Cape Town’s trails will welcome the world’s best for Africa’s first-ever WMTRC.
Cape Town, South Africa (19 August 2025) – For the first time in history, Cape Town is gearing up to host the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in 2027. It’s a first for Africa, too.
First, a bit of history.
The World Mountain Running Championships first kicked off forty years ago in 1985, with only a single classic ‘up and down’ format. As mountain running’s popularity grew, the event did too.
The World Trail Championships was later introduced in 2007, aimed at longer, more technical routes often stretching for tens of kilometres over rugged ground, giving endurance athletes a run for their money.
In 2021, these two championships merged to create the ultimate World Mountain and Trail Running Championships (WMTRC), making it the world’s top get-together for off-road running.
The WMTRC is now held every two years, with its most recent editions hosted in Austria and Spain.<
In two years, it’s Cape Town’s turn!
From 6-10 October 2027, the Mother City’s world-famous landscapes, including Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, and the wild trails beyond, will set the stage for the world’s toughest off-road athletes.
More than 1,200 elite trail and mountain runners from over 80 countries will go foot-to-foot for medals, with around 2,000 amateur runners expected in the mass participation events (open to everyone to enjoy the fun).
The main event will offer a mix of race categories, each designed to push even the most seasoned runners to their max.
- Classic (Up and Down): The traditional mountain race, with steep ascents and descents on challenging singletrack.
- Uphill: A race focused solely on climbing, with runners pushing to the summit as quickly as possible.
- Short Trail and Long Trail: Trail races over various distances, often covering technical terrain, rocky paths, and significant elevation gain.
- U20 (Junior) Race: Giving young stars their own chance at international glory.
All routes will show off the Mother City in her full glory in lung-busting climbs, testing technical descents as well as some of the best views of the Atlantic, from the world’s best city, officially!
“It is always exciting when a major athletics event is staged in a new continent for the first time… I have every faith that Cape Town will prove to be spectacular hosts of these championships,” says World Athletics President Sebastian Coe.
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