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Chiangmai, 10 Dec 2023 – In an electrifying display of endurance and skill, Doi Inthanon Thailand By UTMB 2023 concluded with heart-pounding moments, record-breaking times, and an unparalleled sense of achievement. The event, held at Royal Rajapruek Park Chiangmai, showcased the epitome of trail running prowess with remarkable results in the Trans-160 and Elephant-100 categories. Trans-160 – Male Dominance from Hoka Team In the Trans-160 category, the male competition was fierce, marked by strategic moves and resilient performances. Duo Ji of Hoka Team from China emerged as the champion, clocking an impressive 23:58:49. Despite the previous champion Zhao Jiaju setting a high pace, Duo Ji’s steady strength and endurance secured his victory. Following closely were Gediminas Grinius of Vibram Team from Lithuania (25:25:58) and Benat Marmissolle of La Sportiva Team from France (25:44:03), making the podium a true global showcase of talent. Trans-160 – Female Triumph from China In the Trans-160 female category, China dominated the podium with Lin Chen of Adidas Terrex Team clinching the first position in 30:05:15. The intensity continued with Anna Li of BeyondWater Team securing the second spot (30:11:14) and Yuanyuan Wu of Altra Team claiming the third position (30:54:25). The all-Chinese female podium highlighted the incredible depth of talent in the trail running community. Elephant-100 – Chinese Prowess Prevails The Elephant-100 category echoed the dominance of Chinese runners. Guangfu Meng of Hoka Team secured the first position with an impressive time of 10:09:22. Peiquan You of Outopia Team (10:42:57) and Hui Bai of Kailas Team (10:43:58) rounded out the top three male finishers. In the female category, Hua Ha of Mude Team from Vietnam claimed the first position (12:09:02), followed by Ragna Debats of Merrell – UESabadell Team from the Netherlands (12:43:25) and Emilie Maroteaux of Run Passion Trail Team from France (13:26:39). Event Glory and Global Recognition Doi Inthanon Thailand By UTMB 2023 has etched its name among the world’s best trail running series, earning recognition among 40+ global events. The event’s resounding success solidifies its Major status, ensuring participants can collect double running stones for at least the next two years. This milestone places Doi Inthanon Thailand By UTMB at the forefront of the global trail running community, making it a must-experience event for enthusiasts worldwide. Save the Date for the 5th Edition The resounding success of the 4th edition sets the stage for the much-anticipated 5th edition, scheduled for December 6-8, 2024. Trail running enthusiasts, mark your calendars, and stay tuned for another thrilling adventure at Doi Inthanon Thailand By UTMB. The journey continues, and the trails await. To keep up to date information, please visit Doi Inthanon Thailand By UTMB or follow on: Youtube: @ThailandByUTMBOfficial Instagram: @doiinthanonthailandbyutmb Facebook: Doi Inthanon Thailand by UTMB Twitter: @thailandbyutmb

Runners experience the beauty of the South African coastline while tackling the UTCT In this interview series, Ahotu will be speaking with the people behind some of the most unique races across the globe. We’ll be discussing the history of the event, challenges and how to overcome them, attracting sponsors, reaching new runners and more! We are delighted to be working with UTCT for 2023 to help you reach more international participants. For those who aren’t familiar, could you introduce yourself and UTCT? Hi, my name is Stuart McConnachie. I am the Race Director of the RMB Ultra-trail Cape Town (UTCT). UTCT is one of the most competitive and sought after races in the world. It runs on one of the seven wonders of this beautiful planet, Table Mountain. It’s hosted by one of the most beautiful and diverse Cities. This all provides so much more than simply a trail run, it’s a bucket list experience which attracts participants from all over the world. When did the race first take place and how did you get involved? 