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Trail Running · KwaZulu-Natal

🇿🇦Ultra-Trail Drakensberg 100 km:
Course Analysis & Race Readiness

A 99 km mountain traverse with 2787 m of climbing and 3000 m of descent across 12 climbs and 12 descents. Net-downhill on paper, this course punishes quads over a long, relentless day.

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

99.4 km
Distance
+2,760 m
Vertical Gain
−2,970 m
Total Descent
Apr 23, 2027
Next Edition · 282 days out
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The Course · GPS-Measured

What 99.4 km / 61.8 mi and 2,760 m / 9,060 ft of vertical gain actually look like

Measured from the GPS track: 99.4 km / 61.8 mi and 2,760 m / 9,060 ft of vertical gain. This is the terrain you're signing up for: read it before it reads you.

Course Profile

Terrain summary
Claimed vs GPS-Measured
Claimed · Organizer
99.4km
Distance
+3,400m
Gain
−0.0 km−640 m
GPS-Measured
99.4km
Distance
+2,760m
Gain
Climb & Gradient
+2,760 mTotal Gain
−2,970 mTotal Loss
Gradient Distribution
46%
Flat
≤3% grade
22%
Run-Climb
3–15% up
4%
Steep Climb
>15% up
28%
Descent
downhill
Steepest Sustained Sections
1
Descent
KM 23.9–26.9 · −359 m
-12%
2
Descent
KM 83.5–87.1 · −376 m
-10.7%
3
Climb
KM 0.5–4.8 · +393 m
+9.3%
4
Climb
KM 33.7–35.7 · +190 m
+9.3%
Finish & Cutoff Times

What it takes to finish

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

11h 53m
Winning time
14h 25m
Top 5
15h 29m
Top 10
26h 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. Durability carries 42% 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 effort across 99 km with 26% flat terrain demanding steady, economical running.
ClimbingVertical power
18%
12 climbs totaling 2787 m, headlined by a 7.7 km ascent gaining 541 m.
DescendingEccentric / braking
40%
38% of the course is downhill, 3000 m total loss with multiple grades steeper than 10%.
DurabilityLate-race resilience
42%
A LONG day where net-downhill loading grinds legs across 12 climbs and 12 descents.
The Profile in One Line

Long, descent-heavy day: 3000 m down against 2787 m up, with durability and quad control the deciding factors.

Aerobic FoundationalClimbing 18%Descending 40%Durability 42%

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
83
OUT OF 100
READY
For a representative strong mountain-ultra athlete

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

Pillar Breakdown
Aerobic
65
With 26% flat and 22% runnable climbing, the course rewards a steady aerobic engine that keeps moving efficiently across the full 99 km rather than surging.
Climbing
92
Twelve climbs stack 2787 m of gain, including a 7.7 km ascent worth 541 m and early pitches near 9% grade that must be paced from the start.
Descending
92
Descending dominates at 38% of the route and 3000 m of loss, with sustained stretches at -12% and -10.7% that demand technical control and quad resilience.
Durability
69
The heaviest demand: net-downhill loading over a LONG day, with repeated hard descents late in the race testing legs already worn by 12 climbs.
km 0.5–4.8
Opening 393 m climb
The course launches into a 4.2 km ascent gaining 393 m at 9.3%, forcing restraint before the day's biggest efforts arrive.
km 23.9–26.9
Steepest plunge
A 3 km descent dropping 359 m at -12% is the steepest grade on course, demanding technical footing and quad discipline mid-race.
km 83.5–87.1
Late 376 m descent
The largest single drop, 376 m over 3.5 km at -10.7%, lands past 83 km when legs are most compromised from cumulative descending.
That was a sample

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