ENTRIES UPDATE
Half and Trail Entries Blitz, Ultra
Filling up Steadily
Entries for
the 2012 Old Mutual Two Oceans Half Marathon closed in a record time of nine
days in November, despite the entry limit being extended to 16 000, which will
make this the biggest field in the half marathon’s history, and the biggest
half in South Africa by far. Just over half the entrants are women (8 380) and
8 280 of the runners will be running the half for the first time, while 80
runners will be running their tenth race. Over 10 000 are unlicensed and do not
belong to a club. The first 10km of the 21km route have been changed to
alleviate the congestion at the start and clear the road for the ultra, so
runners will now make their way to the M3, up Edinburgh Drive and back onto the
old route in Constantia.
Selling out
even faster, the Old Mutual Two Oceans Trail Run entries were all snapped up
within three hours of going on sale in mid-January. The trail runs will take
place on Friday 6 April, the day before the main road races, and runners will
be lining up for either an easier 10km or a more technical 22km. Both routes
start from the University of Cape Town (UCT) grounds and take runners along the
lower slopes of Devil’s Peak.
At the time
of writing, just over 2 900 entries had been received for the 56km Old Mutual
Two Oceans Marathon, with the bulk of entries expected during February, when most
qualifying marathons take place. The qualifying window is 1 September 2011 to 7
March, and online entries close on 7
March (or when the 11 000 mark is reached). Alternatively, postal entries
need to reach the Two Oceans Marathon office by 29 February at the latest.
South African entrants wanting to run the ultra marathon must belong to a
registered running club and have a valid provincial licence number.
Participants
can enter online at www.twooceansmarathon.org.za or download an entry form from
the website. Runners will also be able to downgrade, upgrade, substitute or do
seeding changes online from 1 February to 7 March.
IAU GOLD LABEL STATUS
The Old
Mutual Two Oceans Marathon was recently granted International Association of
Ultrarunners (IAU) Gold Label status, which is really exciting, as it gives the
ultra, and ultimately the entire event, more prestige on the global stage. It
also means that the ultra becomes a selection race for the World Trophy 50km
Final later in the year.
CALL A MEDIC
Thank you to all entrants who completed the online
medical questionnaire as part of registration. This information is extremely
useful to the race medical team in planning a safe race. The team will also be
available at the pre-race Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon Expo to further assist
athletes to reduce the risk of injury or medical complications while
exercising.
ASK THE
COACH
If you’re looking for advice and training programmes
to help you run the Two Oceans, the Old Mutual Virtual Coach, Norrie
Williamson, has put together various training programmes to suit everyone, no
matter what your goal, and you will find them at www.oldmutual.co.za/twooceansmarathon.
FROM OUR SPONSORS
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SUNSET CONCERT FUN: The Old Mutual Summer
Sunset Concerts at Kirstenbosch from now until April are part of a series of
outdoor live music concerts, featuring some of the hottest South African acts.
From jazz, R&B, hip hop and folk, to rock and big band swing, the concerts
appeal to all ages and tastes. Visit www.dogreatthings.co.za/kirstenbosch
for the full line up.
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JOIN THE TOUR GROUP: Penthouse Travel
Sporting Tours is the event’s official travel partner and has been providing
attractive travel packages to runners since 1984. Stress-free travel packages
including flights, accommodation, airport and race transfers, and more, from R3
970 per person sharing. To find out more, visit www.runningtours.co.za
or contact Marie Howarth on (021) 976 8110 or e-mail [email protected].
CATCH US ONLINE
Remember to visit www.twooceansmarathon.org.za
for all the latest race information or follow us on Facebook
at facebook.com/TwoOceansMarathon and Twitter
@2OceansMarathon.