- Reilly, Djock, and Giffioen Shatter MUT by UTMB 60, 100, and Miler Course Records
- Five New Course Records Set on a Stellar Saturday of Trail Running at the MUT by UTMB
Pristine conditions allowed top South African and international trail runners to post blistering times across a range of distances at the 2025 MUT by UTMB. In total, five of a possible eight new course records were set on Saturday, as pre-race favourites Nicolette Griffioen, Emily Djock, and Samantha Reilly were joined in bettering the previous best times by Daniel Jung and Robbie Rorich. George local Rebecca Kohne won her hometown race, in the Marathon distance, and Italian Andrea Biffi won 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 taking place. Nearly 1 000 trail runners toed the line on the final day of the event, taking on the 12 kilometre MUT Lite and the 25 kilometre MUT Challenge. The shortest distance champions were Sindrino Matthews, who defended the title he won in 2024, and 16-year-old Glenwood House student Bailee Nell. Jacques du Plessis won the men’s race in the MUT Challenge and Mila Geldenhuys added the 2025 crown to her 2024 winner’s medal in the women’s.
Friday afternoon had seen the festivities kick off with the MUT Miler start. Before the sun set, it was clear that nobody would be able to match Biffi’s pace. The 34-year-old Italian led from the start and 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. Then, around the 50 kilometre mark, a nick in my foot flared up. The pain was intense. At one point, I wasn’t sure I could finish. But I just kept pushing and tried to stay positive.”
Battling through the pain his winning time was 24 hours, 10 minutes and 25 seconds, 91 minutes quicker than Admire Muzopambwa, in second. Pierre Jordaan completed the podium places.
Nicolette Griffioen dominated the women’s race even more comprehensively and finished an incredible fourth overall. The South African’s winning time was nearly 5 hours faster than the previous best time. “It was a very tough race—a lot of climbing, a lot of singletrack, and very technical,” the 2025 champion reflected. “Altogether, it was a challenge! I love the mountains, and I love the course; it is definitely a worthwhile event.” Lodelia Kombrink and Simone Malan, who finished second and third, were also quicker than Maria Marincowitz’s 2024 benchmark.
Having stepped up in distance from the MUT 60 to the MUT 100, Emily Djock took 59 minutes and 51 seconds off the 100 kilometre course record. The American who resides in Cape Town was, like Griffioen, the fourth athlete over the line in her race distance. Djock was joined on the podium by Emilie Maroteaux and Elrita Blignaut. The MUT 100 also saw a new men’s course record as Daniel Jung took 47 minutes off Axel Sleeus’s time from last year. Dominik Matt and local star, Brandon Hulley, also shattered the old record on their way to finishing second and third.
The MUT 60 was a family affair for the Reilly clan. Brother Kane regained the title he last won in 2022 but missed the course record by an agonising 54 seconds. His sister Samantha’s time of 6 hours, 30 minutes, and 51 seconds was 47 minutes quicker than Djock’s 2024 record and nearly 15 minutes better than Douglas Pickard’s effort, which secured him third behind Kane Reilly and Jacques Buys.
“It was so beautiful,” Samantha Reilly praised. “I love the course. I didn’t know I was coming third overall, and I’m also very happy that Kane won.” Jeanne Brink and Melissa Laing completed the women’s podium places alongside Samatha Reilly.
The MUT Marathon saw popular winners in the form of mountain man and trail running free spirit Robbie Rorich and the hometown heroine Rebecca Kohne. Rorich managed to lower the already exceptionally competitive record from the 4:07 to 4:05. Kohne continued her improvement over the UTMB World Series 50K graded course and the 44 kilometre distance by taking 10 minutes off her personal best for the route. Having only stepped up to competing in trail marathons in 2024 the 22-year-old will surely be back to challenge for the record in 2026.
For more information on the 2025 event, trail running fans can visit the mut.utmb.world website. Highlights from the race can be viewed on Instagram, @georgemountainultratrail, or on the Mountain Ultra-Trail by UTMB Facebook page.
2025 MUT by UTMB Results
MUT Miler | Men:
- Andrea Biffi (24:10:25)
- Admire Muzopambwa (25:41:28)
- Pierre Jordaan (26:05:04)
MUT Miler | Women:
- Nicolette Griffioen (26:33:30 | New Record)
- Lodelia Kombrink (28:51:09)
- Simone Malan (29:00:18)
MUT 100 | Men:
- Daniel Jung (11:01:37 | New Record)
- Dominik Matt (11:18:12)
- Brandon Hulley (11:38:36)
MUT 100 | Women:
- Emily Djock (12:29:58 | New Record)
- Emilie Maroteaux (13:35:35)
- Elrita Blignaut (16:07:45)
MUT 60 | Men:
- Kane Reilly (6:06:50)
- Jacques Buys (6:11:21)
- Douglas Pickard (6:45:13)
MUT 60 | Women:
- Samantha Reilly (6:30:51 | New Record)
- Jeanne Brink (7:36:47)
- Melissa Laing (7:52:43)
MUT Marathon | Men:
- Robbie Rorich (4:05:27 | New Record)
- Tsielo Tsanyane (4:16:59)
- Armin Botha (4:18:42)
MUT Marathon | Women:
- Rebecca Kohne (4:42:08)
- Maryke Van Zyl (5:02:29)
- Julia Hunter (5:31:06)
MUT Challenge | Men:
- Jacques du Plessis (1:52:38)
- Wabi Katjiri (1:55:45)
- Peter Ncube (1:56:48)
MUT Challenge | Women:
- Mila Geldenhuys (2:12:12)
- Marie-Tinka Olivier (2:14:48)
- Carina Swiegers (2:24:05)
MUT Lite | Men:
- Sindrino Matthews (49:40)
- Jaco Human (53:50)
- Sam Marx (54:56)
MUT Lite | Women:
- Bailee Nell (58:43)
- Mila van der Merwe (1:00:38)
- Viktoria Schmidhuber (1:01:54)
For the full results from the 2025 MUT by UTMB, visit live.utmb.world/mountainultratrail/2025.
