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PUMA SIGNS TWO OCEANS ULTRA CHAMP

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on PUMA SIGNS TWO OCEANS ULTRA CHAMP

Cape Town, South Africa, March 2024 

PUMA has signed a partnership with ultra-marathon champion Givemore Mudzinganyama.

Mudzinganyama, the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon defending champion, said he was inspired to partner with the brand by seeing PUMA international and local athletes achieving their goals: “For example, Precious Mashele ran a 10km South African record last year. I’m also loving the comfort and cushioning of the shoes.”

Rae Trew-Browne, PUMA SA Run Train Marketing Manager, said having an athlete of Givemore Mudzinganyama’s calibre joining the family showed how far the PUMA NITRO running footwear had progressed, in particular the PUMA Deviate NITRO Elite 2 and the PUMA Fast-R2 NITRO Elite which will be Mudzinganyama choice of race shoes.

“We are delighted to welcome Givemore to PUMA and look forward to working with him as he attempts to defend his 2023 Two Oceans Marathon title,” said Trew-Browne.

A member of the Entsika Athletics Club, Mudzinganyama trains at Zoolake under the watchful eye of coach Hendrik Ramaala. “I love to train with the Zoolake training group. Everyone is ambitious and has their own goals, so we are always challenging each other. Then after training we regroup, reflect, and talk about our future endeavours,” he said.

Although capable of racing across many different distances, he prefers marathons and ultra-marathons. “I love these distances because they are influenced by many factors like nutrition during the event, endurance, fatigue, and mental focus as we’re running for many hours. Trying to perfect all these factors at once is always mind blowing and interesting,” he said.

Asked about his past successes and future goals, Mudzinganyama said: “Winning and running well is always rewarding. It’s a mental boost because you know that your training is working. I’m happy with the past and the present and I’m looking forward for good achievements in the near future.”

Givemore Mudzinganyama PUMA Q&A 

Q: What do you enjoy most about your sport?
A: When I’m running I feel more free and relaxed. I feel in control of every thought in my mind and I also become ambitious and curious about my goals both relating to running and outside of running. I also like running because it’s a healthy lifestyle.

Q: What has running taught you?

A:That you need to be patient and you need to put together your fitness goals and physical abilities at an equilibrium level. Consistency is measured in weeks, months and years. When you put everything together success is on the way.

Q: Anything that has boosted your performance over the past year?

A:After I lost my job, I joined the Entsika Athletics Club and this has enabled me to fully commit to running and I haven’t missed a single training session at Zoolake with my coach Hendrik Ramaala.

Q:Tell us about winning the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon?

A: Winning and running well is always rewarding. It’s a mental boost because you know that your training is working. I’m happy with the past and the present and I’m looking forward for good achievements in the near future.

Q: Your favourite place to train?

A:I love to train with the Zoolake training group. Everyone is ambitious and has their own goals, so we are always challenging each other. Then after training we regroup, reflect and talk about our future endeavours.

Q: Your favourite race?

A: For now I can say the Two Oceans Ultra. The puzzle worked really well last year so my thoughts are on trying to perfect the way I trained last year.

Q: Which are your favourite distances to race?

A:I’m enjoying marathons and ultra-marathons. I love these distances because they are influenced by many factors like nutrition during the event, endurance, fatigue and mental focus as we’re running for many hours. Trying to perfect all these factors at once is always mind blowing and interesting.

Q: Tell us where your journey as a runner began?

A:I grew up loving many sports but during my school years I started doing athletics and I was always selected to represent my school. It became the gateway to travel to see different cities as we were from rural areas. It took self-commitment to drive me to keep on loving running, but I was also lucky to find mentors who have guided me with life lessons which have positively impacted my sporting career.

Q:What are your goals for 2024?

A: To run well at the Two Oceans Ultra and add another marathon or ultra-marathon later in the year, around September or October. In between I’ll try to enjoy some fast, short races to rejuvenate myself.

Q: What shoes do you compete in?

A:I’m currently exploring the PUMA shoe range and so for I am loving the Deviate NITRO 2.

Q: Do your train in different shoes and if so why?

A: I train in different types of shoes. It’s mainly determined by terrain conditions, the speed you’re running and the distance you want to cover. Longer easy runs will require higher comfort and cushioning. Faster runs will demand lighter and responsive shoes. Sometimes you need more grip on slippery and rough pathways.

