Otter record shattered

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PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Toni McCann shattered the women's Otter African Trail Run course record, setting a new benchmark time of 4 hours, 33 minutes and 26 seconds on Saturday 8 October – four minutes and 22 seconds faster than Holly Page's 2018 time.

She was joined atop the podium by men's winner Johardt van Heerden, who missed a sub-4-hour time by just over five minutes.

The Retto route, which traverses the Tsitsikamma coastline from Nature's Valley to the Storm's River Rest Camp, is historically the faster of the two directions. So it proved once again, with Van Heerden and Kane Reilly flirting with the 4-hour mark for much of the race.

From the first timing point, McCann was well up on her target of 4:40 and she only sped up over the second half of the course.

It was only in the final 5km that Johardt van Heerden was able to distance Kane Reilly to run his way to his third Otter African Trail Run title. Photo: Caleb Bjergfelt.

Women's race

Having passed through the first two time checks in seventh position she upped her tempo through the KAUAI Munchie Point near the halfway mark. There McCann was fifth on the trail. She crossed the finish line in fourth; just over three minutes behind the third-placed 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!"

It wasn't plain sailing though. "I felt terrible throughout, to be honest," she laughed. "I sat with that discomfort and really pushed, I fuelled well and maintained good hydration, so I'm super happy with how today went."

McCann was followed home by 2021 winner Bianca Tarboton, who reported having struggled with the heat and never really got going well enough to challenge the 2022 champion.

She still managed a very credible 4:54:15. Marzelle van der Merwe rounded out the women's podium and took it upon herself to douse McCann in MCC in a fitting celebration of the newly crowned record holder's winning run.

Men's race

In the men's race the battle between Van Heerden and Reilly came down to the final 5km. After running together for the first 37km it was only on the approach to the Ngubu hut that Van Heerden made his move.

"It was great running with Kane [Reilly]. He was probably stronger from Munchie Point to Scott, when I was struggling a bit. He was motivating me a bit even, because it's always better running together," said Van Heerden, now a three-time winner. "Its always lekker at Otter. It was a tough day out there. The conditions were very hot and humid from the start. It was actually cooler in the forests."

PHOTO GALLERY: Otter African Trail Run course record shattered

The heat played its role and slowed Van Heerden over the final few kilometres. Though he and Reilly were initially on target for the 4-hour goal they gradually slipped off the required pace as the war of attrition took its toll.

In the end the winning time of 4:5:19 was one minute and 39 seconds slower than his 2020 effort. It was still good enough for victory by seven minutes and 12 seconds over Reilly. Rorich rounded out the men's podium in a time of 4:29:08.

In addition to the podium finishers, there were 11 runners who dipped below the five-hour mark, earning a black (for sub 4:30) or purple medal.

A further 28 runners notched up a sub-six-hour finish and 48 more trail runners made it home in under seven hours. Despite the hot and humid conditions, the Otter African Trail Run entrants prevailed, putting months of dedicated training to the test and taking in the beautiful route.

Read more about some charitable work done during the Otter on Page 9, as well as more about the Challenge participant who passed away on Thursday 6 October, on Page 2.

Toni McCann started fast and finished faster, never dropping lower than seventh overall and finishing fourth, just behind the men's podium placers. Photo: Caleb Bjergfelt