2014 – Nic Bornman, the founder of the race, after getting the race approved needed help. I had grown up around running and was lucky enough to know Nic well. We both had similar visions and ideas for the race. It was a crazy, challenging and demanding first edition but we managed to get through it and the rest is history. The race has a growing reputation in the trail / ultra scene, why do you think the event has been so popular? The race has a unique landscape which is really demanding, being surrounded by a City like Cape Town offers the support and interaction with the many layers this landscape provides. We’ve also got one of the best running community culture’s in the world here so tapping into all of these factors creates a powerful concoction. You have an impressive field of participants from across the globe. How many countries do you normally have represented at UTCT? Usually we have 50+ countries represented and this is growing year on year, Cape Town has always been a travellers port so it has a natural attraction for many people from around the world. It also happens to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. We are looking forward to growing our international participation through our partnership with Ahotu & World’s Marathons and likewise to seeing more runners from across the world taking part. The race covers a lot of challenging terrain and with multiple courses must have a lot of moving parts. What are the most challenging aspects of the weekend for you as organisers? Like any event we have aspects that create challenges, I think having a City on the doorstep of a natural wonder is our biggest, the interaction between being truly alone and wild, then stepping out of that into a suburban landscape needs intricate planning with multiple players to ensure things run smoothly. Of course there are also the on course challenges with the climate, elevation and terrain, given the fact the race largely takes part in the Table Mountain national park. Runners experience varied terrain on the 23k, 35k, 55k, 100k & 100m courses. With a range of distances on offer, from 23k up to 100 miles… what can participants expect from the course(s)? The variety of terrain at UTCT is unparalleled, we have over 1000 plant species on the Cape Peninsula alone. The juxtaposition between mountains and ocean are a highlight for any runner. This is where the challenge lies, moving across these landscapes is tough, the terrain is rocky and technical at times. The climbs are not long but there are many and the descents take the sting from your legs due to their technical nature. What advice would you have for those tackling UTCT for the first time? Try to get onto the trails and experience the terrain before race day, it’ll also allow you to soak up the views as sometimes during the race we forget that we’re out in mother nature. The weather can change in a matter of minutes, so expect to be hot and cold no matter what the temperature says in the weeks leading up to the race. Cape Town is a hugely popular destination city, what else would you recommend participants do during their time in the Western Cape? First off we’d say come run with Tuesday Trails (our run club which is open to all) then make sure you get to experience some of the more eclectic areas of the City, eating out is a treat and then post race enjoy the more indulgent lifestyles on the wine estates or beaches along the Peninsula. Cape Town has tonnes to offer so you’ll have loads to do either side of the race! You have some awesome sponsors including Salomon, Suunto, Maurten and more… what has been your approach with securing such a strong lineup of brands to support the event? We have focused on partnerships with strong brands that eschew similar visions for the sport, community and are all in this for the long term. We have been patient in waiting for the right brands before partnering and runners appreciate the approach and support from our partners. Runners enjoying the atmospheric start / finish area in the 2022 edition of the UTCT What are your ambitions for the race over the coming years? We will continue to sustainably help in growing the sport in South Africa, we want to remain a quintessentially Cape Town and South African race that is truly unique in so many ways. Our community who are the custodians of this event play such an important role for us so we aim to remain closely connected and for them to feel like it’s our race. Any races, partners or companies you would like to shout out? We just want to thank our partners for believing in UTCT, for seeing the potential and helping us put Cape Town trail running on the world stage. The next edition of the Ultra Trail Cape Town takes place from the 24th to the 26th of November 2023, you can follow our journey on our Instagram @UTCT Interested in taking part? You can register for the 2023 edition of the UTCT on Ahotu – Ultra-Trail® Cape Town To feature in our interview series you can drop us an email on blog@worldsmarathons.com Interested in promoting your race with World’s Marathons or Ahotu? Contact us on partners@worldsmarathons.com