Q: Why have you decided to partner with the brand?

A:I am inspired by PUMA international and local athletes achieving their goals. For example, Precious Mashele who ran a 10km South African record last year. I’m also loving the comfort and cushioning of the shoes.

Q: Any key factors that have boosted your career?

A: Getting married in 2013. My partner is also an athlete, so our daily routine is dedicated to sports as we are constantly trying to find how we can improve.

Q: When challenges hit you during a race, how do you make yourself push on?

A: I look back at some of the hard training efforts. At times I seek support from the fans cheering along the route.

Q: Advice for young aspiring athletes?

A: Find and join a professional running group and grow within that community.

Putting on My Big Girl Pants

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on Putting on My Big Girl Pants

When I blew out the 20 candles for my birthday at the start of 2023, I didn’t know what lay ahead of me in the year I had signed up for on the road, but I knew I would be finding out a lot about myself, including how my legs would handle going further than they’d ever run before. I also knew I may have to convince a few doubters along the way that I can do it. – By Ela Meiring 

Where The Two Oceans Meet

Roxanne MartinFeaturesLeave a Comment on Where The Two Oceans Meet

The name of the Two Oceans Marathon was only adopted for the third edition of the race, and it required some serious brainstorming and debate to arrive at the now-famous name. – By Sean Falconer

After two successful editions of the Celtic 35 Mile Road Race in 1970 and 1971, Celtic Harriers agreed to make it an official club event, and authorised Dave Venter to look for a sponsor for the 1972 race. His employers, BP Southern Africa, declined the opportunity, and that saw Venter approach a keen supporter of the race, Bryan Grieve of The Argus newspaper, who introduced him to The Argus Promotions Department. The newspaper agreed to sponsor the race, with the proviso that it had a definite Cape flavour.

This led to a meeting of Celtic Harriers members at the Grand Hotel in Strand Street, Cape Town, to discuss a new name for the event. Among the suggestions tabled was Harold Berman’s ‘Inter Oceans Marathon,’ while Venter proposed ‘Oceans to Oceans,’ but it was eventually Noel Stamper who came up with the winning name, the ‘Two Oceans Marathon.’ This new name was welcomed by The Argus, who agreed to publicise the race, print race numbers and certificates for finishers, and present a new trophy for the winner. Thus the race became known as The Argus Two Oceans Marathon.

Putting Plans in Place

Next Venter formed a Celtic Harriers sub-committee, comprising John Masureik, Noel Stamper and himself, to plan the race and handle negotiations with sponsors and partners. This included another meeting at the Grand Hotel, where the Lions Club agreed to organise various refreshment and activity stalls at Brookside on race day. Furthermore, the Celtic Harriers team wanted spectators at Brookside to be kept entertained, so they organised a programme of sports events, including seven-a-side rugby and a demonstration of para-sports. It was decided to make two trophies available for the ‘Fastest Last Lap’ of the field at Brookside, one for veterans (40 and older), and one for non-veterans.

The sub-committee undertook to advertise the race to runners from other provinces, buying up postcards with Terence McNally’s portraits of the Cape and sending them to runners all over the country. This resulted in a record number of 115 entries, including runners from Laingsburg, East London, Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg, and even two entries from Botswana and one from Australia.

 

At the post-race prize-giving, His Worship the Mayor of Cape Town, Dick Friedlander, told the runners that the Two Oceans Marathon was quickly growing into a Cape Town tradition, and this sentiment was echoed by The Argus committing to another year’s sponsorship. Meanwhile, the runners themselves also gave the race their wholehearted approval. As Boet Rabie of East London put it, “Your race has everything, and after the wonderful time we had, you can rest assured of a good entry from East London in future years.” Roland Davey of Durban summed it up in even fewer words: “A long distance to travel, but well worth the effort.”

A Hotly Debated Topic

Some believe that Cape Point at the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula is where the warm Agulhas Current flowing down from the tropics in the Indian Ocean meets the cold Benguela Current flowing up from Antarctica in the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, others maintain that they meet at the southernmost point of the African continent, Cape Agulhas, about 175km south-east of Cape Town

The Two Oceans Marathon has always had one foot in either ocean. This is because the race runs past the warmer waters off Muizenberg, Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek on the eastern side of the Peninsula, then passes the much colder waters off Noordhoek and Hout Bay on the western side. Ask any runner who has stopped for a dip along the way and they will tell you there is a big difference in temperature between east and west!

