After a day of high winds that saw the race organization shut down their in-town race festivities area, the 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k took off as planned at 4 a.m. local time on Saturday, November 22, and the weather returned to its normal heat. After a day of running on the mountains and beaches around Cape Town, South Africa, the U.S.’s Jeff Mogavero and Nepal’s Sunmaya Budha came away with victories in 11:04:53 and 12:25:55 via two very different races.
The 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k men’s podium (left to right): 2. Dmitry Mityaev, 1. Jeff Mogavero, 3. Matthew Healy. Photo: Ultra-Trail Cape Town
The 99-kilometer (61.5 miles) course, with 4,676 meters (15,341 feet) of climbing, has a reputation for rugged and technical trails on incredibly steep gradients. The course is front-loaded in its elevation change, with the high point at Platteklip Gorge coming at about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) into the race. The climb, which gains about 900 meters (3,000 feet), is known for its gradients steeper than 35 degrees and general relentlessness. Then, after a bit of running along high, rocky trails — mostly trending in the downhill direction — the route drops straight back down to sea level only to tackle four more smaller climbs in the final 55k (34 miles).
This year’s race served as the final event in the World Trail Majors, and it is often regarded as the last major trail running event of the year. It’s part of a six-day festival featuring six races, ranging from 16k to 100 miles.
Sunmaya Budha celebrates winning the 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k. Photo: World Trail Majors
Both the men’s and women’s races had a couple of clear favorites, plus a number of individuals we expected to see competing for top-five positions. For the men, two-time Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k winner Dmitry Mityaev (Neutral) had the course knowledge and experience to do well after a DNF at the event last year. He was joined by race rookie and 2025 Western States 100 fourth-place finisher Mogavero, and 2024 UTMB third-place finisher Joaquín López (Ecuador). On the women’s wide, Budha — fresh off a second-place finish at the 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail less than two months ago — lined up against Antonina Iushina (Neutral), who finished second at the event in 2024, and Rosanna Buchauer (Germany), coming off an 11th place at the 2025 OCC but a rough DNF at the 2025 Trail World Championships Long Trail.
There was prize money on the line, with 262,500 South African Rand ($15,108) offered between the fields, with 75,000 Rand ($4,390) to the winners.
2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k Men’s Race
Jeff Mogavero (U.S) took the lead early on in the race, charging up the initial Signal Hill climb in 58:38 — but he wasn’t alone, with the top eight men all under an hour up and over the first big climb in the day, 11.6 kilometers (7.2 miles) in. He was trailed most closely by 2023 and 2022 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k champion Dmitry Mityaev (Neutral), who was under a minute behind and running with Chris Myers (U.S.), who had finished second at the 2025 Western States 100 and was thus no stranger to running successfully in the heat. Behind them by less than 15 seconds were Marcel Hoeche (Germany) and South African hometown favorite Matthew Healy. Adam Loomis (U.S.) trailed just outside of the top five.
Over the following rolling terrain to Kloof Nek at 20k (12.4 miles), and the base of the biggest climb of the day, Mogavero stayed out front, and a chase group of Mityaev, Hoeche, Loomis, Healy, and Myers had all come together just over a minute back. Mogavero stayed away over the course high point at Platteklip Gorge, and partway down the descent at 30k (18.6 miles), he’d opened the gap to Mityaev and Loomis — who now comprised the chase group — to over three minutes. Healy was another 3:16 back.
Jeff Mogavero runs to victory at the 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k. Photo: Ultra-Trail Cape Town
At about the halfway point, now the sun and heat coming into play and the racers back down near sea level, the front of the field remained unchanged with Mogavero leading Mityaev, who now had daylight on Loomis in third. Healy was still in fourth place, and Joaquín López (Ecuador) had worked his way into fifth place as the distance and terrain took their toll on the other runners. Over the next climb, Mityaev closed the gap to Mogavero to 30 seconds after 6:10 and 56k (35 miles) of racing. Early pace pushers Hoeche and Myers dropped at Llandudno at 40k (25 miles), and Loomis dropped at the 56k checkpoint at Hout Bay.
Over the next two climbs, Mityaev put on the pressure and not only passed Mogavero to take over the race lead, but also opened up more than a four-minute gap on him by Nursery Ravine at 79.6k (49.5 miles). Healy, surely charged by the cheers of his Cape Town fans along the course, stayed close in third, less than three minutes behind Mogavero. At Newlands Picnic, with only one more 500-meter (1,640 feet) climb and 12k (7.5 miles) to go, Mityaev led with a five-minute gap over Healy, who’d now moved up to second place, having also passed Mogavero, who was now in third, building a minute gap.
