Trail Running · Cape Town

🇿🇦Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 mile:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

162 km with 5,851 m of climbing and 5,848 m of descent across 29 climbs and 18 descents. A relentless up-and-down course where downhill volume and cumulative fatigue decide the day.

CourseRecon scores your own training against the descending and durability demands that define Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 mile — the sample analysis below shows exactly how.

162 km

Distance

+5,830 m

Vertical Gain

−5,830 m

Total Descent

Nov 21, 2026

Next Edition · 129 days out

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The Course · GPS-Measured

What 162 km / 101 mi and 5,830 m / 19,140 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 162 km / 101 mi and 5,830 m / 19,140 ft of vertical gain. This is the terrain you're signing up for: read it before it reads you.

Course Profile

Segments

Daylight

Terrain summary

Claimed vs GPS-Measured

Claimed · Organizer

162km

Distance

+7,190m

Gain

−0.0 km−1,360 m

GPS-Measured

162km

Distance

+5,830m

Gain

Climb & Gradient

+5,830 mTotal Gain

−5,830 mTotal Loss

Gradient Distribution

38%

Flat

≤3% grade

22%

Run-Climb

3–15% up

Steep Climb

>15% up

33%

Descent

downhill

Steepest Sustained Sections

Climb

KM 40.8–44.7 · +582 m

+14.7%

Descent

KM 32.6–37.4 · −698 m

-14.5%

Climb

KM 152.0–155.0 · +301 m

+13.6%

Climb

KM 15.5–17.9 · +323 m

+13.3%

Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

Reference finish times from past results — use them to set a realistic goal pace.

21h 07m

Winning time

24h 25m

Top 5

26h 42m

Top 10

36h 41m

Median finisher

45h 00m

Back of pack

What This Race Demands

Four things this course asks of your body

Every course weights the four pillars of mountain-ultra fitness differently. Descending carries 41% of the scoring weight on this course — the terrain makes that the deciding factor.

Weighting shows where readiness is won or lost at this distance — not whether you need each pillar. An aerobic base is a given for a race this long, so it carries little deciding weight even though it's essential — the gaps open on the climbs, descents and the back half.

AerobicSustained engine

Foundational

Sustained aerobic output over 162 km with 31% flat terrain to keep moving.

ClimbingVertical power

18%

18% of the course climbs, including a 648 m ascent and pitches near 15%.

DescendingEccentric / braking

41%

39% downhill, with a 698 m drop and long, steep descents pounding the legs.

DurabilityLate-race resilience

41%

Cumulative load from 5,851 m gain, 5,848 m loss, and 29 climbs late in the race.

The Profile in One Line

A 162 km ultra with near-symmetric gain and loss, dominated by descending volume and all-day durability.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 18%Descending 41%Durability 41%

Here's how CourseRecon reads a course and an athlete

Sample Readiness Analysis

What a readiness result looks like for this course

This is a worked example for a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete — not your score. Connect your own training and the same analysis runs on you.

Sample

OUT OF 100

MOSTLY READY

For a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete

This is a sample — connect your Strava to see your own result.

Pillar Breakdown

Aerobic

The 162 km distance and 31% flat terrain reward steady aerobic economy that holds pace between the 29 climbs and 18 descents.

Climbing

Eighteen percent of the route climbs, headlined by a 648 m ascent and gradients near 14.7%, demanding efficient uphill power across 29 separate climbs.

Descending

With 39% downhill and 5,848 m of total loss, including a 698 m descent and steep pitches over 14%, the course punishes quads over sustained downhill stretches.

Durability

Near-symmetric 5,851 m gain and 5,848 m loss over 162 km, with a 301 m climb at km 152, tests the ability to keep climbing and descending well when deeply fatigued.

km 32–37

The big drop

A 698 m descent over 4.8 km at -14.5% arrives early, and banking too much downhill speed here mortgages the quads needed for the 5,848 m of total loss ahead.

km 40–45

Steepest ascent

A 582 m climb over roughly 4 km at 14.7% is the sharpest sustained uphill, demanding measured climbing power before the race's long middle.

km 152

Late 301 m climb

A 301 m ascent at 13.6% past km 152 forces one more steep effort on tired legs, making late durability decisive.

That was a sample