As a result, while the International Hydrographic Organisation officially recognises the waters of False Bay as part of the Atlantic Ocean, the Two Oceans Marathon prefers to think of the False Bay side of the route as the ‘Atlantic Ocean touched by the Indian Ocean.’ Meanwhile, given the debate over where the two oceans actually meet – Cape Point versus Cape Agulhas – there have been people who objected strongly to the name of the Two Oceans Marathon. As former Celtic Harriers Club Secretary Harold Berman explains, “The event was actually threatened with legal action twice in the 1980s, unless we agreed to change the name of the race. These weren’t actual lawsuits, just a threat to issue summons, because we were told that we were assuming incorrectly that the two oceans met at Cape Point. We never argued that point, but felt that the name of the event should stay.”

Venter’s Visionary Race

Roxanne MartinFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on Venter’s Visionary Race

The Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon was first run in 1970, and there is an interesting story behind that first edition of what is now one of the biggest and most internationally renowned races in South Africa. – By Sean Falconer

The fledgling idea for the Two Oceans Marathon was born in the late 1960s when former Durban-based runner Dave Venter was transferred to Cape Town by his then employers, BP Southern Africa. To his great disappointment, Venter found that running in the Cape was very much behind Durban, where the 90km Comrades Marathon had been on the calendar since 1921. He had been a keen member of Savages Athletic Club and had run his first Comrades in 1967, just a year after starting to run at age 36, but in the Cape in 1968, there were only a handful of marathons to choose from and no ultra-marathons.

Venter ran the Stellenbosch Marathon, which only had about 20 entrants, and then had to wait several months for the Western Province Marathon in Bellville, which attracted a mere five entrants. Shortly after this, he took two months’ leave and returned to Natal to run his second Comrades, as well as the Bergville/Ladysmith Ultra. He was actually playing with the idea of asking BP for a transfer back to Natal, but after discussing it with former clubmate Gerry Treloar of Savages, he decided to give the Cape another chance. This after Treloar said, “Now that you’re there, why don’t you try and improve long-distance running in Cape Town?”

That convinced Venter to try to start an ultra with a similar distance to the Bergville/Ladysmith, around 35 miles, as he reasoned that runners in Cape Town planning to run the Comrades would enter it as a training run. However, when he took the idea to Celtic Harriers, the club committee said they didn’t feel there was any need for such a race in Cape Town.

The Western Province Amateur Athletic Association (WPAAA) also turned the idea down, but help was at hand. Through Celtic Harriers secretary Harold Berman, Dave was introduced to The Argus sports reporter Bryan Grieve, who lent his public support to the idea. At the same time, Stewart Banner was elected chairman of the WPAAA, and he too gave a favourable response, so Venter decided to try again. He went back to Celtic Harriers and said if the club would give him its backing, he would take care of all arrangements and ensure the club was not involved in any way.

Convincing the Doubters

With that agreement in place, Venter attended a WPAAA committee meeting in late 1969, and after a heated debate, he was finally given permission to hold the race on 2 May 1970 – just one week after the Peninsula Marathon, in spite of the small number of long distance races on the calendar at that time. Interestingly, the most outspoken critic of the idea was journalist and statistician Harry Beinart, who said he did not see the point of a 35-mile event!

Meanwhile, the WPAAA said the race should take place in May, at the end of the track and field season, so as not to impact other events on the calendar, and added one further strict condition: The race should not interfere with the cross country event scheduled for that afternoon – and Celtic Harriers echoed this condition!

With that hurdle out the way, Venter had an easy decision to make. His favourite training route ran through Muizenberg, Fish Hoek and Noordhoek, over Chapman’s Peak Drive, through Hout Bay, up Constantia Nek Drive and Rhodes Drive, down past Kirstenbosch, offering an incredibly scenic route measuring the approximate distance he was looking for, so the choice of route was simple. He also found a suitable venue for the start and finish by asking BP if he could use their Impala Park grounds in Newlands, and BP donated a floating trophy for the winner.

