Cape Town offered a dramatic backdrop for Ultra Trail Cape Town this year. High winds, heat, dust, freezing temperatures on the peaks – conditions shifted constantly, demanding honesty and patience from every runner who stepped onto the mountain trails.
For those who don’t know him, Doug Pickard is not a professional athlete. He runs a transport company in Johannesburg and manages a blueberry farm in the Natal Midlands. His weeks are divided between two provinces, between business responsibilities and family commitments. Most weekdays are spent working in Johannesburg; weekends are dedicated to the farm in Nottingham Road, and to time with his wife Jade and their three children.
Training for Doug happens on the margins of daily life. Often long before sunrise, and sometimes again once the working day is over. It has never been unusual to see him heading out the door at 4am, or carving out time in the evening to make sure the work gets done.
This year, however, was far from smooth.
In January, a freak accident at home left him without the skin on one heel. Soon after, a shard of glass embedded in his lower leg forced him back into recovery again. Then, at the MUT 60km race in May, he fell and ruptured his quad along its length. He still finished 3rd that day, but the aftermath was long and painful. Much of mid-year was spent managing discomfort, rebuilding cautiously, and cycling more than running. Proper training resumed only in August, and even then, pain dictated what could be done each day.
Much of his progress this season came quietly, and often invisibly.
This past weekend, that patience was quietly rewarded. With a calm, disciplined run through some of the toughest conditions UTCT has delivered in recent years, Doug won the 2025 Ultra Trail Cape Town 100 miler.
With this result, he becomes the only South African man to have won all three of the country’s major trail 100-milers. Nicolette Griffioen has achieved the same on the women’s side.
This year’s race was also a deeply personal marker for Doug. He completed the route in 21 hours and 49 minutes – more than two hours faster than his run in 2023, where he finished in 23 hours and 53 minutes. It stands as a quiet reflection of what consistent patience, rebuilding, and perseverance can achieve over time.
What stood out most, though, was not the achievement itself, but the way the journey unfolded. Doug leaned heavily on messages from family and friends throughout the night, arriving through his watch when fatigue was deepest. His brother-in-law, Nick, supported him throughout the race, bringing presence and energy to every aid station, including the late stages when the toll on body and mind is unmistakable. It was, in every sense, a team effort.
This weekend offered a reminder worth holding onto:
Great achievements rarely happen under perfect circumstances.
Most often, they grow out of ordinary life.
Through family support, disciplined consistency, and patience through setbacks.
Through small, committed actions carried quietly at the edges of the day.
A sincere thank you to the UTCT organisers, volunteers, medics, seconders and supporters, and to the entire trail community whose energy gives weekends like this such depth and meaning.
Congratulations Doug. It has been a privilege to support you through the challenges and rebuilding of this year.
See you on the trails.
Mindful Runner