The Three Peaks Challenge is a

mountain running Mountain running is a sports discipline which takes place mainly off-road in mountainous terrain, but if there is significant elevation gain on the route, surfaced roads may be used. In this it differs from fell running; its courses are more ...

trail that involves ascending the three major peaks above

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, namely Devil's Peak,

Table Mountain Table Mountain (; ) is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, cableway or hik ...

and Lion's Head.

History

The route was first completed by Carl Wilhelm Schneeberger in 1897. Schneeberger completed the course in 9 hours and 5 minutes, not counting his rest stops at the old Johannesburg Hotel in Long Street after each peak. On the centenary of Schneeberger's feat, Don Hartley and a group of 13 runners took on the challenge on 13 September 1997, and the time has been continually bettered since. In 2022, the trail was used as a

fundraiser Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

to support low-fee Calling Education schools in South Africa.

Records

Bold = current record; an asterisk indicates solo efforts.

References

Mountain running competitions Athletics competitions in South Africa Trail running competitions {{athletics-stub