Getting to the Start Line

The race flyer for the first Celtic 35 Mile Road Race duly went out, with extra emphasis on this being a perfect training run for those planning to run the Comrades. The entry fee was set at 50 cents, with entries closing on 29 April. Runners would need to supply their own seconds to compliment the sponges and drinks available at the 10, 20 and 30-mile markers, where timekeepers would be stationed to record each runner’s progress. The top three finishers would receive prizes, thanks to Venter donating some of the prizes he’d won in Durban, and he also contributed another R6 in order to buy a few extra awards.

Race day arrived, with a small but intrepid group of 24 runners lining up on a wet, blustery morning in Newlands. Dirkie Steyn would go on to win that first edition of the race, in 3:55:50 – and remarkably, he ran the entire race barefoot! It was the start of 50-plus years of incredible running around the Cape Peninsula, and out of that first, small race was to grow one of the biggest running events on the South African calendar.

Two Oceans Champ Gerda Steyn Joins Phantane AC

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Two Oceans Champ Gerda Steyn Joins Phantane AC

It was announced today that three-time Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra Marathon winner, Gerda Steyn, has joined the KZN-based Phantane Athletics Club. Steyn, will be running in the club colours of Phantane for all of her races on South African soil in coming months, including the 2023 Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra Marathon on Saturday 15 April.

In 2022, Steyn broke Frith van der Merwe’s longstanding Two Oceans course record (3:30:36, set in 1989) when she clocked 3:29:42 for the 56km ultra as she won her third consecutive title in the event. She also won in 2018, clocking 3:39:31, and scored a repeat win in 2019 with a 3:31:28 finish, less than a minute outside the then course record. (The race did not take place in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID pandemic).

Steyn therefore currently has three wins, placing her joint second on the all-time list of Two Oceans winners alongside fellow three-time women’s winners Bev Malan (1982, 1983, 1985), Angelina Sephooa (1997, 1998, 1999) and Olesya Nurgalieva (2008, 2010, 2011), as well as men’s winners Siphiwe Gqele (1983, 1984, 1985) and Marko Mambo (2004, 2005, 2008).

Only two athletes have won the race four times, and both are women: Monica Drögemöller (1988, 1990, 1991, 1992) and Elena Nurgalieva (2004, 2005, 2009, 2012). If Steyn wins again in 2023, she will join them on four wins, but will also become the first athlete to post four consecutive wins in the event, and she will become the first athlete to win a fourth title while also being the course record-holder.

When asked about her decision to join the Phantane club, Steyn said, “It is such an honour to represent Phantane Athletics Club. The club prides itself on the development of athletes and to be part of the club feels incredible.”

On behalf of the club, the Club Manager, Mdu Khumalo, said that Gerda joining the club is a huge milestone for Phantane: “It is a privilege to have an elite runner like Gerda running in our colours.”

Totalsports, as sponsor of Phantane Athletics Club as well as title sponsor of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon, welcomes Gerda to the team and looks forward to watching her in action this coming year.

Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon Entries Open 1 November

Sean FalconerNewsLeave a Comment on Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon Entries Open 1 November

The much-anticipated news has broken that entries for the Western Cape’s most prestigious road race and Africa’s biggest running event, the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon (TTOM), will open at midday (12pm) on 1 November 2022.

To enter, runners can go to the event website, www.twooceansmarathon.org.za, when entries open for their category or event draw, and click ‘enter here.’ Runners must first create a user profile, if they do not yet have one on the system, and then follow the prompts.

Fees, Licences and Tees

The 2023 entry fees have been ratified by the TOM Board, take note all South African runners for the Ultra need to be licenced athletes and belong to a running club. All TTOM 2023 Ultra and Half Marathon runners will receive a complimentary, high quality running T-shirt courtesy of title sponsor, Totalsports.

The pricing structure for entry fees will be the following:

Entry Type Ultra Half
Licensed SA Athletes R735 R390
Unlicensed SA Athletes n/a R390 + temp licence fee, to be confirmed by WPA
African Athletes R900 R725
International Athletes R2700 R1890

 

Ballot System for SA Entries

The ballot system will be retained for both the Ultra and Half Marathon for South African runners, in line with international best practice. Runners may enter only one event. The ballot opens on 1 November 2022 at midday and closes on 14 November at midnight. At certain stages of the ballots, the draws will be weighted in favour of various categories of runners, including Blue Number Club members, Yellow Numbers (those doing their 10th, 20th, etc) and club runners. The various rounds of the ballot draw all take place on 15 November 2022.

