The race starts at 1800m (5905 ft), reaches its highest point at 2680m (8793 ft) and has an average “on top” of 2560m (8399 ft).
The cumulative climb is approx 1600m.
Before reaching "the top" runners make their way up Mavis Bank, which is either an easy walk or a lung searing clamber.
Mavis Bank has been described as "...nothing more than a steep, grassy slope", "die slegte vrou", "...made me forget how challenging it is, especially that lady Mavis Bank", "...I was suffering from a headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue and shortness of breath".
The question most novices ask "What is she really like?"
Well, there is only one way to find out. Meet her.
Being the lady she is, her temperament changes from year to year. She can be miserable and very cold. Sometimes she's rather windy & white on top, always a bit of a 'conversation stopper' and her vertical climb, shown here in a scale illustration of a well-known Johannesburg land mark, is somewhat more than the height of Johannesburg's Sentech Tower. Good chance you'll remember her.
