Of the many challenging races in Cape Town, none is more demanding than the UTCT – Ultra-Trail Cape Town. The flagship distance, 100 miles through Cape Town’s treacherous mountains, is one that few have achieved. 54-year-old runner Robyn Noble chose UTCT race training and conquered the mountains. Here’s how.
“After I’m done with the comrades… What’s next?”
Robyn had been a runner for years: she had won medals for Two Oceans Ultra, Comrades and all the major runners. After completing all of this, she began to get bored and had followed a strict rule of never running the same race twice. Robyn decided to branch out and explore trail running casually: small weekend trips around Table Mountain, then a 12km run, then 25… Her curiosity and newfound wonder at running somewhere else led her across the finish line that very few have crossed: the toughest race on the Ultra-Trail Cape Town (UTCT) squad, 100 miles (160km).
Robyn Noble at the UTCT finish line
About UTCT
Location: Table Mountain Range, CPT
Distance: 100 miles, 160 km, over two nights
Elevation: 7,516 m
Crazy fact: Of the 175 participants, only 25 were women. And of the 25, only 15 finished the race.
What laid the foundation for something greater was watching ordinary people do extraordinary things. While supporting runners at UTCT, Robyn watched exhausted athletes stumble toward the finish line after 100 or more kilometers. “I saw this guy, he had 10km to go before the end; he was a big guy, all bandaged up… and I thought, ‘You’re great!’ He inspired me so much,” she remembers. A switch was flipped; It occurred to Robyn that if he could do it, she could do it too, injured and drained but still alive. She argued: “It’s just a matter of sticking with the training block and being extremely determined,” she says.
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UTCT Race Training – During Menopause
The journey from casual trail runner to 100-mile finisher (overnight and non-stop, no less) came with its fair share of obstacles. Robyn is the first to point out that her navigation skills are “not.” [her] Strength”; taking part in the race itself is expensive, and the equipment required (good running shoes, food packs) adds up to rand (Robyn says she had to get new runners every three months). Plus, Robyn was in her 50s. “I’ve wanted to do it for years, and at 54 it’s not easy because your body starts to feel it,” she says.
Menopause brought new challenges: overheating, slower recovery and the need to rethink everything from diet to equipment. She began hormone replacement therapy, invested in strength training, and prepared carefully. “There is no magic formula except you,” she says. “When you’re tired, when you’re cramping, when you’re sore, you have to decide whether you’re going to keep going and persevere or not.” To prepare, Robyn did 100km a week with 5,000 meters of elevation gain, did strength and conditioning workouts, and “didn’t really lose too many toenails.”
On race day, Robyn – like everyone else – started in the dark, at dusk. Despite stormy winds and difficult terrain, 155 runners took part, including only 25 women. Of the 155 starters, only 25 were women. Only 15 finished. Robyn was one of them. The entire 100 miles took Robyn “almost 44 hours without sleep – and oh, it’s unbelievable,” she remembers. Now home, Robyn’s UTCT finisher’s medal is a reminder of the courage she’s earned, proof that she’s capable of anything.
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This story, told to Michelle October, was first published in the March/April 2026 issue of Women’s Health Magazine South Africa.
