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Table Mountain and the ridge above Camps Bay, seen from a rocky ledge on a clear day
Kyle McLeod / Unsplash

Ultra-Trail Cape Town course maps and aid stations

Six races over Table Mountain and down the Cape Peninsula, from a 16 km vineyard start to a 100 miler that reaches Simon's Town.

November 20 to 22, 2026 Cape Town, Western Cape

UTCT is a weekend of trail races in Table Mountain National Park, run out of Gardens Rugby Club at the foot of Table Mountain. The 100 mile starts at 5 pm on Friday 20 November 2026, and the 35 km, the last to start, on Sunday morning. UTCT's 100 km is the final race of the World Trail Majors, and the 55 km closes the series' short races.

The 100 mile, 100 km and 35 km start and finish at the race village in Gardens. The 55 km starts on the coast at Llandudno, the 23 km in the Alphen greenbelt in Constantia and the 16 km at Beau Constantia, and all three run back to Gardens. Only the 100 miler goes south past Hout Bay, to Kalk Bay, Simon's Town and Kommetjie.

The aid station distances and cutoffs here are from the organizer's 2025 timing schedules, which the 2026 course pages still link. The organizer's emergency plan has steps for when you have no cell reception, so download the map before you go: GPS shows where you are on it without a signal.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town. Check the official site before you enter or race.

UTCT course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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UTCT courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
UTCT 100 Mile161.8 km (100.5 mi)7,187 m (23,579 ft)Fri, Nov 20, 5:00 PM45 h
Ultra-Trail 100 km99.2 km (61.6 mi)4,972 m (16,312 ft)Sat, Nov 21, 4:00 AM26 h
Peninsula Traverse 55 km56.7 km (35.2 mi)2,644 m (8,675 ft)Fri, Nov 20, 6:00 AM14 h 30 min
Table Mountain 35 km34.5 km (21.4 mi)1,928 m (6,325 ft)Sun, Nov 22, 6:00 AM11 h
Explorer 23 km23.6 km (14.7 mi)1,038 m (3,406 ft)Sat, Nov 21, 9:00 AM6 h 30 min
Kickstarter 16 km15.8 km (9.8 mi)665 m (2,182 ft)Fri, Nov 20, 8:30 AM6 h 30 min

UTCT UTCT 100 Mile

Over Table Mountain, down to Simon's Town and back up the Peninsula through the night and the next day.

Distance
161.8 km (100.5 mi)
Climbing
7,187 m (23,579 ft)
Start
Fri, Nov 20, 5:00 PM
Time limit
45 h

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The 100 miler starts at 5 pm on Friday. You climb Signal Hill and Platteklip Gorge on the first evening, and most runners reach Llandudno during the night. From Hout Bay it heads through Silvermine to Kalk Bay, crosses to Simon's Town, where your drop bag is waiting at 90 km, and comes back up the Atlantic side through Scarborough, Kommetjie and Noordhoek.

The hardest stretch comes late: 19.2 km and 1,377 m of climbing from Noordhoek to Constantia Glen, then the crowds at Alphen Trail. The last climb goes from the University of Cape Town up to the King's Blockhouse before the contour path drops you back to Gardens. The race page gives the distance as 163 km and the timing schedule as 161.8 km. Finish in under 30 hours for the Honey Badger medal. The cutoffs in the table are from the 2025 schedule.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Gardens Rugby Club (race village) Crew
7.9Signal Hill Crew
16.2Kloof Nek CrewFri 20:30
27Table Mountain
37.5Llandudno Crew, PacersSat 04:00
43.3Rocket Road (water)
53.3Hout Bay Crew, PacersSat 08:30
64.1Silvermine (timing point, drinks)
70.7Kalk Bay Crew, Pacers
81.3Blackhill (timing point, drinks) Crew
90.4Simon's Town Crew, Drop bag, PacersSat 18:30
97.8Scarborough Crew, Pacers
106.9Kommetjie Crew, Pacers
115.7Noordhoek Crew, Pacers
134.9Constantia Glen (drinks)
139.3Alphen Trail CrewSun 07:00
151Newlands Picnic CrewSun 11:00
161.8Gardens Rugby Club (race village) CrewSun 14:00
Orange sandstone cliffs above the sea on Chapman's Peak, with a bay and peaks behind
Matthias Wesselmann / Unsplash

UTCT Ultra-Trail 100 km

A technical, front-loaded loop to Hout Bay and back, with its two biggest climbs in the first 50 km.

Distance
99.2 km (61.6 mi)
Climbing
4,972 m (16,312 ft)
Start
Sat, Nov 21, 4:00 AM
Time limit
26 h

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UT100 starts at 4 am on Saturday and puts its two big climbs, Table Mountain and Karbonkelberg, in the first 50 km. Your drop bag is at Hout Bay (57.4 km), and after it comes the longest gap: 15 km and 945 m of climbing to Constantia Glen.