Michael Gras grinded past more than 24623 runners to win in 00:28:55. Florian Carvalho secured second in this year’s race with a time of 00:29:07. Mehdi Frere (00:29:08) made notched third place. In the women’s race, Manon Trapp took top spot in 00:33:20 , followed by Melanie Allier who finished with a time of 00:33:36. Finishing third was Nawal Yahi (00:33:39). Top 5 Men 1 Michael Gras 00:28:55 2 Florian Carvalho 00:29:07 3 Mehdi Frere 00:29:08 4 Benjamin Choquert 00:29:32 5 Damien Gras 00:29:35 Top 5 Women 1 Manon Trapp 00:33:20 2 Melanie Allier 00:33:36 3 Nawal Yahi 00:33:39 4 Anais Quemener 00:34:08 5 Leatitia Croissant 00:34:51 Complete results

Close racing, family fun and runners from all around the world characterise the 2023 Supersports Laguna Phuket Marathon Russian Artem Sekachev wins Male Marathon while Thai Nuntaporn Tengamnuay claims Women’s crown PHUKET, Thailand - Friends and families came together in Phuket for the 17th edition of the Supersports Laguna Phuket Marathon this weekend which saw competitive racing, personal bests and lots of smiles. From young to old, over 6,000 runners from more than 43 countries took part in a weekend of tropical fun. The change to have morning starts on both days this year saw many opting to compete on both days and a festival-like atmosphere at the finish line with food stalls and entertainment enjoyed by participants and spectators alike. Day 1 (Saturday 10th June) hosted the 2km kids run, 5km and 10.5km. Almost 250 kids enjoyed the 2km kids run in the green surrounds of Laguna Phuket and the first to cross the line in the male division was Julian Kloihofer from Thailand. Kawinthip Wongthawat, also from Thailand, crossed first in the women’s division. Just two seconds separated the top two men in the 5km with Seung Ho Park (KOR) taking the win ahead of Sergei Zyrianov (RUS) in second while in the Women’s division it was Hayley Newman (AUS) who secured the win by almost a minute over Siena Milgate (AUS) in second. It was another Korean runner who took the win in the Male 10.5km. Youngho Kim carved out a lead and held it to cross the finish line in a time of 35:23, ahead of Thai rival Aekkalak Jhankaeo. Mei Yan Wong from Hong Kong dominated the Women’s 10.5km with a convincing win by more than two minutes over second place finisher Kanika Chuaypet from Thailand. Day 2 (Sunday 11th June) saw thousands of runners new and old converge at the start line at Laguna Grove where friendships were made and renewed, and camaraderie was high. With runners from all over the world lining up together, it was a clear sign that Phuket is back and open for all! Out with the lead pack, Artem Sekachev (RUS) pushed the marathon pace early to create some separation between the leaders and the chasers. He then continued to turn up the pressure and by the 30km mark had a three minute lead which he further extended over the remaining distance to finish in a time of 02:51:10, more than five minutes ahead of second place finisher Waiwit Thongtae from Thailand. In the Women’s division, the racing proved much closer and it became a podium battle amongst Thai and Aussie runners. With just two minutes separating the top three at the finish line, it was Nuntaporn Tengamnuay who claimed the crown in a time of 03:38:33 ahead of Wannarat Jittiwuttinon in second. In the Marathon Relay it was the Thai team “Team Three men and a little lady” who were the clear winners in a time of 02:50:39. Little separated the runners in the Male Half Marathon. Sergei Zyrianov from Russia got off to a fast start and led from early on and although more conservative at the start Sota Maehara (JPN) built up his pace and was closing fast towards the finish. Unfortunately for him, there wasn’t enough track and Sergei Zyrianov held on to take the win in a time of 01:17:25 and Sota Maehara had to settle for second. In the Women’s division, Australia’s Hayley Newman out ran a tough field to finish with a winning margin of four minutes over second place finisher from USA, Lindsay Nickel. Organised by GAA Events and internationally-certified measured run course by World Athletics (WA), the Supersports Laguna Phuket Marathon is one of Southeast Asia’s favourite destination marathons and a qualifying event for the Boston Marathon. The dates have been set for 2014: The 18th Supersports Laguna Phuket Marathon will take place on 8-9 June 2024. Full results of the 2023 Supersports Laguna Phuket Marathon are available at www.sportstats.asia.