Runners entering via the ballot pay only once their name has been successfully drawn. Runners have until 5pm on 15 December 2022 (one month) to make their payment. Otherwise, the runner forfeits their entry and it will be allocated to another runner.

International and African entries open on 25 October 2022 and close when capacity is reached. International and African runners do not enter via the ballot system, and can pay for and secure their entries straight away. Last but not least, charity entries open on 18 November 2022 (at midday), and fees will be uploaded once final charity partners have been confirmed.

Qualifiers and Seeding

For the Ultra Marathon, runners need to run a standard marathon (42.2km) or a longer distance race on an officially timed and measured course, and any time posted from 1 July 2022 onwards can be used. The maximum allowed qualifying time for a standard marathon is five hours, and the race website contains a list of qualifying times for longer distances, at www.twooceansmarathon.org.za/event_route_info/seeding.

The time submitted by runners will used to seed them into starting batches, with faster runners in the front and slower runners at the back. The cut-off date to submit your qualifier is 6 March 2023 at 5pm, and take note that the Race Office will be conducting spot-checks to verify qualifier information submitted. If you do not see your race on the TTOM entry system, you can e-mail info@twooceansmarathon.org.za for assistance.

In the Half Marathon, qualifying times are also used to seed you, so that faster runners start at the front and slower runners further back. We strongly advise you to provide a seeding time, otherwise you will unfortunately start at the back. Seeding is based on a previous 10km, 15km or 21.1km run after 1 July 2022, and again, the Race Office will be conducting spot-checks to verify qualifier information submitted. More info at www.twooceansmarathon.org.za/event_race_day/seeding-2.

If You Have Questions…

For more information on entering or other race information, you can read the list of FAQs on the event website at www.twooceansmarathon.org.za/event-info/faqs., or you can contact the event office on 021 2000 459 (general queries) or 087 133 2285 (race-related queries), or email info@twooceansmarathon.org.za.

New Era for Two Oceans Following Move Off Easter Weekend

Sean FalconerNews3 Comments on New Era for Two Oceans Following Move Off Easter Weekend

The long-standing tradition of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon taking place on Easter Weekend has come to an end, following today’s announcement by the Two Oceans Marathon NPC (TOM NPC) that the next edition of the Western Cape’s biggest road running event will take place on 15 and 16 April 2023.

This marks the first time since the fourth edition of the Two Oceans Marathon in 1973 that the race will not be held over the Easter Weekend, but on the following weekend instead. The race will be held over two days, with the 56km Ultra Marathon scheduled on Saturday 15 April 2023 and the Half Marathon taking place on Sunday 16 April 2023. (More thoughts on this below from the Modern Athlete team.)

Two-Day Format

The TOM NPC says its long-term plans to grow the capacity of both the Ultra and Half Marathon have made it necessary to adopt a two-day format. This was first implemented during the 2022 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon, and will once again be the case for the 52nd edition of the Two Oceans Marathon in 2023. This provides the only feasible framework for accommodating the upscaled logistics requirements, with runner safety at the core of these considerations.

In turn, the two-day format necessitated the move away from the Easter Weekend, as agreed with various public, hosting and supplier stakeholders. Following consultations, negotiations and an agreement with the City of Cape Town, business stakeholders, and sporting affiliations, the date for the 2023 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon has now been finalised as the 15th and 16th April 2023.

“After extensive consultations and negotiations, it is good to be able to provide the many runners – not least our international athletes – with the clarity they have been seeking,” says Two Oceans Marathon Chairperson, William Swartbooi. “Moving to a new date is never easy. While we can’t please everyone, we have tried our utmost to factor in all considerations – and there certainly were many. Building on the success of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon 2022, we look forward to delivering an even better edition of our globally iconic race in 2023.”

He adds: ‘The move away from the Easter Weekend is a watershed moment for Two Oceans Marathon. It was not an easy decision, but a necessary one, in order to future-proof the event and gear it for growth. When the sum of all factors is considered, we believe we made the most practical decision we could in order to achieve best outcomes not only in 2023, but over the medium-term, and indeed the long-term future of the race.”

