Records tumble in George MUT

Pristine conditions and clear skies allowed top South African and international trail runners to post blistering times across a range of distances at the 2025 Mountain Ultra Trail (MUT) by UTMB. Despite daytime berg winds bringing unusually high autumn temperatures, the weather gods were smiling on the athletes.

- Jeff Ayliffe

Five of a possible eight new course records were set on Saturday 24 May, with Nicolette Griffioen, Emily Djock and Samantha Reilly all setting new records.

George local Rebecca Kohne delighted home fans by grabbing the win in the marathon distance, and Italian Andrea Biffi raced his way clear of the field to win the flagship 100-miler distance.

The action continued into Sunday with the last MUT Miler athletes battling home to beat the cut-off, and the shorter distance races.

The miler field got under way at midday on Friday, and before the sun set, it was clear that nobody would be able to match Biffi's pace. The 34-year-old Italian extended his advantage through virtually every checkpoint. Despite this, his march to victory was anything but smooth.

"It's been hard today, really hard," Biffi grimaced. "We went out quite strong, and after the first technical section, I felt my legs completely shut down. I got cramps all over and had to stop to shake my legs."