By Adnaan Mohamed
History was rewritten on the rugged cliffs and forests of the Otter TERREX Trail as Bianca Tarboton shattered the women’s course record and Scotland’s Robbie Simpson completed an unprecedented men’s hat-trick.
Tarboton dominated from the moment record-holder Toni McCann limped out at 7km with an ankle injury. By halfway she had a 12-minute cushion and by the finish she was nearly 49 minutes clear of Rebecca Watney.
Her winning time of 4:30:55 slashed 14 minutes off her own 2021 mark, securing a fourth Otter crown and making her the first woman to clinch a treble.
“I’m on cloud nine,” Tarboton said.
“It still hasn’t sunk in, but I know I am completely over the moon with that race.”
Simpson, meanwhile, kept his cool in the men’s race despite local star Robbie Rorich breathing down his neck at Andre Hut, 8km from the finish.
The Scot dug deep on the final stretch to win in 4:04:59 in a time eight minutes faster than his previous best, with Rorich and Kane Reilly completing the podium.
“It’s a tough race and nothing is a given,” Simpson said.
“You just have to keep fighting for it.”
Rorich laughed about cooling his cramping legs in the river crossings.
“It gave me time for the mind reset,” he said.
The Otter also saluted its stalwarts: Mvuyisi Gcogco notched his 10th consecutive finish, Ralph Enslin collected his 13th, while Juan Ferreira extended his record tally with a 15th start.
Prize money added extra sparkle: Tarboton banked R190,000 with bonuses for her record, while both winners pocketed R100,000 in cash and equities.
“I hope they retire comfortably with their investment safely in the bank,” quipped EasyEquities CMO Carel Nolte.
But the loudest roar came not for records or podiums, but for the last runner home. Sias Esterhuizen sprinted across the line just seconds before the cut-off bell, collapsing in relief.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it,” he gasped.
“It’s just awesome to have done that.”
From hat-tricks to heartbreaks and records to rescues, the Otter once again lived up to its billing as the “Grail of Trail.”
It’s a race where grit, glory and human spirit collide on one of the toughest 42km routes in the world.
Click here for full 2025 Race Results
Men
1. Robbie Simpson (04:04:59); 2. Robbie Rorich (04:12:23); 3. Kane Reilly (04:12:38); 4. Marcel Hoeche (04:15:00); 5. Jacques Buys (04:27:46); 6. Mvuyisi Gcogco (04:38:19); 7. Admire Muzopambwa (04:47:28); 8. Gabriel Kriel (04:49:31); 9. Oliver Munnik (04:51:43); 10. Thabang Madiba (04:58:06)
Women:
1 Bianca Tarboton (04:30:55); 2 Rebecca Watney (05:09:08); 3 Robyn De Groot (05:35:18) ; 4 Amelia Bergh (05:52:54); 5 Estee Cockcroft (05:56:13); 6 Naomi Brand (06:07:39); 7 Ingrid Shaw (06:28:05); 8 Georgina Els (06:31:21) ; 9 Jenna Snyman (06:40:18); 10 Lana Cronje (06:40:19)