Saturday 25th July 2020

Please see the official site for more details.

07h00 - Merrell Whale of Trail - 53km Ultra - R3900

09h00 - Merrell Whale of Trail - 53km Trail Run - R3000

• Registration: 24th July 2020 – 16h00-19h00 at De Hoop Collection
• Briefing dinner: 24th July 2020 – 18h30 – 20h00 at De Hoop Collection
• Prize giving dinner: 25th July 2020 – 17h30 – 20h00 at De Hoop Collection
• Distance: 53km & 35km
• Race Venue: De Hoop Collection on De Hoop Nature Reserve
• Start: Potberg Nature Reserve
• Finish: Koppie Alleen – De Hoop Nature Reserve.

Accommodation: There is a variety of accommodation available at De Hoop Collection. Please see the Accommodation page and contact De Hoop Collection directly for specials that will be offered for the event as well as alternative accommodation options further afield.

Entry includes:

• Permit and unique opportunity to run this trail
• CapeNature fee for De Hoop Reserve and the trail
• Paramedic support with 4×4 vehicles (excludes helicopter evacuation, or any hospitalization transport, which will be at the athlete’s cost)
• Transfers to and from race venue to start and finish points
• Water tables with food on the route
• Friday night briefing dinner
• Saturday night prize giving dinner
• Meal at finish
• Complimentary leg massage at finish
• Finisher’s medal

Entry fee does not include: 

• Accommodation
• Breakfasts
• Drinks at dinners
• Personal race nutrition

Refunds: 70% refund (of total entry fee) possible up until 26 April 2020 (3 months before the event) following a written notification of withdrawal. Please note: Most of our costs for this event are incurred and committed 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: Substitutions are possible up to 12h00 Friday 17 July 2020 (8 days before the event) with a fee of R750. Substitutions will be offered to the wait list first. Should you want to make a substitution, contact the organisers.

Compulsory Running Equipment: 

• Water containers min 2 litres
• WATERPROOF rain jacket
• Base layer
• Buff or head gear
• Whistle
• Space blanket
• Cell phone – emergency numbers will be supplied at race briefing.
• Recommended Equipment – Sunglasses, Sun block, Camera.

MISSING COMPULSORY EQUIPMENT MEANS NO RUN. THERE WILL BE KIT CHECKS. PENALTIES WILL APPLY FOR MISSING EQUIPMENT DURING THE RUN.

Friday 24 July 2020:

• 16h00 – 19h00 – Registration at De Hoop Collection
• 18h30 – 21h00 – Dinner at De Hoop Collection
• 19h00 – Briefing at De Hoop Collection

Saturday 25 July 2020:

• 05h30 – Transfer from De Hoop Collection to Potberg Nature Reserve
• 06h00 – Registration opens for non-residents of De Hoop
• 07h00 – Start
• 11h30 – 12h30 – Winners expected at Koppie Alleen
• 18h00 – Dinner at De Hoop Collection
• 20h00 – Prize Giving at De Hoop Collection

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.