finish. Second place was Ute Lehmann in 1:58:59, and 3rd Joanne Golding in 2:01:28. van den Heever and Nel dominate the 12.5km Christiaan van den Heever smashed the 12.5km in 48:56, clear ahead by over three minutes. Similarly, Lanah Nel totally nailed the ladies race, winning in 59:20 and safely ahead by over 6 minutes! Special mention needs to be made for Junior athlete Jenna-Timae du Preez, who ran a superb 1:26:55, finishing 101st!