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MEDIA RELEASE
11 SEPTEMBER 2023
RMB helps to pave the way for UTCT 2023
RMB continues into its second year as title sponsor of the RMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town (RMB UTCT) trail run this year. The event takes place from 24 to 26 November 2023 and the bank is bringing additional trail maintenance and development running initiatives into year two.
RMB UTCT comprises five races along the mountain trails of the Cape Peninsula, from Table Bay in the north to Cape Point in the south. Participants can choose to take on the EX23 (23km), TM35 (35km), PT55 (55km), UT100 (100km), or the UTCT 100-miler (166km).
RMB UTCT race director Stuart McConnachie says entries are selling out fast. “We are a little ahead of where we were this time last year in terms of entries, with the 23-km event already sold out and the 35- and 55-km events very close to their entry limits,” he says. “The longer distances – the 100-km and 100-miler – are where we are hoping to grow the event this year, especially among international entrants.”
McConnachie says the UTCT partnership with RMB has done a lot to boost the profile of the event, and the sport of trail running as a whole. “We have a very strong road running culture in South Africa, but trail running is still relatively new,” he says. “RMB UTCT is a major international event on the trail running calendar, but in SA we want to be in the same sentence as Comrades.”
Partnership is a very strong component of the RMB UTCT approach. The race organisers work very closely with the City of Cape Town, SANParks, various volunteer groups such as the Friends of Table Mountain, and development organisations including KZN-based LIV2Run, which will be fielding four athletes in this year’s race.
“We are excited and grateful for the opportunity for our athletes to compete in a high-level international race,” says LIV2Run head, Lindi Meyer. “This experience allows them the opportunity to develop their talent by competing against the best in the trail running world and inspires them to continue to dream big dreams for themselves.”
As part of the bank’s commitment to unlocking talent, RMB has awarded financial support to LIV2Run through its partnership with the FirstRand Foundation, the group’s social investment vehicle. “We receive an annual grant from the Foundation that covers our costs for RMB UTCT,” says Meyer. “This includes kit, transport, accommodation, race entry fees and a training camp in Lesotho.”
The LIV2Run team returned from the 2023 training camp at the end of August. “The camp is an opportunity for the athletes to train in the mountains at altitude with two experienced athletes,” says Meyer. “Life in a training camp is simple and allows us to focus on training without normal day-to-day distractions.”
Says RMB’s Head of Brand and Sponsorships, Lucy Lightfoot: “RMB has a long-standing history of developing, celebrating and recognising talent as a critical path to business and societal success. Through the sponsorship of RMB UTCT, we have been able to entrench our brand within the trail running community, while helping aspiring trail runners such as the LIV2Run athletes to reach their full potential.”
RMB is also involved in the efforts to protect and maintain the trails that make up the RMB UTCT routes. This work is carried out on an ongoing basis by the race organisers, the Friends of Table Mountain and the SANParks Honorary Rangers.
“It's such a pleasure seeing the amazing difference on all these trails,” says Friends of Table Mountain head Andy Davies. “In the past 18 months we have cleared 39 kilometres of trails in the Table Mountain National Park, together with the SANParks Honorary Rangers.”
Davies says there have been a few volunteer days, but that essentially the work is done by Toby Adams of the Honorary Rangers and a team of three workers called the Trail Apostles. “Their name is based on the fact that they initially worked on the missing link cycle track below the Twelve Apostles. They became known as the Trail Apostles and the name stuck.”
Adams explains the nature of the work being done on clearing and fixing the paths: “Typically what we see is fynbos growing across the paths. The runners or walkers make their way around the fynbos, effectively deviating the course of the path. This leads to erosion, which ultimately destroys the path altogether.
“First prize is to trim back the fynbos where it covers the path. If the damage has already been done, we shore up the path using rocks or logs.”
Adams and his team also build steps on steeper parts of the slopes, and clear and create water runoffs on the paths.
“It’s critical that we appreciate people like the Friends of Table Mountain and the Honorary Rangers, and the ongoing work that they do to maintain these trails,” says Lightfoot. “They work tirelessly throughout the year to make sure that runners, hikers and walkers can use these trails and that they are maintained in pristine condition.”
Registration for the 2023 RMB UTCT can be made via www.ultratrailcapetown.com. Closing date is midnight, 1 November 2023.
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About RMB UTCT
The RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town® offers a range of trail races that traverse the stunning mountain trails of the Cape Peninsula, making it a must-visit destination for trail runners worldwide. Cape Town, known as the Mother City, is a picturesque locale shaped by the meeting of two oceans and the breath-taking Table Mountain National Park.
The event caters to various levels of trail runners. The races are the EX23, TM35, PT55, UT100 and UTCT (100 miler). Each of the five races offers an authentic mountain experience on challenging, technical trails.
About LIV2Run
LIV2Run is a development running club based in the Lungisisa Indlela Village (LIV) north of Durban. It became an official running club in 2018, dedicated to restoring, raising and releasing athletes within the LIV village and in disadvantaged communities around South Africa.
About Friends of Table Mountain
Friends of Table Mountain is a public mountain users’ forum that was formed to ensure the appropriate management of Table Mountain National Park by the assigned management authority in the best interests of ecology, recreational use and eco-tourism. The organisation believes this can be achieved through meaningful and transparent public engagement and consultation, including partnership endeavours.
www.facebook.com/groups/thefriendsoftablemountain
About SANParks Honorary Rangers
SANParks Honorary Rangers is a group of volunteers across the country who educate the general public on environmental matters and the importance of conservation. Its 2 000 members in 31 regions serve 19 national parks in South Africa, including the Table Mountain National Park.