Amaury Package took top spot in 01:00:15, followed by SCHYNS Nicholas who finished with a time of 01:01:41. BELAYNEH Solomon got the third place in 01:01:43. In the ladies race, VANDENBUSSCHE Hanna scored victory with a time of 01:10:44 , ahead of VAN PROEYEN Karen (01:12:35). The third place went to BIHAIN Amelie with a time of 01:12:58 Top 3 Men 1 Amaury Package 01:00:15 2 SCHYNS Nicholas 01:01:41 3 BELAYNEH Solomon 01:01:43 Top 3 Women 1 VANDENBUSSCHE Hanna 01:10:44 2 VAN PROEYEN Karen 01:12:35 3 BIHAIN Amelie 01:12:58 Complete results

Christopher Frederick Mascarenhas-Keyes finished first in 04:15:11, followed by Alexey Vshivtsev who finished with a time of 04:19:34. Finishing third was Michael Cassinides (04:22:38). For the women, Krisztina Vaczi won the race with a time of 05:02:04 . She finished one minute 21 seconds ahead of Bianca Marcon. The third place went to Lindsay Nickel with a time of 05:05:31 Top 5 Men 1 Christopher Frederick Mascarenhas-Keyes 04:15:11 2 Alexey Vshivtsev 04:19:34 3 Michael Cassinides 04:22:38 4 Dendle Robert 04:25:15 5 Sang Whan Oh 04:25:47 Top 5 Women 1 Krisztina Vaczi 05:02:04 2 Bianca Marcon 05:03:25 3 Lindsay Nickel 05:05:31 4 Xiang Ao 05:07:54 5 My Nguyen Tra 05:08:21 Complete results

Marathon MARCO LI got a win, finishing with a time of 02:34:54. Coming in second was RYAN RAFUSE (02:36:15). The third place went to GUILLERMO SUAREZ with a time of 02:37:59 In the women’s race, BRITTNEY HALL finished first in 02:42:55 . She bested LUC ZORATTO who crossed the finish line 8 minutes 2 seconds behind her. Finishing third was VICTORIA SIEMON (02:53:07). Top 5 Men 1 MARCO LI 02:34:54 2 RYAN RAFUSE 02:36:15 3 GUILLERMO SUAREZ 02:37:59 4 TYSON LONEY 02:38:43 5 ANDREW MARIANI 02:38:43 Top 5 Women 1 BRITTNEY HALL 02:42:55 2 LUC ZORATTO 02:50:57 3 VICTORIA SIEMON 02:53:07 4 JESSICA WYLYCHENKO 02:59:20 5 JENNIFER THOMSON 02:59:24 Complete results Half Marathon LUIS ALBERTO MELENDEZ took top spot in 01:15:15. He finished 3 minutes 3 seconds ahead of CESAR MORENO QUIROZ. PATRICK SWADDEN got the third place in 01:19:12. In the women’s race, SARAH FABER took top spot in 01:31:39 . ADRIANNA MADORE earned runner-up honours with a time of 01:33:57. The third place went to CHERYL ARMSTRONG with a time of 01:34:11 Top 5 Men 1 LUIS ALBERTO MELENDEZ 01:15:15 2 CESAR MORENO QUIROZ 01:18:18 3 PATRICK SWADDEN 01:19:12 4 DANIEL AMOS 01:21:39 5 LUKE EHGOETZ 01:22:25 Top 5 Women 1 SARAH FABER 01:31:39 2 ADRIANNA MADORE 01:33:57 3 CHERYL ARMSTRONG 01:34:11 4 CINDY GALLANT 01:35:00 5 RAJIV PATEL 01:36:06 Complete results 10K Run ESTEBAN CLAVIJO got a win, finishing with a time of 00:32:42. DAVID WEBSTER secured second in this year’s race with a time of 00:32:48. BRANDON CIDADE got the third place in 00:34:13. For the women, it was KIMBERLY ARMSTRONG who took the top spot in 00:35:20 . She bested JUSTINE GLASS who crossed the finish line 2 minutes 2 seconds behind her. Rounding out the top three was LAUREL BUCHANAN with a time of 00:37:31. Top 5 Men 1 ESTEBAN CLAVIJO 00:32:42 2 DAVID WEBSTER 00:32:48 3 BRANDON CIDADE 00:34:13 4 TYLER VITULLO 00:34:36 5 LUKE KINGDON 00:35:40 Top 5 Women 1 KIMBERLY ARMSTRONG 00:35:20 2 JUSTINE GLASS 00:37:22 3 LAUREL BUCHANAN 00:37:31 4 CELINE BEST 00:39:28 5 Bridget Leon 00:39:40 Complete results 5K Run HEATH MCALLISTER outpaced more then 2050 runners to win in 00:14:36. DANNY MORIN earned runner-up honours with a time of 00:15:44. The third place went to KWING YEUNG JABEZ SIU with a time of 00:16:13 For the women, ANDREA HILL got a win, finishing with a time of 00:17:41 . She finished one minute 11 seconds ahead of SAWYER NICHOLSON. While KATHRYN SHERWOOD came in third at 00:18:54 Top 5 Men 1 HEATH MCALLISTER 00:14:36 2 DANNY MORIN 00:15:44 3 KWING YEUNG JABEZ SIU 00:16:13 4 LUCAS WHITE 00:16:47 5 SHANE KELLY 00:17:14 Top 5 Women 1 ANDREA HILL 00:17:41 2 SAWYER NICHOLSON 00:18:52 3 KATHRYN SHERWOOD 00:18:54 4 CHARLOTTE MCNAIR 00:19:05 5 MARY LEON 00:20:00 Complete results

