2027 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships Heads to Africa

Announced just today via press release:

The 2027 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships have been awarded to the South African city of Cape Town, marking the first time the event will be held in Africa.

Geordin Hill-Lewis, Major of Cape Town is thrilled:

“We are so excited for the mountain and trail running world to descend on Cape Town in 2027 for the very first African staging of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships,” said Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. “There is surely no better backdrop to this prestigious event than our very own Wonder of the Natural World, the iconic Table Mountain. But runners should not be fooled by her beauty and her fame – Table Mountain’s rugged trails and steep elevations will pose a stern challenge to elite runners and mass participants alike. I cannot wait to welcome this wonderful event to Cape Town in October 2027, and to show the world why the Mother City is rightly considered one of the mass participation sports capitals of the world.”

It took the FIFA Soccer World Cup decades to make it to the African Continent. The Olympics still haven’t been there. Excited for World Athletics to select Cape Town on the southern tip of South Africa, arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world as a host location. With the famous Table Mountain as a backdrop and its trails part of the courses will make for absolutely stunning imagery. If I’d be a professional race photographer I would put my application in right away to shoot this event.

On an another note: It’s super smart of the organizers to select a mountain range that “still open” (not snow covered yet) in October – thus offering some breathing room between the big summer races (UTMB) and allowing runners to be able to race both events without pressure (six weeks in between UTMB and WMTRC is not nothing, I admit that).