The second half is faster, through the greenbelts and the forests on the back of the mountain, finishing with the climb to the King's Blockhouse. The top ten men and women get the Nic Bornman medal, named for the race's founder, and anyone under 15 hours gets the Originals medal: in 2014, the first year, the cutoff was 15 hours and only 14 people finished. The 4,972 m of climbing is the 2026 race page's figure; the 2025 schedule had 4,676 m.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Gardens Rugby Club (race village) Crew
11.9Signal Hill Crew
20.2Kloof Nek CrewSat 08:00
31.1Table Mountain
41.5Llandudno Crew
47.3Rocket Road (water)
57.4Hout Bay Crew, Drop bagSat 18:30
72.3Constantia Glen (drinks)
76.7Alphen Trail CrewSat 23:00
88.4Newlands Picnic CrewSun 03:00
99.2Gardens Rugby Club (race village) CrewSun 06:00
Devil's Peak lit by low sun above Cape Town's suburbs, with a rainbow in the clouds
Thomas Bennie / Unsplash

UTCT Peninsula Traverse 55 km

Point to point from the beach at Llandudno to Gardens, with Suther Peak in the first 10 km.

Distance
56.7 km (35.2 mi)
Climbing
2,644 m (8,675 ft)
Start
Fri, Nov 20, 6:00 AM
Time limit
14 h 30 min

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PT55 starts at Llandudno at 6 am on Friday, an hour earlier than in 2025. You climb Suther Peak straight away, then cross by the Manganese Mines and Vlakkenberg to Alphen Trail, where supporters cheer you into the last 20 km. The finish runs through Cecilia and Newlands forests and up to the King's Blockhouse before the contour path takes you into Gardens.

With the 2025 start at 7 am, the cutoffs were 15:00 at Alphen Trail and 18:30 at Newlands Picnic, 8 and 11.5 hours in. The 2026 cutoffs may move with the earlier start.

UTCT Table Mountain 35 km

Two big climbs and nearly 2,000 m up in 34.5 km, on Sunday morning.

Distance
34.5 km (21.4 mi)
Climbing
1,928 m (6,325 ft)
Start
Sun, Nov 22, 6:00 AM
Time limit
11 h

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TM35 climbs more for its distance than any other UTCT race. The first climb goes up Platteklip Gorge to the top of Table Mountain. After that come technical descents, some flat running and the "400 Stairs" climb on the Newlands contour.

Sunday has historically been the hottest day of the race weekend, so carry more water than you think. After the forest and the University of Cape Town you climb once more to the King's Blockhouse and follow the contour back to Gardens.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Gardens Rugby Club (race village) Crew
13.5Table Mountain
23.7Newlands Picnic CrewSun 14:00
34.5Gardens Rugby Club (race village) CrewSun 17:00
Table Mountain's layered sandstone cliffs in evening light, with a small building at their foot
Asher Pardey / Unsplash

UTCT Explorer 23 km

From the Alphen greenbelt through the forests to Gardens, with one aid station.

Distance
23.6 km (14.7 mi)
Climbing
1,038 m (3,406 ft)
Start
Sat, Nov 21, 9:00 AM
Time limit
6 h 30 min

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EX23 starts at 9 am on Saturday in the Alphen greenbelt in Constantia, at the SARDA horse riding centre, a new start for 2026. It climbs through the technical sections of Cecilia and Newlands forests, then drops steeply to the University of Cape Town's upper campus. The only aid station is Newlands Picnic, at 12.8 km on the 2025 schedule.

The last 10 km are the hard part: a steep climb to the Blockhouse and the lower traverse of Devil's Peak, with views of the city, the Atlantic, Table Mountain and Lion's Head on the way home.

aid stations

kmWhereCutoff
0Alphen greenbelt (23 km start) Crew
12.8Newlands Picnic CrewSat 12:30
23.6Gardens Rugby Club (race village) CrewSat 15:30

UTCT Kickstarter 16 km

From the Constantia vineyards over Table Mountain and down the Pipe Track.

Distance
15.8 km (9.8 mi)
Climbing
665 m (2,182 ft)
Start
Fri, Nov 20, 8:30 AM
Time limit
6 h 30 min

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KS16 starts at Beau Constantia at 8:30 am on Friday and goes up over Constantia Nek onto Table Mountain, its main climb. The aid station is on the mountain at 7.6 km. You come down the Pipe Track, on technical ground, and finish at the race village in time to watch the 55 km runners come in.

Entering

Entries for 2026 opened on 26 February. By late September the 16 km to 55 km races had sold out and a limited number of places were left in the 100 km and 100 mile. Enter on the race site.

You must be 20 or older for the 35 km and up, 18 for the 23 km and 16 for the 16 km. For the 100 mile you also need a qualifier, a trail race of 50 km or more in the 24 months before race day, emailed to the organizers by midday on 28 October if you didn't add it when you entered. The same date is the end of the substitution window and the last day to switch distance. There are no deferrals, except for pregnancy.

