Right from the start this beautiful race provides a difficult challenge. The first three kilometres are fairly flat before you press into a long and steep uphill climb to the six-kilometre marker board. Once over the crest you will find some welcome respite as you clatter down a steep downhill kilometre-long stretch. With more than half the race behind you, the next hill greets you with about five kilometres left to run.

Thankfully, mercifully the last four kilometres are downhill and are easy. Frith van der Merwe once described these downhill stretches as ‘running down a mine shaft’. Run too carelessly or too hard, these final kilometres will certainly ‘spook’ you in the legs for a few days. This route is a real challenge for hill climbers.