In only it’s sixth year, the Margaret River Ultra Marathon has proven once again why it stands as one of the greatest ultra races in Australia as a capacity field of 1,500 participants completed the 80km course on Saturday 6 May, 2023. In the words of Race Director Sam Maffett; “It’s an awe-inspiring event of endurance, determination, friendship and support. You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” The point-to-point course was held along the breathtaking Cape to Cape coastline in south-west Western Australia from Hamelin Bay, through to the finish line at Howard Park Wines in Wilyabrup. 400 solo runners and 1,100 relay team members covering 10-20km each made up the capacity field which sold-out within three weeks of entries opening in October last year. Part of the alure for participants is not just the welcoming event atmosphere, it’s the course itself that offers a magnificent journey along some of the greatest variety of trails the south-west has to offer. The 2022 course champion Josh Chugg backed up his win, using all his ultra running mental strength and skills in the final stages to clock an outstanding time of 6 hours 36 minutes and 17 seconds – breaking his own course record by 4 minutes! “This event is special to me because it is such a meaningful race being my first ultra trail last year and I thought that was the best race I had put together,” said Chugg. “But when I got to Leg 4, I thought the course record might be in reach so I started to push – it was on my mind – my original goal was just to get under 7 hours, but Richardt (Schwable) pulled me along early and suddenly the record was in reach!” Despite breaking his own record, Chugg still pushed his limits. “It’s such an interesting course being in a magic part of the world – the beaches and forests are stunning! But no matter how comfortable you feel half-way, hitting the beaches there’s a bit of suffering – the body was screaming towards the end!” Richardt Schwalb came in second, and Sjoerd Algera was third in times of 7:24:00 and 7:44:15, respectively. The women’s solo 80km field saw Jayme Berman of Esperance WA etch her name in the winner’s history book in an remarkable time of 7:49:01, which also placed her fourth overall. Once again the women on course showed their ultra running strength and prowess with not just impressive times, but impressive placings overall with three females in the top 10! Petra Jerejian finished fifth overall, and placed as second female (7:55:29); Kirsten Buist was ninth overall and third female (8:12:52). Bergman had a great lead up to the race and was ecstatic with her win. “I’ve run as part of a relay team most years because it’s just magnificent; it really is such a great place to run so doing it as a solo this year was the next step for me.” “After getting Covid just before the race last year, it’s actually been an amazing two-year lead up to get here and be here on the start line. And yeh, it’s been a perfect day and a perfect race, thank you so much!” Team “Lori Family” was the first relay team to finish the 80km course in the second fastest team time ever on course (6:04:31), and included team members Andrea Kierath, Christie Godfrey, Michael Lori, Erika Lori and Mark Lori. Another team in the spotlight was ‘always trailing’ with competitor Teague Czislowski running Leg 5 with the support of team-mates and spectators bringing him home to the tune of We are the Champions by Queen. Teague was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last year – yet he still trained every day determined to make it to the Margaret River Ultra Marathon as part of our relay team… and he did! Competitors continued to finish well into the night at Howard Park Wines after a spectacular journey that took them through tall karri forests, coastal trails, beaches and bluffs with sweeping views across the magical Margaret River region. A 2km Kids Run was held on Sunday morning prior to presentations. Rapid Ascent lavished in the enthusiasm that oozed from competitors and supporters throughout the race. “This is what we love about the Margaret River Ultra – the enthusiasm, excitement, tears, high-fives and joy that eludes from the course and on the sidelines!” said Sam Maffett, General Manager of organisers Rapid Ascent. “We are so proud of every athlete on course today – we understand your desire to run and love you being a part of this event,” continued Maffett. “The check-points and finish line really did come alive with celebrations and it was fantastic to see some incredible running – and cheering – throughout the entire day!” The 2024 Margaret River Ultra Marathon is set to be held on Saturday 11 May (tentative date) with entries to open in late September. The event is expected to reach capacity. Rapid Ascent have a self-imposed entry limit to preserve the competitor experience for those running on the day. Margaret River Ultra Marathon Result: Top 3 Men 1 Josh Chugg (course record) 06:36:17 2 Richardt Schwalb 07:24:00 3 Sjoerd Algera 07:44:15 Top 3 Women 1 Jayme Bergman 07:49:01 2 Petra Jerejian 07:55:29 3 Kirsten Buist 08:12:52 FULL RESULTS – TEAMS AND INDIVIDUALS: CLICK HERE For more information on the Margaret River Ultra Marathon head to www.MRUltramarathon.com.au or www.facebook.com/RapidAscentUltraRunningEvents