Mixed Reactions

The Easter Weekend trip to Cape Town has been a much-loved tradition for half a century, even more so since the Half Marathon and Fun Runs were added to the event programme in the 1990s, making it possible for the whole family to participate. Judging by comments on social media as well on within running club WhatsApp groups, the announcement of the new date has met with both strong approval and disapproval from the South African running community.

Some who approve say they are glad to see that the event will no longer clash with one of the most religious weekends on the Christian calendar, but some in the Muslim community have expressed disappointment that the 2023 date still places the Two Oceans within the Festival of Ramadan, making it extremely challenging to train for and participate in the event.

The most outspoken criticism has come from up-country runners, many of whom have said that the Easter long weekend made it possible to travel to the Cape for the race without it impacting too much on work commitments, whereas a normal weekend may prevent them from travelling next year. On the other hand, some have said the cost of flights may be lower if the race is not on Easter Weekend, which is traditionally one of the busiest periods for travel across SA.

Our Take on Things

The Modern Athlete team believes that in spite of some negative initial reactions, the running community will adapt and get used to the new norm for Two Oceans – just as the running community adapted to the Comrades Marathon moving off the 16 June public holiday and becoming a normal weekend event. It remains to be seen where (or whether) the Trail Runs, Fun Runs and International Friendship Run will fit into the event programme. These events used to take place on Good Friday of the Easter Weekend, but have not been held since the last pre-COVID edition of the race in 2019.

Also, we feel that many runners who are against this new date for the event may not comprehend the bigger picture, that the Two Oceans Marathon has to be slotted into an incredibly congested event calendar in the Mother City, and thus finding an open weekend is not as simple as it sounds. Around that time of year, the city also hosts the Cape Town Cycle Tour as well as many other sporting and cultural events, and we have no doubt that it took a lot of hard work for the race to arrive at the decision that the weekend of 15-16 April will be Two Oceans weekend.

From a tourism perspective, the move away from Easter may have some negative effects on the city. Studies in past years showed that the Two Oceans Marathon contributes up to R672 million to the local and provincial economy annually, making it Africa’s biggest running event when measured by this metric. This was partly due to entire families decamping to Cape Town for the Easter Weekend for the race, then spending the rest of the weekend, or even week, enjoying the Mother City’s attractions. We may now see less families travelling to the Cape for the event, especially if the Fun Runs are not reinstated for now, but we think that with time, the people will come back to the event.

Lastly, it has been widely reported that the 2019 and 2022 editions of the Two Oceans faced considerable challenges, on various levels, including widespread objections this year to the running of the Ultra on Easter Sunday. The 2023 edition will be an opportunity for the event not only to avoid a repeat of those objections, but to consolidate and focus on getting the essentials right, then build on that by growing numbers, reinstating supplementary events and activations, and more. In short, Team Modern Athlete is excited to see where the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon goes from here.

Breaking News: Two Oceans Marathon Entries Opening!

Roxanne MartinNewsLeave a Comment on Breaking News: Two Oceans Marathon Entries Opening!

The Two Oceans Marathon (TOM) is pleased to announce that entries for the 51st edition of the iconic Cape ultra and its accompanying half marathon will open on 11 February 2022 at 12pm (midday). The event will take place on Easter Weekend, with the Half Marathon taking place on Saturday 16 April, and the Ultra being run on Sunday 17 April.

This long-awaited announcement about entries will be welcome news to all the thousands of runners hoping to once again run the World ‘s Most Beautiful Marathon, after the race had to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions in South Africa. However, runners need to act fast, as entries will close again at 5pm on 20 February, and then all entries will go into the Ballot System, with successful entries to be drawn on 21 February.

Due to the expected demand, the Ballot System will be used for both the Ultra and Half Marathon, in line with international best practice. At different stages of the balloting process, the draw for successful entries will be weighted in favour of various categories of runners, including Blue Number Club members, Yellow Numbers (those doing their 10th, 20th, etc) and club runners (versus non-licenced runners). Runners entering via the ballot only pay once their name has been successfully drawn in the ballot, and please note that runners may only enter one event, either the Ultra or the Half Marathon.

