Prodigal Khumalo confident ahead of CTUT 100km after winning Sani Stagger 21km in new course record

After setting a new course record (2:00:42) at the Sani Stagger 21km Trail run on Saturday, Prodigal Khumalo has set his sights on winning the Cape Town Ultra Trail (CTUT) 100km this weekend. Speaking to #TheTopRunner, Khumalo is confident, saying the race preparations have gone quite well and can't wait to race in the Mother City again.

Khumalo poses for a photo on the start line before going to win the Sani Stagger 21km Trail Run which starts and finishes in the southern Drakensberg town of Underberg in KZN. Photo Credit: Sani Stagger.

"Since I have done well in Sani Stagger then I'm positive that the preparations are intact heading to Cape Town on weekend," explains the two-time CTUT winner. "I always use this race as part of my preparations. Even though the course was challenging but I'm glad I managed to conquer the race. To break the course record wasn't part of the plan and I surprised myself with the performance. I'm in a good shape to battle against top elite athletes this weekend," he said.

The Comrades Marathon gold medalist believes the race in Cape Town will be made more tactical by the lack of ultra trail running events in 2021 due to Covid19. The Durban-based top runner says he will focus on his race.

Runners taking on the mother of all South African mountain passes. The Sani pass climbs 1,300m up to the escarpment and the border of Lesotho, with a summit altitude of 2,876m. Photo Credit: Anthony Grote.

"I believe the race will be more tactical since most athletes haven't been able to compete well this year," said the Hollywoodbets Athletics Club runner. "The shortage of race makes it hard for any athlete to know whether is in good shape or not. But I'm intending to focus on my race without having to look at how other athletes are doing on the day," he concluded.