Dale briefing runners before the Salt Pans Ultra. In this interview series, Ahotu will be speaking with the people behind some of the most unique races across the globe. We’ll be discussing the history of the event, challenges and how to overcome them, attracting sponsors, reaching new runners and more! Thanks for joining us, Dale. The Salt Pans Ultra is a relatively new race in a truly unique landscape. Could you introduce the race and yourself? Thanks for having me. My name is Dale ter Haar and I am one of two owners of the company that hosts the Salt Pans Ultra or the SPU as we call it. My business partner, Stefan Ortwein, and I also race direct the run. The SPU is a one day ultra trail race in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans of Central Botswana, in Southern Africa. I believe we are one of only 2 or 3 ultra runs held on salt flats and certainly the only one in Africa. The SPU started in 2019 as a 3 day, multi stage ultra race and then in 2020 CV-19 hit and we took a little global pandemic time out. Botswana also had a hard lock down where you couldn’t move without permits, which didn’t help. In 2022, as you know, the World slowly opened up and thankfully we were able to host the race again. This time as a single stage 100/50kms event. The multi day event format proved logistically very demanding due to the unique challenges the pans impose. What led to the creation of the event, where did the idea come from? My brother, myself and 3 other friends were looking for something to do about 10 years ago. My family has always spent time at the Pans and so we agreed running the full 105kms South – North length of Sua Pans would be a fitting challenge. We added raising money for charity to the mix to make sure we followed through with the idea. During that run, it occurred to me that this would be an awesome place to host an ultra. I was already organising sports events as fund raisers for a charity I am involved with so it was not too much of a leap! Botswana is very road running focused and at the time didn’t have any ultra events, road or trail. We are still the only ultra of any sort in the country. I am a big fan of putting on events that are perhaps a bit outside of the box in the local environment. The SPU was perfect for this in the Botswana context. The Pans are also an awesome venue so lent themselves perfectly to the idea. The 2023 Edition just took place, how did this year go for you as an organiser and for your participants? The 2023 race went really well. We pride ourselves on our organisation and timeliness and we managed to deliver on both fronts. Runner feedback was great, we earned a Gold Award on Racecheck, with an average score of 4.84/5 based on 49 reviews. We are chuffed with that as it’s a ton of work setting it all up, given the location and it’s great to see our efforts are appreciated by our participants! What are the most challenging aspects of organising the race given the unique terrain it takes place on? Everything! The Makgadikgadi Pans are the bed of an ancient, huge inland sea that dried up thousands of years ago as the plates of the Rift Valley shifted. Interestingly, the Okavango Delta is all that remains of this huge water mass. We start the race on the Southern edge of this flat expanse. Before we arrive to set up the race village there is nothing there. We are 150 kilometres from the nearest big village and 8 hours drive from the capital city Gaborone, where we transport most things from. So from nothing emerges a fully equipped race village that accommodates, feeds, waters, cleans and sustains 150 – 200 people for 3 days. The next challenge are the race check points. Half of these can only be reached by quad bikes because 4×4s would get stuck in the mud that sits 6 inches under the top crust layer of the Pans. Setting up check points for 75 runners with just what a quad bike can carry is no easy feat. Think 200 litres of water, nutrition, ice, shade, cots, chairs etc. Our window to host the race is also limited. The pans can hold surface water for all but 3-4 months of the year. So we host the race as far from the end of the previous rainy season and as close to the next rainy season as we can to try and ensure our route is dry. What is your favourite part of your job? What is the highlight of the race for you as an organiser? That’s an easy one! The highlight is definitely being able to show off Botswana and the Pans. There are many great ultra races out there and lots in unique locations