Ballot Draw Dates

All draws take place 21 February 2022, at the following times:

  • Ultra Marathon Draw 1: 10am
  • Ultra Marathon Draw 2: 2pm
  • Half Marathon Draw 1: 10am
  • Half Marathon Draw 2: 2pm

International and African runners do not enter via the ballot system, and can pay for and secure their entries straight away once entries open on 11 February. These entries will close when capacity is reached.

After general entries close on 20 February, the only way to get into the 2022 Two Oceans Marathon or Half Marathon will be via a Charity Entry, procured through one of the official charity organisations affiliated to the event, and these entries will open on 22 February at 10am. (Entry fees for Charity Entries will be uploaded once final charity partners have been confirmed.)

How To Enter

Go to the race’s homepage at www.twooceansmarathon.org.za when entries open and click ‘Enter Here.’ Create a profile if you do not yet have one on the system and then follow the prompts. If you already have a profile, log in and do the entry process.

Entry Fees

The 2022 entry fees have been ratified by the TOM Board and approved by Western Province Athletics. Take note that all South African runners for the Ultra need to be licensed and belong to a running club.

Entry Type

Ultra

Ultra T-Shirt included

Half Marathon

Half T-shirt is R195

Licensed SA Runners

R700

R375

Unlicensed SA Runners   

N/A

 

R435 (R375 + R60 for temp licence)

Africa Runners

R860

R690

International Athletes

R2575

R1800

Ultra Marathon Qualifiers

For health reasons, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, qualifying for the TOM Ultra is mandatory, and TOM strongly encourages runners to complete a physical road race as their qualifier. However, any officially timed and measured marathon or longer distance, whether in the form of an officially organised physical or virtual race, run after 1 July 2021, can be used as your qualifier. In the case of a virtual marathon, an official time would be as generated by a smartwatch, a timing app on a smartphone, or a timing platform. Unfortunately, you cannot simply run on your own and time yourself, your qualifying time must have been generated during a virtual event, and the Race Office will be conducting spot checks to verify qualifier information submitted.

For the Ultra Marathon, the qualifying time for a standard marathon distance (42.2km) is 5 hours. For qualifying times run on distances greater than a standard marathon, please go to www.twooceansmarathon.org.za/event_route_info/seeding

Half Marathon Seeding

In the Half Marathon, qualifying times are used to seed you so that faster runners line up at the front, with slower runners further back. We strongly advise that you to provide a seeding time, otherwise you will unfortunately start towards the back. Seeding is based on a previous 10km, 15km or 21.1km run after 𝟏 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏: www.twooceansmarathon.org.za/event_race_day/seeding-2/

Startline Seeding

Due to COVID-19 regulations, the race will likely to be using multiple batches of 500 runners, starting two minutes apart, and runners will be seeded accordingly. It is not possible to give exact seeding tables as yet, but your seeding time will be used to place you in a batch appropriate to your running speed, and you will be advised of your batch closer to race day.

COVID-19 Protocols Relevant to Entering

On the advice of the TOM medical team, the below COVID-19 protocols will be observed. Kindly note that these may change with new development in the COVID-19 pandemic and the medical science related to it, as well as Disaster Management Act regulations:

  • You will have to upload proof of vaccination. If you are not vaccinated, you must present proof of a negative PCR/antigen test within 48 hours prior to attending any physical event, including Expo and your actual Race, at your own cost.
  • Please log in to your profile not more than 48 hours prior to any physical TOM event, including Expo/Race Pack Collection, to complete your COVID-19 pre-screening online. (We will send you reminders.)

Should you answer ‘yes’ to any COVID-19 risk factor during pre-screening, or fail the temperature check at Expo and Race Pack Collection, you will need to present proof of a negative COVID-19 test, at your own cost, taken not more than 48 hours prior to the physical event in question. Failure to do so will, unfortunately, result in you forfeiting your entry. Therefore, please remember to keep updating your profile and contact information.

In the Event of Race Cancellation…

In the event of the TOM 2022 being cancelled due to COVID-19, all runners who have paid will have their entries deferred to the next running of the Two Oceans Marathon.

For more information on entries or other race information, please read our FAQs at https://www.twooceansmarathon.org.za/event-info/faqs/ or contact us at 021 2000 459 (general queries) or 087 133 2285 (race-related queries), or email info@twooceansmarathon.org.za.