RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town 2026

Someone had the idea, one day, to look at Table Mountain, that flat, oversized cliff looming over Cape Town as if it had landed there by mistake, and think: "What if we ran on top of it? And around it? And all the way to Simon's Town? And why not 160 kilometers while we're at it?" That someone is Nic Bornman, and since that moment of questionable clarity, the RMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town has become one of the most coveted races in the world 🏔️.

Before we even talk about the race, let's talk about the city. Because Cape Town is a place with a history so dense, so loaded, that you could make ten podcasts about it and still not reach the end 🙃. In 1652, Captain Jan van Riebeeck landed in the bay with five ships from the Dutch East India Company. The basic idea wasn't to colonize anything, just to plant a vegetable garden and build a fort to supply ships on their way to the Indies. Cape Town was meant to serve as the "Tavern of the Ocean", a simple outpost on the trade route to Indonesia. Today, it's one of the most spectacular cities in the world, the parliamentary capital of South Africa 🇿🇦, and the annual playground of thousands of trail runners who come to smash up their legs there with enthusiasm. The wheel of history turns in unpredictable ways 🌍. The city is crowned by Table Mountain, topped with two peaks called Lion's Head and Devil's Peak. If that sentence doesn't give you an irresistible urge to lace up your trail shoes, there's nothing we can do for you anymore 😈. And it's not just a pretty backdrop for your social media photos: Table Mountain National Park is a world natural wonder, whether you're running or not.

Now let's get to the heart of the matter. The UTCT has been organized every year since 2014. In ten years, the transformation has been dizzying. The popularity of the 100K has exploded, going from 16 runners under 15 hours in 2014 to more than 2,300 participants across all events. And it's not just a local race that has grown: 35% of participants now come from 55 different countries. In ten years, UTCT has gone from a slightly crazy project by a guy in Cape Town to an unmissable global rendezvous. It's the UTMB trajectory, Southern Hemisphere edition 🚀. In 2017, UTCT joined the Ultra-Trail World Tour as the final race of the year: the cherry on top of an international season 🍰. And then in 2022, the organizers decided that a hundred kilometers is all very cute, but lacks ambition. A new flagship 100-mile race was added to the event: the "UTCT 100 miles": 161.7 km, 7,187 meters of elevation gain. The monster was born 👹. Let's talk results, because they're frankly impressive. The race has a reputation for drawing the best in the world, attracted by the scenery-difficulty-end-of-season combo. In 2017, Prodigal Khumalo won the 100K in under 10 hours, averaging over 10 km/h on the technical trails around Cape Town. A record that stood for four years. It was Jim Walmsley who broke it in 2021, improving on Khumalo's 9h50 mark by about three and a half minutes, after a race in which he literally humiliated the rest of the field: he crossed the line almost half an hour before second place arrived. That same year, Courtney Dauwalter won the women's race, pulling off a memorable American double 🇺🇸.

In terms of distances, UTCT had the good sense not to offer just one race reserved for people who have already given up on cartilage and sleep. There are six: "UTCT 100 miles", "UT100km", "PT55km", "TM35km", "EX23km" and "KS16km". The logic is simple: you start at the bottom and work your way up. "KS16" to dip a toe into the adventure, "EX23" to fall in love with Cape Town trail running (and regret not doing the 55), PT55 to suffer properly, "TM35" to cross Table Mountain without dying, "UT100" for big legs that want a serious challenge, and "UTCT 100 miles" for those who have a special relationship with pain and a very well-stocked physio contact list 🦵. The 100 miles monster deserves a closer look 👹. The route ventures from the northern mountains to the more isolated southern ranges, passing through Silvermine, Kalk Bay, Simon's Town, Kommetjie and Noordhoek. The start is from the Gardens Rugby Club in night mode 🌙: which means sending humans into the African night with headlamps and a self-confidence that will be very seriously tested somewhere around kilometer 90 🔦. And for those who finish this monster as fast as Flash Gordon ⚡️, a special reward awaits: the Honey Badger medal, awarded to runners finishing in under 30 hours, a symbol of the tenacity it takes to pull that off. The honey badger is the toughest animal in South Africa, known for attacking venomous cobras without blinking, falling into a coma, waking up, and going back in for another round. It's literally the spirit animal of every ultra trail runner. Only 43 people in the entire history of the race have earned this distinction, with only 5 who have managed to do it twice ✌️.

We also need to talk about the weather, because it's the most beautiful trap in the whole adventure ☁️. The race takes place in late November, in the southern summer ☀️. It sounds like a good idea, until you find yourself on the summit of Table Mountain at 4 a.m. with a few degrees and a wind that cuts through your jacket as if you were running in a T-shirt 🥶, before dropping down around noon under 30°C of African sun without a scrap of shade 🥵. Conditions can vary drastically, so pack your bag as if you were heading to Lapland and Marrakesh at the same time. That's survival advice, not a metaphor.

What truly sets UTCT apart is its sincere relationship with its territory 💚. The race is part of the World Trail Majors, an international collective whose philosophy can be summed up in three words: diversity, respect and identity. The idea is to bring together the best races in the world with the goal of offering an alternative to global circuits, putting local knowledge and the community at the heart of the project. UTCT's Trail Fund directly finances the preservation of the national park's trails. You run, you help maintain what you cross. It's beautiful. And for strategists thinking about the next season, the 100 miles is a qualifier for UTMB with 6 ITRA points, making it a serious step for those eyeing Chamonix with ambition in their shoes 🏔️.

Wait until the sun drops over the Atlantic 🌊, until Table Mountain turns orange and purple—at that moment you'll have a few seconds to realize what a start to the Cape Town Ultra Trail is like! 🌅