Two Oceans Marathon sailing into smoother waters in anticipation of return to former glory days

The Two Oceans Marathon ship weighed anchor in May 1970 as a low-profile warm-up run for a handful of Cape-based distance runners preparing for the Comrades Marathon some weeks later. Fifty-six years of fifty-six kilometre racing, the voyage continues, having navigated through stormy waters in recent years.

The ‘tough love’ administered by the City of Cape Town’s Events Team following the failure of the Two Oceans to adhere to their assigned capacity guidelines last year proved the catalyst for change. The City threatened to withhold their event permit unless certain criteria were met, notably the appointment of a suitably qualified event company to stage the 2026 event.

Soon after, Stillwater Sports were appointed as ‘Staging and Commercial Partner’ to the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon and they hit the ground running at a speed evocative of the late 1990s, when the Two Oceans Marathon was voted the best race in the country for five years in succession.

Everything points to the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon (TTOM) being ship-shape come race day in April, but has the staging partner won the hearts and minds of their most important clients, the runners?

“I think we have partly swayed runners in terms of their perception of the event and I believe there’s been a clear shift in sentiment around the event. And with a number of important announcements scheduled over the next four weeks, we’re confident that excitement will continue to grow,” said Two Oceans Marathon General Manager, Wade Bromfield.

He adds that while the organising team’s foremost responsibility is delivering a safe and professionally managed event, from contingency planning on Chapman’s Peak to comprehensive route and safety planning throughout the route, the additional touches, such as the contents of the race goody bag, contribute strongly to the runners’ overall experience.

Two Oceans Chair, Chris Goldschmidt, admits that the resources of the race had been stretched to breaking point in the last decade. “A race director, supported by a team of volunteers on a race committee, guided the race through the earlier years,” said Goldschmidt. “But as the numbers of volunteers declined, so the board members were forced to commit more and more time themselves to implement the race.”

That approach was no longer sustainable and Goldschmidt believes the developments in the past months have significantly strengthened the event. “We could have appointed another Race Director for a substantial fee, but we now have a high-powered team at Stillwater which is costing us nothing.

“The role of the Board will return to that of governance, which will include holding Stillwater accountable, and securing the legacy of the race,” Goldschmidt continued. “Both Stillwater and the Board are committed to bringing back many of the best features of the Two Oceans, such as the fish horn to start the race and the special treatment afforded to our blue number club runners.”

Back to the Goody Bag and the all-important question of what runners are wanting from the race.  “We have based our approach on three primary pillars,” Bromfield expanded. “These are runner value, runners’ experience and strong communications.

“If I’m a South African half marathon runner, I’m getting a pair of Versus socks worth more than R200 and a Totalsports Two Oceans Half Marathon Race Tee for my R450 entry fee, and more… That’s good value,” Bromfield said. “We decided not to charge separately for the Tee, and at a cost of R200 per shirt we’ve already given back approximately R3,4 million to the runners.”

This year’s Two Oceans Marathon aims to deliver a world-class runners’ experience and Bromfield asserts they don’t intend to keep quiet about what they are achieving. “We’ve beefed up our social media team to strengthen communications and I believe we’re on the right track.  But we don’t underestimate the mountain we have to climb!”

With regards to the third pillar of strong communication, the runners have never had it so good since the heady days of Chet Sainsbury, Stef Schultzen and their team.  The recent publication of the fourth 2026 TTOM Digi-mag has provided unprecedented pre-race information and stories to runners and another three are in the pipe-line ahead of race day.

Strong communication has also been the watchword supporting Stillwater’s relationship with the Two Oceans NPC and the Board of Directors. “We’ve made a point of working closely with the board in every aspect to ensure a clear, concise, and positive working relationship,” Bromfield emphasised.

According to Goldschmidt, the Two Oceans was once at the forefront of innovation in road running in South Africa and represented everything that road running wanted to be in South Africa. “But other races have caught up and surpassed the Two Oceans in recent years,” he added.