but only low single digits on salt flats. And I don’t think any that take you into the middle of the pans. I love to hear runners cross the finish line and gush about how moving the whole experience was. Well, after they have had a chance to catch their breath. That feeling of complete isolation is so hard to find in our busy worlds. The Pans are awe inspiring in so many ways. The scale of them, the beauty of the sunrises and sunsets, the sheer amount of nothingness, the complete quiet, the expansive African night sky, the isolation, the smiles of the volunteers, the ancient, thousand year old baobab trees that hold a millennia of stories and tales….Sorry – I could go and on. A runner cuts a lonely figure in the unique landscape of the Salt Pans Ultra. How many runners did you have and which countries were represented? We sold out all 100 places but only had 84 runners compete on the day due to natural pre-race attrition / dropout. 63 ran in the 50k and 21 in the 100k race. We had 9 DNFs in the 50k whilst only 6 runners finished the 100k, with one of those missing the cut-off. So it’s safe to say the 100k is a beast and certainly pushes participants to their limites. It has been described as “a uniquely hard event that is a gorilla in chimps clothing”! We do warn runners with our tagline “where flat isn’t easy” and “the hardest flat race in the world”… but it still manages to catch people off-guard. Are you noticing a shift in where your runners are coming from? Are there any particular hotspots? What was nice to see this year was how many more people travelled from overseas. We had people from 18 countries. They came from as far afield as Canada, across Europe and of course many from Southern Africa. For many who travelled from overseas it was their first experience of Africa, so we are pleased that they entrusted us to deliver a race to remember. I think the European attendance will grow over time as it’s a pretty easy trip to Botswana from many European countries. We are super focused on effective communications and giving the runners assurances that the trip will be easy, safe and obviously worth the effort. We setup Zoom calls and a Whatsapp group for participants, which is well received. This allows us to create a community that supports our runners, the WhatsApp group is still active even weeks after the race! How do you promote the event / what channels are you and your team utilising to reach new runners? We are in all the usual spots. We have our website and we use RaceCheck there to give people some idea of the positive reviews we have been getting. Then we are also on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube, and of course we are live on World’s Marathons & Ahotu, which is getting us international interest and from across the globe. We looked at TikTok but haven’t yet made the jump! We were also at the National Running Show in Birmingham this January looking to speak to UK based runners. The race has a number of sponsors and partners, how have you gone about building these relationships? Are there any partners you would like to shout out in particular? We have some great sponsoring partners. Our big focus is on customising each relationship to what works best for that particular partner. They are not all after the same things. We pride ourselves on not just being an event that they hear from in and around our race. So we create these regular touch points throughout the year that ensures they get more consistent interaction with us, our runners and their clients. Our main sponsors are Blue Crystal Sugar who sponsor the Salt Pans Ultra, our Backyard Ultra and our monthly Mokolodi Nature Reserve trail runs. We use their sugar in our ice tea, lemonade, power bars and various other snacks that we give to our runners at our events. They are focused on promoting the responsible consumption of sugar and we think an ultra race is a good fit because its one of the few times you can consume almost anything guilt free. Desert and Delta Safaris are also big sponsors and provide us with our winner prizes of free safaris. Plus they provide a lot of the logistical infrastructure we use like gazebos, stretch tents etc. What can future participants expect from the course / race itself? We call the SPU the hardest flat race in the World and we really believe it might be. Runners look at the distances and think ‘Bleh – its a 50 or 100kms with no elevation, how hard can it be?”