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The 35km Trail Run route starts and ends at the same magnificent places as the 53km.
It begins with 15km of glorious mountain singletrack, merges onto a 7km jeeptrack to get to the 15km section of beach and coastal paths with ridiculously jaw dropping all round vistas and of course plenty of time with the whales.
(Yes, that’s closer to 37km than 35km!)
But it’s not just running. You’re treated to weekend dinners, free massage and freshly prepared lunch when you finish, wine tasting, complimentary G&T, quality goody bag, quality good people and all round ethical goodness at this big hearted race.
Date: The race is held on Saturday 15 August 2026 and will start at 09h00 from Potberg Enviro Centre in De Hoop Nature Reserve.
Registration: Registration will be from 16h00 – 19h00 on Friday 14 August 2026 at De Hoop Collection, and from 06h00 at the start venue at Potberg for those staying outside the Reserve and unable to attend the registration and briefing dinner.
Briefing: Friday 14 August 2026 at 19h00 at De Hoop Collection. Those only registering at Potberg on race morning will be given the essentials briefing then.
Prize-giving: Saturday 15 August 2026 at 20h00 at De Hoop Collection. Cash prizes and lucky draws. Winners must be present or forfeit prize.
Accommodation: There is a good variety of accommodation options available at De Hoop Collection. Please see the Race Accommodation page
Glamping Tented Accommodation: Available at the Race Village of De Hoop Collection for the Friday and Saturday nights at R tbc for Glamping Tent for the weekend. Sleeps two people for two nights. See Accommodation Details.
Transfers: Competitors will be transferred on the morning of the 15 August 2026 the 30km from De Hoop Collection to the start line at Potberg. Competitors may deposit an official tog bag (to be issued at registration) that will then meet them at the finish area at Koppie Alleen.
Transfers will run from the finish at Koppie Alleen back to De Hoop Collection throughout the day (leaving every 45mins) for competitors. Spectators are welcome to use this shuttle to get to and from De Hoop Collection and the finish area. No private cars will be allowed to travel the 17km from De Hoop Collection to Koppie Alleen or beyond Potberg Enviro Centre.
Route: The 35km route follows the well-established CapeNature 5-day hiking trail. Detailed info on Race Route
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE WHALE TRAIL IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC unless booked on the hiking trail. No route scouting or pre-running is allowed. Any runners found on the trail illegally will be banned for all future events.
Entry Fee: R 5,200
Entries opening 13 Oct – A deposit payment of R 1,900 will be required within three days of entering in order to secure your booking. The remainder of the entry fee will be due by the 31 March 2026. From 1 April full entry fee payment is due within three days in order to secure your entry.
Refunds: 70% refund (of total entry fee) possible up until 15 May 2026 (3 months before the event date) following a written notification of withdrawal. Please note: Most of our costs for this event are incurred and committed to long before you even start training. As such, it is to both our benefit that a substitute is found and we have a very fair substitution policy.
Substitutions: Substitution are possible up to 12h00 Friday 7 August 2026 (8 days before the event) with a fee of R400. Substitutions will be offered to the wait list first. Should you want to make a substitution, contact the organisers.
Deferrals: Deferral possible up to 12h00 Friday 31 July 2026 (15 days before the event). 70% of your full entry fee paid will be transferred towards your entry for the 2027 Whale of Trail Event. You can only defer your entry once and it will not be eligible for refund or substitution in 2027.
Cancellation: Should the event scheduled for the 15 August 2026 be cancelled due to National Restrictions, entries will be transferred to the 2027 Whale of Trail event.
Prize Money: All prize money is allocated to the main 53km Ultra Trail and there are no cash prizes for the 35km winners. There will be a R tbc lucky draw prize for which all finishers of the 53km and 35km races are eligible, as well as several other lucky draws. Prize winners have to be present at prize giving dinner on the Saturday night in order to receive the prizes.
Goody Bags: Gift items and kitbags included in race entry are only for those who compete in the event and will not be handed to third party recipients.
Runners Information: Runners must be self sufficient for the day. No seconding allowed. There will be cut off times along the way, after which competitors will be pulled off the route and transported to the finish. Runners must be fit and should have run at least a 30km trail (as opposed to a dirt road run) run recently. Runners must stick to the marked trail. No short cuts are allowed. There will be a sweepers and checkpoints.
Medical: There will be emergency services on standby but participants must, under normal circumstances, be fit, healthy and able to complete the event safely without aid. Should the race medic declare any participant unfit to continue, he or she will be forced to withdraw from the event. This is a serious challenge. EACH PARTICIPANT MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY.
Penalties will apply for missing equipment during the run.
