2027 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships Awarded to Cape Town

Cape Town will host the 2027 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships from October 6–10, marking the first time the World Athletics event will be held in Africa.

It is estimated that about 1,200 runners from more than 80 nations will compete in 2027. There are four senior championship races with individual and team medals awarded in each: classic (up and down), uphill, short trail and long trail. Along with an U20 championship race, there will also be mass participation and side events, allowing amateur runners to experience the thrill of the event.

“It is always exciting when a major athletics event is staged in a new continent for the first time and this is no exception,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “Cape Town hosting the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships marks not only an exciting opportunity for the local area, but also for the sport as a whole. This will be the fifth global athletics event held in Africa within a 10-year period, and I have every faith that Cape Town will prove to be spectacular hosts of these championships.”

Cape Town hosts the annual Cape Town Marathon and the Two Oceans Marathon. While Table Mountain boasts a  flat-top peak, the trails around Cape Town feature significant elevation changes.

The World Mountain Running Championships began in 1985 while 2007 saw the first World Trail Championships. The two events merged in 2021 to become the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships and the event shifted to a biennial format. This year’s championships will take place in Canfranc-Pirineos, Spain.

“On behalf of the partnership of the World Mountain Running Association, the International Association of Ultrarunners and the International Trail Running Association, we are delighted to bring the fourth World Mountain and Trail Running Championships to Africa,” the presidents of the three partner associations – Tomo Sarf, Nadeem Khan and Janet Ng – said in a joint statement. “The sensational views of Cape Town and Table Mountain will form a fitting backdrop to the WMTRC 27 and we are sure it will build on the forthcoming WMTRC 25 in Canfranc, Spain. Cape Town has had plenty of success from being the host of a number of prestigious international events and we are looking forward to enjoying the races on Table Mountain and the hospitality of the Cape. The standard of the bids for the event was very high and we also thank all those who took the time to submit their interest in hosting the event.”