Challenge Prologue Fires up the Start of the 2025 Otter TERREX Trail

1 October 2025, Nature’s Valley, South Africa – The Challenge Prologue marks the official start of race week for the 17th Edition of the Otter TERREX Trail, presented by EasyEquities, with many awaiting the contested Otter Race, taking place on Saturday, 4 October.

The Prologue was first launched in 2012 and is held as a short and punchy seeding time trial the day before the two main event races: the Challenge held on Thursday 2 October, and the Race, taking place on Saturday 4 October. Both the Challenge and the Race take place over the 42km Otter Trail; the only opportunity in the year that the entire Otter Trail can be run in one day, albeit usually being undertaken as a 5-day hike. The Challenge has an 11-hour cut-off and the Race has a grittier 9-hour cut-off, pulling in the highly competitive racing over the weekend.

It might not be the key racing event of the weekend, but the Prologue still holds its own charm, its own excitement, and its own nerves – a competition against the clock, with athletes starting at the time of day that best suits their style and strategy. The fastest athletes to run the Prologue – 24 men and 16 women – will start the Challenge in the elite start batch, the Abangeni.

*De Vasselot Race Village, by Fahwaaz Cornelius*

The 2025 Prologue Course

With just over 4.5km of terrain to cover, the Prologue’s spicy route is filled with a little bit of everything magical. A run through the forest, with a kick of the climb in the first 2km leads athletes down to a flowing forest track, over a river crossing, and towards the Jack Black beer garden, where a refreshing pint awaits athletes that might still need a pre-race carb-load.

*Athletes at the Start of the Prologue By Mentz Germishuis*

Athletes Returning to Race the Challenge

This year’s Challenge will play host to one of South Africa’s biggest last names in trail running as Toni McCann’s mother, Carey McCann, takes to the start line at the Classic edition of the Otter (from Storms River to Nature’s Valley) for the first time. She raced the reverse Retto (“Otter” backwards, the course from Nature’s Valley to Storms River) Challenge in 2024 and she came fourth in her age category. Carey will look to better the result and seek the podium, after taking the honours of the fastest Prologue results in her category, boasting a 00:36:08 Prologue time.

Many athletes will be returning to race the Challenge, with more than 15% of the field having completed at least three Otters. Alexander Roux will set off as the most experienced Challenge athlete, undertaking his 14th Otter. Another revered athlete, Ralph Enslin, has run 11 Otters in a row. The first year he raced, he said it was to capitalise on the annual opportunity of running the entire Otter Hiking Trail, but his perspective has shifted beyond the course itself. He commented, “over the years, I come back for the relationships and the connections I’ve made here. I’ve only ever been satisfied with my race itself once or twice, which shows how tough it really is, but you take the day you’re given, smile, and have a good time.” If everything goes according to plan, Ralph will secure his 12th Otter.

*Ralph Enslin, 11 times Otter finisher, by Caleb Bjergfelt*

New Additions to the Otter Experience – The Otter Legends

Swiftly approaching two decades of the event, being the 17th year of the Otter TERREX Trail, presented by EasyEquities and the ninth year of running the Classic Course, the organisers have taken a step back to reflect on and celebrate the stories and history of the race, documenting highlight moments and experiences over the years.

Athletes and supporters can be entrenched in the legacy of the race. Boards in the Race Village showcase the Collins and their journey as the founding family of the event, the athletes who have run the fastest times across both routes, why hosting the Golden Trail Series played such a role in the global history of the race, among other pieces of the puzzle that makes up the event.

Convenient Shuttle Service; EasyTransfers powered by EasyEquities

New to the roster in the experience and convenience for athletes, EasyEquities has delivered a free shuttle service for all participants across the race week.

Acting like a hop-on hop-off bus, EasyTransfers by EasyEquities has been introduced this year as a way to ease congestion and offer athletes a free pick-up service to-and-from the Race Village with two types of stops and four different pick up zones.

The Challenge Prologue Results

The top three men all ran their Prologue by 10h56, within the first hour of the opening at 10h00, while the first woman began her run towards the back end of the day, taking her spot in the Abengeni with a fourth overall Prologue time of the day. The day cooled off with winds carrying the coastal chill, but by no means did the heat of the effort die down.

More than 250 runners completed the Prologue and with that, 13 nationalities will be represented in the Challenge with athletes from the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Zimbabwe and the United States donning their countries’ flags.

In the women’s race, Mellusca Toovey returns to defend her title, having won the most recent Classic Challenge in 2023.

The Otter Trail Awaits

The 2025 edition of the Challenge sets off at 06h00 from Storms River. The weather predictions are showing showers, set to add an extra challenge to the first 4.5km stretch of technical terrain over the boulders to Ngubu Hut. The Race Village at De Vasselot Rest Camp in Nature’s Valley will be opened to spectators at 08h30, with the winners expected from 11h00.

For more results, please visit www.otter.run. For any media-related queries, please email Kendra@faces.africa.