RunFastAbout the race
SkyRun is a mountain ultra trail race across the remote Witteberg range, from Lady Grey to Wartrail. The organiser calls it South Africa's iconic mountain ultra, and 2026 is the 30th edition, set for Saturday 14 November.
The races
The headline event is the SkyRun 100, listed at 99.8 km, which is self-supported and self-navigational. The organiser notes that most runners spend a full night on the ridge. Two shorter options share the same character: the SkyRun 65 at 64.3 km, where most finish not long after dark, and the SkyRun 38, which covers the final 38 km of the 100 km route with some night running.
The course
The route is point to point. The organiser lists about 99 km of distance, 3,486 metres of climbing and 3,338 metres of descent. It has nine checkpoints named Tower, Olympus, Snowden, Avoca, Skidaw, Balloch, Edgehill, The Turn and Halston, plus Bridle Pass and a hut aid station. Before Edgehill comes a climb called The Wall. The finish line is at the Wartrail Country Club. The organiser has produced a three-minute flyover of the 100 km route.
Entry basics
Entry includes a race number, goodie bag, event garment, race guide, GPS files, meals and medical support. Finishers receive a medal and a finishers' garment on the 100 km and 65 km races. A compulsory gear list covers the remote mountain conditions, and a pace chart gives checkpoint splits, arrival times and cut-off buffers. The organiser also keeps pages for race rules, logistics and a late-entry option, and the 30th edition field includes runners from 11 nations. Specific cut-off times are on the pace chart .
Where to watch
SkyRun is point to point, so the organiser says to plan logistics carefully. Registration, the briefing and the start are in Lady Grey, and the finish and race village are at the Wartrail Country Club. The organiser also mentions seconding at Balloch, so that checkpoint is where support crews gather. Runners without crews can find guesthouses near the start, including Mountain View Country Inn beside the start line, and camping at the Lady Grey Caravan Park and Country Club.
Weather
November is early summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The organiser says that the Witteberg is remote and asks runners to check every item of the compulsory kit, which is designed for mountain conditions. Runners should plan for conditions that suit a long day and night out on the mountain.
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