Not everyone has 41 kilometres and three mountains in their legs — or an entire day available to find out.
Single Peaks offers another way to take on the Hout Bay Triple Trouble: one mountain at a time.
Run Suther Peak, Judas Peak and Chapman’s Peak individually, each as its own challenge. Do them on three consecutive weekends, spread them over a few months, or simply head out whenever life, legs and weather line up.
There is no deadline and no prescribed order.
Complete all three and you've earned your place among the Single Peaks finishers.
The idea for Single Peaks had been quietly taking shape for a long time, and began with something very personal — I wanted to run the Triple Trouble with my son.
At 15, he's too young to be putting his body through 41 kilometres of tough mountain running, but I still wanted us to share the journey. I wanted something that would challenge him, give us an adventure to work towards together, and introduce him to the three mountains I’ve grown to love, and that have been part of the Triple Trouble since 2005.
The answer seemed wonderfully simple: why not run them one at a time?
And then came another question. If he completed all three, what could I give him at the end of that journey — something tangible that he could look at years from now and feel genuinely proud of? That thought eventually became the Single Peaks trophy.
From there, the idea grew beyond the two of us. Over the years, runners have asked whether the Triple could be completed one peak at a time. Single Peaks now gives them that opportunity — three individual mountain challenges, undertaken whenever life allows, but together forming one larger achievement.
And perhaps, for some, it will be the beginning of another journey.
My hope is that one day my son and I will stand at the start together and take on the Full Triple Trouble. Perhaps others who begin with Single Peaks will eventually find themselves wondering the same thing: What if I put all three together?
The Full will always be the original Triple Trouble. The Single Peaks is simply another thread woven into this beautiful story.
Three mountains to discover. And perhaps, one day, all three in a single day.
THE CONCEPT
The idea is simple. The Full Triple Trouble will always be the original challenge, but committing to 41 kilometres and a long day in the mountains isn't possible — or appealing — for everyone.
Single Peaks opens the door a little wider.
It gives more people an opportunity to discover these mountains, set themselves a meaningful challenge and experience the satisfaction of reaching all three beacons — without having to do everything in one enormous day.
It isn't about making the Triple easier.
It's about making the challenge your own.
HOW IT WORKS.
There are three individual challenges:
SUTHER PEAK
Start at the traditional HBTT base, reach the beacon on Suther Peak and return to base.
JUDAS PEAK
Start at the traditional HBTT base, reach the beacon on Judas Peak and return to base.
CHAPMAN'S PEAK
Start at the traditional HBTT base, reach the beacon on Chapman’s Peak and return to base.
That's it.
Run them in any order. Run alone or with friends. Leave a day between them or leave six months.
Each outing starts and finishes at the wooden table around the palm tree outside the Beach Bar in the Hout Bay Beach parking area, and each requires you to reach the beacon on top of the respective peak.
Once you've completed all three, send through your run details and times and we'll add your achievement to the Single Peaks record.
Complete the three Single Peaks and you've earned something special to remember the journey by.
Runners who would like to help keep the tradition alive are encouraged to do so by either ordering a Single Peaks trophy to mark their achievement, or simply making a small contribution towards the ongoing costs of keeping the Triple running.
Neither is expected, but both are greatly appreciated.
Although the distances are shorter than the Full Triple Trouble, these are still mountain outings.
There are no marshals, aid stations or route markers. Conditions can change quickly, navigation is your responsibility, and you should carry appropriate clothing, food, water and whatever else you need to get yourself safely up and down the mountain.
Know where you're going, understand your own abilities and respect the trails and the people with whom we share them.
The challenge may be divided into three but the mountains haven't become any smaller.
Part of the character of the Triple Trouble has always been choosing your own line.
There is no single prescribed route between the start and each summit. The downloadable GPS files provide tried-and-tested routes to each peak, but you don't have to follow every twist and turn exactly.
Once on the mountains, please remain on established trails. No shortcuts or bush-whacking — particularly through sensitive areas such as the Karbonkelberg and the dunes.
SUTHER PEAK
Approx. 11km
JUDAS PEAK
Approx. 16 km
CHAPMAN'S PEAK
Approx. 15 km
DOWNLOAD CHAPMAN'S PEAK GPS ROUTE
One of the pleasures of Single Peaks is that there is no race day.
Wake up to perfect weather and feel like running Suther? Go.
Have a free Saturday morning and Judas has been calling? There's your plan.
Want to tackle all three on consecutive weekends? Absolutely.
Or take the entire year.
The mountains aren't going anywhere.