The RMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town (UTCT) in South Africa on November 21-23, 2025 will act as the grand finale for the World Trail Majors 2025 series, with four titles across the Ultra and Short distances still up for grabs.
The UTCT race, held on and around the iconic Table Mountain, is decisive for the final rankings in the 2025 series, as only the two best results count for a runner’s total score. With the high level of competition in Cape Town, achieving a strong second result is crucial.
The two key events in the finale are the UT100 (100km with 4,676m of elevation) and the Peninsula Traverse, or PT55 (56.7km with 2,644m of elevation). The PT55, a ‘short’ ultra distance, takes place on the Friday of the event weekend.
Ultra (UT100) titles
In the women’s Ultra category, Hong Kong’s Man-Yee Cheung currently holds the maximum possible score of 3,000 points following victories at Grampians Peak Trail 100 Miler and Mt Fuji. However, this does not guarantee the win.
Sunmaya Budha (Nepal), who won the Hong Kong 100, must win in South Africa to match the 3,000 points. In such a situation a tiebreaker would be determined by the ITRA (International Trail Running Association) performance index, which favours the higher score. Sunmaya Budha’s ITRA score currently exceeds Man-Yee Cheung’s, meaning an outright win for Budha in Cape Town would secure her the title.
Her main rivals will include Antonina Lushina (Russia), Rosanna Buchauer (Germany), Tara Fraga (US-based), Alyssa Clark (US-based), and Emily Djock (US-based), among others.
In the men’s Ultra race, Caleb Olson (US-based) has two victories (The North Face Transgrancanaria and Grampians Peaks Trail 100 Miler). Like Sunmaya Budha, Joaquín López (Ecuador) – winner of Mt FUJI 100 – must win the UTCT and hope the tiebreaker goes in his favour.
The competition is fierce and includes Chris Myers (US-based), Jeff Mogavero (US-based), Dmitry Mityaev (Montenegro), Marc Bernades (Spain), Miguel Heras (Spain), Andreu Simón (Spain), and Ryan Montgomery (US-based), among others.
Short Series (PT55) titles
The Peninsula Traverse 55K will decide the inaugural World Trail Majors Short Series champions.
In the women’s race, Fuzhao Xiang, winner in Japan and Vietnam, leads the provisional rankings. Ram Maya Budha (Nepal), who won in Hong Kong, is also competing in South Africa, and needs a victory and favourable ITRA tiebreaker to secure the title.
Contenders include Varvara Shikanova (Montenegro), Kimi Schrieber (Germany), and South Africans Bianca Tarboton, Rebecca Kohne, and Rebecca Watney.
The men’s Short Series is led by Jianjian Yang with 3,000 points, followed by Fran Anguita and Tiago Vieira. Robbie Simpson (UK-based), winner of the South Downs Way 100, and Konstantinos Paradeisopoulos (Greece), first in MIUT, both have a chance to challenge for the title. A second victory for either, with a favourable tiebreaker, would give them the maximum 3,000 points.
Other high-calibre runners in the PT55 include Jeshurun Small (US-based), Daniel Claassen (South Africa), Cody Lind (US-based), Charlie Hamilton (Australia), and three-time Comrades winner Bongmusa Mthembu (South Africa).
The RMB Ultra-Trail Cape Town will host 2,800 runners and is recognised for its significant elevation gain and technical terrain. It is one of South Africa’s most prestigious trail/ultra races.
World Trail Majors is a non-profit association formed in 2024 by twelve independent trail running races with the goal of promoting the sport of ultra running sustainably and respectfully.
www.ultratrailcapetown.com
www.worldtrailmajors.com