Will 2026 see a return to innovation?  What new features might be implemented this year?

“Both the board and the staging partner agree that 2026 is not the year for major changes. Our aim for 2026 is to reset what was previously working,” Goldschmidt added. “Any more radical changes would only be considered for next year at the earliest.”

Those changes, to facilitate an increase in race numbers, according to Goldschmidt could include new venues for the start and finish, changes to the route (although he affirms that the Ultra route between Muizenberg and the Kirstenbosch top gate is set in concrete) and potential later race starting times. Consideration will also be given to reviving the fun runs including the iconic Nappy Dash.

The Two Oceans Trail Race, sponsored by Totalsports for the first time, will return as a key component of the weekend’s racing festivities. “The Two Oceans Trail Race was one of the earlier trail races in South Africa and its challenging and scenic route on Table Mountain attracted many of the country’s leading trail athletes,” Goldschmidt recalled.

“Stillwater Sports is also working closely with Energy Events to return the Trail race to its former glory and we anticipate many of the country’s top trail athletes will be eager to race on Table Mountain ahead of the World Championships in Cape Town in 2027.”

Gaining the commitment of Totalsports to take on sponsorship of the trail race in addition to their overall event sponsorship has been a huge step forward.

“We are excited to take on the role of title sponsor of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon Trail Run,” said Jonathan Stein, Head of Totalsports.

“This is the perfect fit, as the Trail Run embodies the same spirit of adventure, community, and love for the sport that defines Totalsports. By joining forces, we can continue to support runners across all distances, deliver exceptional experiences, and celebrate South Africa’s trail-running legacy.”

“We are also proud to renew our overall title sponsorship of the Two Oceans Marathon for another five years,” added Stein. “This event holds a special place in our hearts – its rich history and the incredible community of runners make it a true highlight of the sporting calendar.”

Goldschmidt also plans to rebuild TTOM’s relationship with the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) and again profile world times over standard distances, notably 30 miles and 50km. “I think there have been more world 50km records set in the Two Oceans than in any other race in the world,” reflected Goldschmidt, “which says something about the quality of the fields racing Two Oceans over the years.”

Before this year, six months separated Cape Town’s two biggest road events, the Two Oceans and Cape Town Marathons, affording local distance athletes opportunities to compete in both. With the latter event moving to May, the gap is just six weeks with the Comrades Marathon being staged another three weeks later.  Will these events be collaborating in future?

“At the moment there is no move towards a closer relationship with the Cape Town Marathon, as they have more of an international focus with their quest to become a World Marathon Major.  However, the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons have already started to engage on items of common interest as ultra marathons,” Goldschmidt confirmed.

“A number of officials have been involved in both the Two Oceans and Comrades in recent years and we will be sharing aspects of mutual interest, such as disciplinary policies, entry systems, finish line gantries, cut-off points and so forth.”

One of those officials is TTOM Operations Director, Renee Jordaan, who served as Race Director at Comrades in 2008 and 2009. She was also event director at the Cape Town Cycle Tour and Cape Town Marathon and brings considerable experience to this year’s race.

Jordaan sees her role as ensuring the event is operationally delivered at the highest level, with particular attention to the runners’ perspective, health, safety and security and compliance with City of Cape Town.

Race hydration has been the subject of some of the loudest complaints from runners in recent years, both in terms of lack of consistency and quantity of the refreshment stations.

“We’ve assessed at the overall hydration plan and revised the positioning of all the stations,” said Jordaan. “This had deteriorated in recent years and stations were too far apart in some places. We’ve now positioned them all between 2,5km and 3km apart.

“We’ve increased the number of stations from 16 to 19 for the ultra, notably on the climb to Constantia Nek, and from 6 to 7 in the half marathon and fixed their positions so runners will obtain hydration regularly.”

