Toni McCann shattered the ladies’s Otter African Trail Run course record, setting a brand new benchmark time of 4 hours, 33 minutes and 26 seconds, on Saturday 8 October.
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The South African star’s time was 6 minutes and 34 seconds forward of the 4 hour and 40 minute mark, which earned her a R150 000 bonus from Easy Equities and Faces.
It was additionally 4 minutes and 22 seconds sooner than, her adidas TERREX team-mate Holly Page’s 2018 time.
McCann was joined atop the rostrum by males’s winner Johardt van Heerden, who missed out on a sub-4 hour time by 5 minutes and 19 seconds.
The RETTO route, which traverses the Tsitsikamma shoreline from Nature’s Valley to the Storm’s River Rest Camp, is traditionally the sooner of the 2 instructions.
So it proved as soon as once more, with Van Heerden and Kane Reilly flirting with the 4 hour mark for a lot of the race.
Toni McCann completed fourth total
From the primary timing level McCann was properly up on her goal of 4:40 although and she or he sped up over the second half of the course.
Having handed via the primary two time checks in seventh place she upped her tempo via the KAUAI Munchie Point close to the midway mark.
There McCann was fifth on the path.
She crossed the end line in fourth; simply over 3 minutes behind the third positioned man, Robbie Rorich.
“I’m a little bit speechless still,” McCann confessed.
“I went really hard with the goal of going sub 4:40. And ja, I can’t really believe what just happened. I’m really, really, happy!”
“I felt terrible throughout, to be honest,” she laughed.
“It’s a little bit of a hen and an egg scenario. I don’t know if I felt dangerous as a result of I used to be working onerous or dangerous as a result of I felt dangerous. I feel it was the previous although. I sat with that discomfort and actually pushed, I fuelled properly and maintained good hydration, so I’m tremendous proud of how at this time went; though I felt horrible.
“It’s so special to run into a crowd of people that I know,” McCann added.
“I’ve run overseas but nothing beats this. UTMB is special, the crowds are huge, but this is special. This is my home turf. And nothing beats that!”
Struggled with the warmth
McCann was adopted dwelling by the 2021 Otter African Trail Run winner, Bianca Tarboton.
Tarboton reported having struggled with the warmth and by no means actually acquired going properly sufficient to problem the 2022 champion.
She nonetheless managed a really credible 4 hours 54 minutes and 15 seconds.
Marzelle van der Merwe rounded out the ladies’s podium and took it upon herself to douse McCann in MCC in a becoming celebration of the newly topped record holder’s profitable run.
In the lads’s race the battle between Van Heerden and Reilly got here all the way down to the ultimate 5 kilometres.
After working collectively for the primary 37km it was solely on the method to the Ngubu hut that Van Heerden made his transfer.
“It was great running with Kane [Reilly]. He was probably stronger from Muncie Point to Scott, when I was struggling a bit. He was motivating me a bit even, because it’s always better running together,” Van Heerden mentioned.
“Just before Ngubu, on one of the small climbs I said to Kane, ‘let’s make turns again.’ I wouldn’t say I attacked and I wasn’t feeling particularly good, I think the elastic just snapped and I was able to hang on to the finish.”
“It’s always lekker at Otter,” the now three-time winner smiled.
“It was a tough day out there. The conditions were very hot and humid from the start. It was actually cooler in the forests.”
Eleven runners broke 5-hour mark
The warmth performed its function and slowed Van Heerden over the ultimate few kilometres.
Though he and Reilly have been initially on track for the 4 hour objective they progressively slipped off the required tempo because the struggle of attrition took its toll.
In the top the profitable time of 4 hours, 5 minutes and 19 seconds was 1 minute and 39 seconds slower than his 2020 effort.
It was nonetheless ok for victory by 7 minutes and 12 seconds over Reilly.
Rorich rounded out the lads’s podium in a time of 4 hours, 29 minutes and eight seconds.
In addition to the rostrum finishers there have been 11 runners who dipped under the 5 hour mark, incomes a black (for sub 4:30) or purple medal.
An additional 28 runners notched up a sub-6 hour end and 48 extra path runners made it dwelling in beneath 7 hours.
Despite the recent and humid situations the Otter African Trail Run entrants prevailed, placing months of devoted coaching to the take a look at and taking within the lovely route.
Those who watched from dwelling, on the race’s social media channels, have been hopefully impressed to tackle the problem in 2023 and take a look at themselves in opposition to the Grail of Trail and expertise certainly one of path working’s most scenic programs.
The Otter African Trail Run
The Otter African Trail Run takes place yearly and runs in the other way annually.
The Otter Edition traverses East to West beginning in Storms River and ending in Natures Valley, with the Retto Edition Running West to East, from Natures Valley to Storms River.
The 42km route options rugged Indian Ocean shoreline trails, indigenous forests, river crossings, spectacular surroundings and seven 000 steps on common.
Every yr the Otter African Trail Run hosts two cut-off time graded occasions:
– Otter – Challenge takes place first, with an 11 hour cut-off
– Otter – Race two days later, with a extra aggressive 9 hour cut-off
In 2022 the occasion was run within the West to East, or Retto, route.
The Challenge passed off on 5-6 October, with the Race having taked place on 7-8 October.
Results:
Men
1. Johardt van Heerden (4:05:19)
2. Kane Reilly (4:12:31)
3. Robbie Rorich (4:29:08)
4. Kyle Bucklow (4:37:26)
5. Mvuyisi Gcogco (443:25)
6. Mark Macsyman (4:50:46)
7. Bradley Claase (4:54:04)
8. Petros Chigomararwa (4:55:11)
9. Mike van der Merwe (4:57:54)
10. Kevin Evans (5:01:02)
Women
1. Toni McCann (4:33:26)
2. Bianca Tarboton (4:54:15)
3. Marzelle van der Merwe (5:18:33)
4. Nadia Jooste (5:30:14)
5. Rebecca Pretorius (5:41:29)
6. Lijan van Niekerk (5:54:48)
7. Kerry-Ann Walton (6:08:16)
8. Sume van Heerden (6:21:48)
9. Georgie Kelly (6:34:07)
10. Jacqui Ras (6:40:38)
For the total outcomes from the 2022 Otter African Trail Run click on HERE
