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A FEW years ago people were questioning whether the ultramarathon had reached its peak in SA. Judging by the speed with which the Comrades Marathon and the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon sell out the Two Oceans ultra marathon in record time this year and the steady growth shown by the Old Mutual Om die Dam in recent years, those doubts appear to have been misplaced.

Now in its 26th year, Om die Dam is something of a little sister to the Comrades and the Two Oceans. It’s the youngest and the shortest of the three ultra-marathons, but has built a well-deserved reputation as an excellent judge of Comrades character.

As previous Comrades winner Nick Bester says, it’s a perfectly timed ultra-marathon that allows runners to go flat out and still have time to recharge and prepare for the Comrades. And, like many little sisters, it can get difficult after a long day: at the 36km mark, a 2km long climb known as Saartjie’s Nek lies in wait to test the legs and goodwill of runners.

Around 7 000 runners now participate in the 50km race, but the 21km, 10km and 5km runs add further fun and bring the total number of runners this year up to about 10 000.

Om die Dam is a fantastic event that the entire family can enjoy, says race treasurer Jaco Venter. Hartbeespoort Dam is only an hour away from Johannesburg

Entries for the 50km and 21km event have closed, but runners can still enter the 10km and 5km events on the morning.

This is one of the best loved events on the Old Mutual race calendar, and I encourage anyone in the region with a love of running to come and join us for the day or the weekend,” says Old Mutual’s Bandile Mngoma. The atmosphere is festive and for those used to rave about the view from Chapman s Peak, the scenery is absolutely world-class too.”