‘The overall safety plan of the event is something which has occupied Jordaan’s focus in recent months. “We’ve taken on board medical partners Mediclinic and ER24 to provide medical facilities and staff as well as ambulance services,” Jordaan relates. “This will offer a massive improvement in safety delivery and risk reduction to the event.”

Further enhancing health and safety is the establishment of a new ‘Recovery Partnership’ with Cipla. “We want people to live a long and healthy life,” said Paul Miller, CEO of Cipla Africa, “and to focus on improving health outcomes through sustaining wellness, instead of treating illness.

“TTOM is a celebration of wellbeing, combining physical effort, discipline and mental perseverance, which mirrors how Cipla views health.

“As the official Recovery Partner at the Two Oceans, we will support athletes beyond just the event,” Miller continued. “Our physios at the Expo will help to ensure that they’re race-day ready while on the day we’ll help the ultra-marathoners achieve their goals with an aid station along the route.

“And because recovery is equally part of performance, we’ll help all participants recuperate after the race with our physios in the recovery zone.”

A smooth flow from the start is a key operational race imperative. “We’ve re-looked at the sizing of the start batches in relation to a number of pressure points and bottle necks along the route,” explained Jordaan. “As a result, we will be almost halving the size of the batches with a view to improve the flow.”

Runners have complained that much of the race, notably for the elites, takes place in the dark. Will there be a move to bring more of the races back into daylight hours?

“Yes, we are in negotiations with the City to move the start of the ultra from 05h15 last year to 06h00 and finding a balance between bringing more daylight to the race (with resultant enhanced media coverage) and the City’s need to re-open the roads as soon as possible.”

One of the lost legacies which enriched the Two Oceans’ experience in past years was the media truck, which enabled journalists to experience the sights and sounds of the race at close quarters. 

Only the Comrades Marathon still provides that facility for the ‘Fourth Estate’. Might the Two Oceans bring back the media bus and enhance the journalists’ race experience? “I can’t confirm this for certain, but that is certainly something that the media team will be looking into,” Jordaan responded.

TTOM 2026 Race Director, Dezroy Poole, has deservedly built a reputation as one of the country’s best in the business, handling with aplomb the successful RUN YOUR CITY Series 10km road races throughout the country. He looks forward taking the reins in one of the continent’s biggest road events.

“What excites me most about the Two Oceans, is its deep heritage, emotional significance, and the powerful journey every runner experiences from start to finish,” Poole commented.

“The Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon is more than just a race – it’s a celebration of endurance, community and the beauty of our country. Being entrusted to help shape that experience, while continuing to innovate and elevate the event for future generations, is hugely motivating.  

“My goal is to honour the rich legacy of the race while ensuring it continues to grow, inspire and deliver a world-class experience for every runner on the start line.”

And by ‘every runner’ Poole was clearly thinking well beyond the Cape Town domicile of the race.

“Even though entries for this year’s Two Oceans sold out incredibly quickly, we felt it was important to take the spirit of the event to runners across the country,” Poole reflected. “Hosting training runs in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town allowed us to connect meaningfully with the broader running community, share valuable race insights, and ensure that both first-time and returning participants feel prepared and inspired for race day.

“The outcome has been extremely positive,” Poole continued, “We’ve seen strong attendance, fantastic engagement from runners of all levels, and a real sense of excitement building nationwide. Importantly, it reinforces that TTOM is not only a Cape Town race – it’s a proudly South African event that belongs to runners across the country.”

In similar vein, Bromfield’s people-centric understanding of the Two Oceans Marathon is the key to the event thriving over the next decade.  “It’s more than simply the world’s most beautiful marathon,” Bromfield concluded.

“It’s a movement of people who love road running, unifying communities along the route but also connecting running communities throughout South Africa.  From there, it expands to attract international runners from a tourist angle but also to experience running in Cape Town.”

The post Two Oceans Marathon sailing into smoother waters in anticipation of return to former glory days appeared first on Sports Network Africa.