The 2025 Otter Challenge – Cooler Starts, Leading to Hot Racing

2 October 2025, Nature’s Valley, South Africa – The Challenge marked the opening race of the Otter TERREX Trail, presented by EasyEquities, on Thursday 2 October. Athletes took on the iconic Otter Trail route, running from Storms River to Nature’s Valley along the rugged coastline. The course features technical terrain with rocks, boulders, forest single track, and nearly 7,000 stairs, offering both beauty and difficulty in equal measure. Marcel Boezaart claimed the men’s title, while Samantha Kruger secured the women’s victory, finishing an impressive fifth overall.

*Technical terrain across a boulder field in the Otter Challenge. Image by Caleb Bjergfelt*

Technical Terrain – Extra Challenging in Cooler Conditions
The spectacular course came with no shortage of difficulty. Tom Bednall, adidas Senior Manager of Sports and Culture Marketing, described it as an experience that allows every athlete to test their limits, noting, “it’s an opportunity for each and every athlete to push themselves against a course that is as beautiful as it is demanding.”

Morning drizzle left the opening stretch treacherous, with slick boulders making the first five kilometres particularly challenging. Men’s winner Marcel Boezaart admitted the conditions were tough, joking, “it started off quite slippery in the rain, and after 30 minutes, I said to myself I’d never do this again.”

By the time athletes reached the Bloukrans River at the 32-kilometre mark, the deeper crossing offered a welcome reprieve. The experience at Bloukrans changes each year, with tides dictating the difficulty of the passage. In 2025, high tide arrived at 13h45, turning the crossing into a waist-deep swim rather than a runnable section.

*A full Bloukrans River from 2025 Challenge athletes. Image by Caleb Bjergfelt*

A Race Led by Experience & a Debutant’s Dominance

For men’s winner Marcel Boezaart, this was a fourth outing on the trail and his first in five years. He sealed victory with a personal best of 05:32:37. Petri Venter, racing the course for the first time, finished second in 05:40:04, nearly eight minutes back. Fellow debutant Jaco Human completed the men’s podium in 06:01:13, more than 20 minutes behind the winner.

While experience proved decisive in the men’s Challenge, the women’s race unfolded very differently.

*2025 Otter Challenge victor Marcel Boezaart takes the winner’s tape. Image by Fahwaaz Cornelius*

A Commanding Debut in the Women’s Field

Otter Challenge debutant Samantha Kruger had planned to race in 2024, but an ankle sprain forced her withdrawal. This year she made up for lost time, leading from the start and passing every checkpoint in first place. Her winning time of 06:06:07 secured both the women’s title and an impressive fifth place overall, just five minutes off the men’s podium.

Zimbabwe’s Sarah Wild, competing in her fourth Otter, finished second in 06:21:17, earning a top-10 overall position. Reflecting on her race, she described the experience as “exhilarating with the slippery start, but the sun came out and cleared the trail and the final five kilometres were the best.”

The only change to the women’s podium came in the race for third, where Lindy-Lee Folscher and Michelle Benade battled closely. Folscher pulled away after Andre’s Hut, finishing in 06:25:20, nearly six minutes ahead of Benade.

EasyEquities Celebrates the Racing, the Atmosphere & the Experience

Carel Nolte, Chief Marketing Officer of presenting partner EasyEquities, said it was inspiring to see colleagues taking part, noting, “nothing beats being part of this magical experience. It was a privilege to send off our runners, including many of our teammates and members of the Easy community, to run the Challenge.”

This year the event’s shuttle service, the EasyTransfers buses powered by EasyEquities, made a noticeable difference in the Race Village. By keeping vehicles out, the village remained open and easy for spectators to move through, creating a more relaxed atmosphere.

*Bradley Leather, 10th in the Otter Challenge, representing EasyEquities. Image by Caleb Bjergfelt*

The Otter Race – The Grail of Trail Lies Ahead

With the final athlete crossing the finish line of the Challenge, the attention turns to the pointier end of the field, the Otter Race. Unlike the Challenge, which is aimed at being a more inclusive event that celebrates your everyday runner and weekend warriors, the Race is a fiercely competitive event with a fearsome cut-off and deep prize pool.

Athletes across the world will line up at 06h30 on Saturday 4 October to race the same 42 kilometer hiking trail from Storms River to Nature’s Valley. The first man and woman to cross the finish line will receive a total prize of R100,000, with an additional R30,000 up for South Africans who break the local course records and R60,000 stands to be won if overall course records are broken. With a prize purse that’s deeper than ever, the 2025 Race is predicted to go down in the annals.

2025 Challenge Results

Men

1. Marcel Boezaart (05:32:37)

2. Petri Venter (05:40:04)

3. Jaco Human (06:01:13)

4. Eddie Moutin (06:06:05)

5. Richard Wild (06:06:17)

6. Christiaan Nel (06:09:11)

7. Josh Stevens (06:09:22)

8. Werne Kritzinger (06:21:39)

9. Justin van Dyk (06:23:47)

10. Bradley Leather (06:26:20)