!. Well, pretty hard if the finishing times are anything to go by. There are no route markers, no trails, trees, hills or anything else to distract you for most of the race. Just miles and miles of very bright sand, a hot sun that beats down on you; getting mercilessly hotter as the hours pass and check points that you can see from miles away but never seem to draw closer. It’s as much a mental challenge as it is physical. Our 100kms winner last year did the 89kms Comrades Marathon in South Africa in 8h30m and he finished the 100kms in 13h17m! That additional 11kms took him just short of an extra 5 hours. We also try and make the event more than a race. We add a few Southern African traditions like a braai (BBQ), sundowners, a camp fire etc. What would you recommend international runners to do whilst visiting Botswana either side of the race? Go on safari! Botswana is the World’s premier safari destination and we have secured some great safari packages with Desert and Delta Safaris in the North of Botswana and Tuli Wilderness in Eastern Botswana. They are such great value that its almost a crime not to spend a few days seeing our wildlife. The Tuli Wilderness safari, for example, is $100 per person per day which includes two game drives and 4 meals. It’s the best safari deal I can think of. Every year runners from across the globe tackle this bucket-list race. What are your plans for the race in the future? We don’t ever want to be huge race and 100 runners will probably be where we max out. It’s really special to have a relatively small group of runners on the Pans. It makes the event a close knit community which we would lose with a larger race. That and the logistics of hosting an ultra in the middle of nowhere are very challenging and would be even more so with a bigger field. We are considering a 100 miler down the line but first we are keen to really establish the 50/100kms events on the global calendar. I really believe we are a bucket list event so for us filling our 100 slots quickly every year would be all we can ask for. When is the next edition taking place and where can people go to learn more? The next Salt Pans Ultra is on 28th September 2024, you can follow our journey on our Instagram @saltpansultramarathon Interested in taking part? You can register for the 2024 edition of the Salt Pans Ultra on Ahotu – Salt Pans Ultra Trail Marathon To feature in our interview series you can drop us an email on blog@worldsmarathons.com Interested in promoting your race with World’s Marathons or Ahotu? Contact us on partners@worldsmarathons.com

Daniel Bagley outpaced more then 1285 runners to win in 01:47:36. He finished 4 minutes 49 seconds ahead of Orlando Corea. Finishing third was Oliver Matharu (01:53:35). For the women, Abigail Halcarz got a win, finishing with a time of 02:07:52 . Rebecca Gallop earned runner-up honours with a time of 02:11:10. Rounding out the top three was Alice Belcher with a time of 02:11:18. Top 5 Men 1 Daniel Bagley 01:47:36 2 Orlando Corea 01:52:25 3 Oliver Matharu 01:53:35 4 David Hill 01:53:55 5 John Gordon 01:54:10 Top 5 Women 1 Abigail Halcarz 02:07:52 2 Rebecca Gallop 02:11:10 3 Alice Belcher 02:11:18 4 Alice Thackray 02:14:52 5 Kate Wright 02:15:20 Complete results

Half Marathon James Karanza Gikunga outran roughly 471 runners to win with a time of 01:10:47. Enock Kipchirchir Kigen secured second in this year’s race with a time of 01:12:19. Lamphone Xayyathee (01:16:58) made notched third place. In the women’s race, it was Lodkeo Inthakoumman (01:27:25) taking the top spot, ahead of Satomi Uchino (01:38:57). Khankham Noymany got the third place in 01:40:51. Top 5 Men 1 James Karanza Gikunga 01:10:47 2 Enock Kipchirchir Kigen 01:12:19 3 Lamphone Xayyathee 01:16:58 4 Shunichiro Hayashi 01:22:46 5 Bounchanh Sengaloun 01:23:12 Top 5 Women 1 Lodkeo Inthakoumman 01:27:25 2 Satomi Uchino 01:38:57 3 Khankham Noymany 01:40:51 4 Maaike Visser 01:43:13 5 Souk Malivanh 01:45:18 Complete results 10 km Sysavath Thammavongchith grinded past more than 1561 runners to win in 00:32:23. He bested Maikeo Singhalath who crossed the finish line 3 minutes 10 seconds behind him. Souliya Sounanthavong (00:35:50) made notched third place. In the ladies race, it was Phouthalath Innout (00:43:49) taking the top spot. She finished 30 seconds ahead of Yoth Soulivanhthong. While Bang One Vanmany came in third at 00:45:09 Top 5 Men 1 Sysavath Thammavongchith 00:32:23 2 Maikeo Singhalath 00:35:33 3 Souliya Sounanthavong 00:35:50 4 Thongsone Singsavanh 00:36:21 5 Thavone Phonasa 00:36:36 Top 5 Women 1 Phouthalath Innout 00:43:49 2 Yoth Soulivanhthong 00:44:19 3 Bang One Vanmany 00:45:09 4 Nouning Inthavong 00:46:51 5 Souphavanh Saiysamone 00:47:11 Complete results