Jeff Mogavero (left) and Dmitry Mityaev (right) celebrate their first- and second-place finishes at the 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k. Photo: Ultra-Trail Cape Town
But it’s never over until it’s over, and Mogavero put his head down on the final ascent, and, remarkably, the race for the men’s win came back together over the top. With a long drop down to the finish, Jeff Mogavero was able to reclaim the lead that he’d held for most of the race, and won in 11:04:53. Dmitry Mityaev finished in second in 11:05:24, just over half a minute back, and Cape Town local Matthew Healy was third in 11:11:26.
Joaquín López finished in fourth in 11:46:53, and Grant Barnette (U.S.) was fifth in 12:10:48 after moving into the position in the race’s final quarter.
2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k Men’s Results
- Jeff Mogavero (U.S.) – 11:04:53
- Dmitry Mityaev (Neutral) – 11:05:24
- Matthew Healy (South Africa) – 11:11:26
- Joaquín López (Ecuador) – 11:46:53
- Grant Barnette (U.S.) – 12:10:48
- Augustin Saurel (France) – 12:22;47
- Lodewijk Vriens (The Netherlands) – 12:22:50
- Kok Wai Tse (Hong Kong) – 12:30:03
- Edson Kumwamba (Malawi) – 12:32:32
- Marc Bernades (Spain) – 12:35:08
Celebration time for the men’s podium at the 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k (left to right): 3. Dmitry Mityaev, 1. Jeff Mogavero, 3. Matthew Healy. Photo: Ultra-Trail Cape Town
2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k Women’s Race
Antonina Iushina (Neutral), who placed second at the race in 2024, wasted no time getting to the front of this year’s field, leading the women over the top of the first climb and onto Signal Hill in 1:10:47. She was trailed closely by Nepal’s Sunmaya Budha, and Emily Dixon (U.K.) and Emilie Mann (Canada) were also within about a minute of the leader early on in the race. Pre-race favorite Rosanna Buchauer (Germany) rounded out the top five and was running alongside Sarah Humble (U.S.).
At the base of the massive climb up to Platteklip Gorge, 20 kilometers into the race and two hours on the clock, Iushina and Budha ran together with a two-minute gap on Buchauer and Humble. After a solid hour of climbing to gain the 900 meters (3,000 feet) to the course high point, Budha topped out first with 3:00:25 on the clock and a 4:30 gap on Buchauer in second. Iushina stayed close, only 40 seconds back of second place, and with nearly a three-minute gap on Humble in fourth.
Tara Fraga on her way to third place at the 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k. Photo: World Trail Majors
Over the next six kilometers of mostly descending, Iushina clawed her way back into second, but the gap to Budha out front grew to over six minutes. By the time the lead women had gotten back down to sea level and started the next climb, about 46k (28 miles) into the race, Budha’s lead over Iushina had swelled to more than 12 minutes with 5:47:31 on the clock. Buchauer was about another four minutes back from second, and Humble was another eight minutes down. Tara Fraga (U.S.) had quietly moved herself into fifth position over this middle section of the course.
By Hout Bay, after another difficult 500-meter (1,640 feet) climb and 32k (20 miles) left to race, Budha continued to grow her lead over Iushina and was running away with the race, Buchauer dropped here, and Fraga overtook Humble into third. Alyssa Clark (U.S.), who was second at the 2025 Lavaredo Ultra and called the women’s “wildcard” in the event’s top runners list, also entered the chat — and the top five — for the first time, beginning to fulfill her wildcard status.
Early frontrunners Dixon and Mann both dropped out of the race in the final quarter, while the top women surged ahead under the South African sun.
Antonina Iushina running to second at the 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k. Photo: World Trail Majors
Budha never let off the gas pedal, showing the same consistent pacing that she had at the Trail World Championships Long Trail in September, where she took second place. By Nursery Ravine, 79k (48 miles) in, she had nearly an hour lead on Iushina in second place. Fraga was about another 10 minutes back in third, and Clark had overtaken Humble into fourth place and was about 18 minutes back from Fraga.
In the end, Sunmaya Budha very simply ran away with the 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k, winning in 12:25:55. Antonina Iushina was second in 13:33:31, and Tara Fraga finished in third place in 13:47:04.
Alyssa Clark and Sarah Humble rounded out the top five in 14:03:11 and 14:46:08, respectively.
2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k Women’s Results
- Sunmaya Budha (Nepal) – 12:25:55
- Antonina Iushina (Neutral) – 13:33:31
- Tara Fraga (U.S.) – 13:47:04
- Alyssa Clark (U.S.) – 14:03:11
- Sarah Humble (U.S.) – 14:46:08
- Julika Pahl (Namibia) – 15:59:07
[Editor’s Note: At the time of this article’s publishing, not all top-10 women have finished. We’ll update the article when they do.]
Sunmaya Budha, the 2025 Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100k women’s winner coming down the finishing chute. Photo: World Trail Majors
