Cape Town’s iconic Atlantis Dunes once again set the stage for an uncompromising running challenge as Red Bull Dune Dusters returns on 21 February 2026, calling on runners to go head-to-head with each other, and the sand.
Set across the vast, shifting dunes just outside Cape Town, Red Bull Dune Dusters is an endurance running event that transforms a short distance into a serious test of physical and mental strength. Runners navigate an unforgiving sand-based course made up of flat stretches, technical sections, and steep dune climbs, where unstable terrain demands constant focus, power, and control.
This is not a race defined by speed alone. It’s a challenge of adaptability; where pacing, energy management, and mental resilience are just as important as fitness. Every step through deep sand tests balance and strength, forcing runners to dig deep and push beyond comfort zones.
THE CHALLENGE: CONQUER THE SANDS
Red Bull Dune Dusters features a 5km loop course set entirely on natural sand dunes. Designed to maximise intensity and drama, the event unfolds through a multi-stage elimination format, ensuring only the strongest and most resilient runners progress.
From the opening stages to the final showdown, competitors are challenged to recover quickly, stay mentally sharp, and perform under fatigue; all while battling the ever-changing terrain of the dunes.
A RUNNER’S TEST
Ultra-trail runner and Red Bull athlete Ryan Sandes believes the event speaks directly to the running community:
“After the 2020 event, the question I heard most from runners was, ‘When is Dune Dusters coming back?’ It’s such a unique challenge because it brings together road, trail, and gravel runners and asks them to step outside their comfort zones.
Running on the Atlantis Dunes, with Table Mountain as the backdrop, is incredible, but it’s tough. Sand running demands strength, patience, and mental grit. My advice is simple: start training early, get used to running on sand, build leg strength, and practice as much as you can. What you put in is what you get out.”
ZERO EXCUSES. ONLY SAND
Red Bull Dune Dusters is a call to runners looking for more than a standard race; a challenge that strips things back and asks one simple question: Do you have what it takes?
Entries open on 9 January 2026.
Runners can secure their spot by visiting Red Bull Dune Dusters.
