Naomi Brand

About

Naomi Brand is a South African ultrarunner, veterinarian, wildlife conservationist, and artist who has built one of trail running's most distinctive profiles by integrating elite competition with a deeply purpose-driven life. Raised in South Africa, where she competed in cross-country and road racing at school, provincial, and national levels, she discovered trail and ultra running before making her mark on the international stage. In 2016 she took third place at the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100km, and in November 2022 she finished third at the Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 Mile — one of South Africa's most prestigious distances — a result that brought her to global attention. After relocating to New Zealand she joined the Flat Rock Endurance coaching roster while continuing to compete internationally. In 2025 she delivered her best international result to date, placing second female and sixth overall at the Salomon Cappadocia Ultra-Trail — a marquee event on the UTMB World Series circuit — with a UTMB Index of 677 reflecting her standing among the world's top women. Off the course, Brand works as a veterinarian and advocate for wildlife conservation, travels in a mobile home between races and training blocks, and paints during recovery periods — a creative practice that mirrors the meditative quality she finds in long movement through wilderness.

Notable Wins

• — Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100km 2016 3rd
• — Ultra-Trail Cape Town 100 Mile 2022 3rd
• — Salomon Cappadocia Ultra-Trail 2025 2nd

Upcoming Races

Race History