David Venter completes gruelling marathon
Ultra Trial is a festival of trial running with events of 160km, 100km, 62km and 30km.
Springs Striders Athletics club member David Venter completed the Ultra Trial Drakensberg 100 on April 27.
Ultra Trial is a festival of trial running with events of 160km, 100km, 62km and 30km.
The race starts at 5am at the South African border post on the Sani Pass road.
The first 13km of the race is on the dirt road of the Sani Pass, where runners climb to the summit of the mountain some 2 865m above sea level.
The runners then plunge back down the Sani Pass into the trail, which traverses the Twelve Apostles for 6km before the long and fast 19km descent down the Khanti Ridge to the Premier Resort Sani Pass.
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From the resort, the course climbs the beautiful Gxalingenwa Gorge and skirts the front of Ndlovini before dropping down into Cobham Nature Reserve.
From Cobham, it is a 20km leg that includes the long climb up to Crane Tarn and the descend to Castleburn farm at the 70km mark.
From Castleburn, the runners ascend the face of Garden Castle before topping out at Black Eagle Pass and turning toward the iconic Rhino Peak.
The final checkpoint of the trial is in the shadow of Rhino Peak at Swiman Hut with 85km behind them.
From Swiman it is a 15km last effort to the finish line at Bushmans Nek Resort, which includes the final big climb from the Mzimude River to the top of Langalibalele Pass and the 5km swoop down to the hotel.
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