This is a stand alone 23.3km race that does not form part of the Cape Winter Trail Series® Challenge or Championship!
This course is tough and super diverse, comprising of the 13.9km long course plus a loop that takes you into the southern western side of the Palmiet river estuary – including a private section of coastline that is quite simply wild and sublime. To the 6.3km mark it’s the same mixture of coastal trail, boardwalks and riverside hiking trail as the long (13.9km) route.
At the Palmiet road bridge however you head up and over to access the trails on the SW side of the Palmiet river estuary. To the 9.7km mark it’s a fast mixture of trails and jeep tracks that gets you to a private section of coastal path that for the next 1.7km will test your bouldering and balance! Don’t be fooled by the profile, it may look flat but it’s technical and slow. At the 11.4km mark you get back onto coastal path and head back to the Palmiet bridge and the base of the mountain (13.7km).
From here it’s climb, climb, climb to 16.7km, with only a brief respite at 15.4km! But the climb is worth it, as from here the hardest work is done and it’s majority down down down to the finish – 5km of quad busting technical trails before the final sprint home on through the backstreets of Kleinmond.
A watery culvert is the final hurdle to the line and your completion of the XL!