The course starts with a gentle uphill warm-up past Mount Pleasant and into Newlands Forest. Following forest jeep tracks on to the Orchards Trail, the route passes the Woodcutters ruins and enjoys kilometres of beautiful forest and streams as it meanders up to Woodcutter track. The upper mountain trails pass the dams, descending into Echo Valley following the Boardwalks to the Summit at McClears Beacon. From this high point the 30 kilometre route descends through the notorious Platteklip Gorge and takes you to the finish.

The longer race takes you through the Valley of the Red Gods, onwards to Corridor Ravine. Here you encounter a pleasant descent of the Twelve Apostles with breathtaking views of the coastline, Lion’s Head and Robben Island in the distance. The longer trail takes a final loop past the Queens Block House and follows the Devil’s Peak jeep tracks. The shorter course heads through the Stile and down the Steps, before re-joining above Rhodes Memorial.