Getting there and parking

Cape Town International Airport is about 20 km from the city centre, roughly 18 minutes by taxi. The race village is at Gardens Rugby Club, just south of the city centre. Registration is at the expo at the V&A Waterfront on Thursday 19 November, and again on Friday for the races that start later.

You can't park at the race village or at any start. In 2025 the organizer ran a park and ride on MyCiTi buses from Cape Town High School in Hatfield Street, Gardens, to every start, with e-hailing drop-offs at Forest and Chesterfield Road for the village. Brommersvlei Road at Alphen is a no-parking zone, and Newlands Picnic Site has only 50 bays.

Crewing and pacing

Fishing boats in Kalk Bay harbour, with mountains across the bay
Tanya Paquet / Unsplash

Crews can help only within 100 m of the aid stations marked for support on the timing schedule, and help anywhere else costs the runner a 30 minute penalty. Some aid stations are closed to crews, among them Table Mountain, Rocket Road and Constantia Glen. For the 55 km, the organizer asks supporters to go to Hout Bay rather than Llandudno, where there's very little room.

Pacers are allowed only on the 100 mile, from Llandudno to Alphen Trail. You can have three, one at a time, and they join or leave only at Llandudno, Hout Bay, Kalk Bay, Simon's Town, Scarborough, Kommetjie and Noordhoek. Each pacer needs an entry (R500, opening mid-October 2026) and must be 20 or older. Pacers get to the pick-up points on their own, since race transport isn't for them, and they can't carry your gear.

Weather and kit

Table Mountain's layered sandstone cliffs in evening light, with a small building at their foot
Asher Pardey / Unsplash

November in Cape Town averages a high of 23.7 °C and a low of 13.4 °C at the airport, with about four rainy days in the month. The strong south-easter blows through spring and summer, and the weather on the mountain can turn quickly.

Every distance has the same compulsory gear, and a missing item costs 15 to 30 minutes. The race is cupless, so carry your own cup, and keep a 300 ml reserve of water on you at all times. If you start with poles, you carry them to the finish.

UTCT aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • Gardens Rugby Club (race village)

    143 m (469 ft)

    -33.94455, 18.41444

  • Llandudno (55 km start)

    76 m (249 ft)

    -34.00984, 18.34572

  • Alphen greenbelt (23 km start)

    53 m (174 ft)

    -34.00851, 18.43515

  • Beau Constantia (16 km start)

    215 m (705 ft)

    -34.01312, 18.40606

  • Signal Hill

    344 m (1,129 ft)

    -33.91806, 18.40220

  • Kloof Nek

    251 m (823 ft)

    -33.94317, 18.39584

  • Table Mountain

    764 m (2,507 ft)

    -33.97302, 18.39929

  • Llandudno

    76 m (249 ft)

    -34.00992, 18.34566

  • Rocket Road (water)

    170 m (558 ft)

    -34.02771, 18.33241

  • Hout Bay

    7 m (23 ft)

    -34.04536, 18.35985

  • Silvermine (timing point, drinks)

    290 m (951 ft)

    -34.09063, 18.42080

  • Kalk Bay

    15 m (49 ft)

    -34.12748, 18.44711

  • Blackhill (timing point, drinks)

    138 m (453 ft)

    -34.14611, 18.40336

  • Simon's Town

    29 m (95 ft)

    -34.19371, 18.42889

  • Scarborough

    22 m (72 ft)

    -34.19678, 18.37501

  • Kommetjie

    17 m (56 ft)

    -34.14167, 18.32545

  • Noordhoek

    36 m (118 ft)

    -34.09736, 18.37780

  • Constantia Glen (drinks)

    164 m (538 ft)

    -34.01084, 18.41297

  • Alphen Trail

    -34.00849, 18.43940

  • Newlands Picnic

    -33.96568, 18.45366

UTCT FAQ

When is Ultra-Trail Cape Town 2026?

From Friday 20 to Sunday 22 November 2026. The 55 km starts at 6 am on Friday, the 16 km at 8:30 am and the 100 mile at 5 pm. The 100 km starts at 4 am on Saturday and the 23 km at 9 am, and the 35 km goes at 6 am on Sunday.

Is UTCT a Western States qualifier?

Yes. The 2026 race counts for the 2028 Western States lottery if you finish the 100 mile in under 45 hours or the 100 km in under 21 hours.

Do you need a qualifier for the UTCT 100 miler?

Yes: a trail race of 50 km or more finished in the 24 months before race day. Send it by midday on 28 October or you lose your place.

Can you have a pacer at UTCT?

Only in the 100 mile, from Llandudno to Alphen Trail. You can have up to three pacers, one at a time, and each needs their own R500 pacer entry.

Is UTCT sold out?

The 16 km, 23 km, 35 km and 55 km sold out earlier in 2026. At the end of September there were still a few places in the 100 km and 100 mile.

Where do you park for UTCT?

There's no parking at the race village or at any start. In 2025 runners parked at Cape Town High School in Gardens and took the MyCiTi park and ride bus, or used e-hailing to the drop-off points.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.