Mityaev and Croft Dominate the South African Race – iRunFar

Running

Mityaev and Croft Dominate the South African Race – iRunFar

eylco

26 November 2023

Mityaev and Croft Dominate the South African Race – iRunFar

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After a day of fierce warmth and competitors, the 2023 Extremely-Path Cape City 100k topped Dmitry Mityaev (Russia) and Ruth Croft (New Zealand) as this yr’s champions.

The race began at 6 a.m. native time in Cape City, South Africa, on Saturday, November 25. The 98-kilometer (61 miles) race is one in all a number of that passed off through the weekend competition. It’s distinctive in its panorama, with mountains, seashores, and cityscapes all through the extremely. The race started at Gardens Rugby Soccer Membership and coated 4,972 meters (16,312 ft) of elevation achieve. The route is entrance loaded in its climbing, with 1,700 meters of achieve within the first 25k, scaling Desk Mountain and Suther Peak.

Race day was a scorching one, with athletes consuming as a lot water as potential on route and on the checkpoints. On the checkpoints, race crews poured ice cubes in athletes’ packs and positioned socks crammed with ice throughout their necks to cease the athlete’s physique temperature from rising within the noon warmth.

The race was set to be an thrilling one, with final yr’s males’s champion Mityaev returning to compete towards favorites similar to Thibaut Baronian (France).

Sadly, Tom Evans (U.Okay.), one of many males’s favorites, was lacking from the beginning line after being held at knifepoint in Cape City whereas coaching for the race. Nonetheless, that didn’t cease him from cheering his Adidas Terrex teammates through the occasion.

The ladies’s race seemed to be simply as dramatic, with Marianne Hogan (Canada) competing in her second go at this occasion, after having taken second two years in the past. Nonetheless, she was a little bit of a wild card given she’s been coming back from damage. All issues advised, worldwide famous person Croft was in all probability the ladies’s favourite.

Learn on for the complete race story.

Dmitry Mityaev - 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k champion

Dmitry Mityaev on his strategy to profitable the 2023 Extremely-Path Cape City 100k. Photograph: iRunFar/Neville Sharwood

2023 Extremely-Path Cape City 100k Males’s Race

Dmitry Mityaev’s (Russia) working profession has gone from power to power lately, after working the quickest time ever within the mountain race at Mount Elbrus and profitable this occasion final yr, he was at all times going to be one of many strongest contenders. Proper from the start Mityaev dominated, staying on the entrance of the pack as much as the primary checkpoint till he determined to interrupt away and run alone for the remainder of the race, and he by no means stopped.

Between Desk Mountain at 31k and Llandudno 41k, it appeared that Mityaev had taken a fall with a nasty gash on his left thigh. This was adopted by a mistaken flip after hopping from the roads and onto trails simply earlier than the Llandudno checkpoint. He could possibly be forgiven as a result of the rugged path regarded extra like somebody’s again backyard than a working route. For sure, none of those setbacks stopped him and Mityaev got here via the end line at 10:43:06, 19 minutes forward of his subsequent opponent.

While Mityaev took the lead, competitors was heating up between second, third, and fourth locations. Caleb Olson (U.S.) and Thibaut Baronian (France) have been 10 minutes behind Mityaev coming into the checkpoint at Llandudno, adopted intently by Anthony Costales (U.S.) and Darren Thomas (U.S.). Though as predicted Olson got here in second at Hout Bay checkpoint at 57k, Baronian dropped again to fifth place behind and gave the impression to be dipping. Nonetheless, Baronian managed to climb again as much as fourth place for the rest of the race till he crossed the end line. Thomas would lose floor later, easing again to complete tenth.

While Mityaev crossed the road in first, the gaps grew bigger between the remainder of the rivals towards the top of the race. Individuals stuffed the remainder of the boys’s podium, with Olson putting second at 11:02:28, adopted by Costales in 11:24:08.

Caleb Olson - 2023 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k second place

Caleb Olson crosses the 2023 Extremely-Path Cape City 100k end line in second place. Photograph: iRunFar/Neville Sharwood

2023 Extremely-Path Cape City 100k Males’s Outcomes

Dmitry Mityaev (Russia) – 10:43:06
Caleb Olson (U.S.) – 11:02:28
Anthony Costales (U.S.) – 11:24:08
Thibaut Baronian (France) – 11:36:29
Simon Desvaux De Marigny (Mauritius) – 11:42:01
Mads Louring (Denmark) – 11:48:35
Johannes Löw (Germany) – 11:55:46
Ryan Sandes (South Africa) – 12:02:58
Ricardo Cherta (Spain) – 12:11:55
Darren Thomas (U.S.) – 12:29:29

Full outcomes.

2023 Extremely-Path Cape City 100k Girls’s Race

This yr’s winner was Ruth Croft (New Zealand), additionally the 2022 Western States 100 champion. To win this race, Croft put in an unbelievable effort and dominated the ladies’s race all through the course. She started head-to-head with Marianne Hogan (Canada), however after the fourth checkpoint at Desk Mountain, 31k into the race, the hole started to extend between the 2 athletes.

By checkpoint 5 at Llandudno, simply 10k later, Croft had elevated her lead by 9 minutes and handed via at 4:55, only a few minutes behind Beth Pascall’s course document tempo. Nonetheless, since Pascall’s document, the course has modified, making it more durable to check the course occasions. Because the race progressed, Croft grew to become a fair stronger athlete and elevated her lead.

While Croft seemed to be working her personal race on the entrance, the competitors was fierce between Hogan and Ekaterina Mityaeva (Russia) for second and third place. At Desk Mountain there was a widening hole, with Hogan seemingly taking the lead. This was promising for an athlete who was recovering from damage and matching comparable occasions from her efficiency at this occasion in 2021 when she positioned second. However through the latter half of the race, Hogan took a fall on a gravel sidewalk, and after this she was handed by Mityaeva who moved in to second place.

While the battle continued for second and third, Croft crossed the end line to win in 12:12:20. Hogan managed to push again and completed in second place at 12:39:53, adopted by Mityaeva in third in a really shut 12:44:07. In doing so, Mityaeva improved upon her fourth-place end on the race final yr.