EDITORS NOTES
The Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra Marathon has been consistently voted in a number of our surveys as a well organised and well-presented event. Over the last years it achieved distinction as one of South Africa’s top quality races. The race will be run for the 50th time in 2019.
Race Number Collection: The registration venue of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon Expo is at the CTICC, Convention Square, 1 Lower Long Street, Cape Town. Detailed instructions will be emailed out with the race acknowledgement during March 2019.
Seeding: All 2018 gold and silver medallists will be seeded in Group A. Runners wearing Blue and Yellow numbers will be seeded in the C group unless they qualify for a higher group. Runners who post a 03:00 marathon qualifier time and silver medallists from 2018 are entitled to preferential seeding. The rest of the field will be seeded according to their qualifying race time.
General: This dramatic race has had its fair share of surprises. In 1976 Vincent Rakabaele beat the Comrades Marathon king, Alan Robb by a mere six seconds in a winning time of 03:18:05. This excitement was to be repeated in 1983 when Siphiwe Gqele beat Warwick Ewers by a margin of only four seconds. An outstanding run in 1988 by Thompson Magawana lowered the record to 03:03:44. This must surely go down as one of the greatest ultra-distance runs of all time, given the severity of the route. To date both the men’s and women’s route records have stood the test of time.
The race is run from gun to mat. Runners who have not reached the cut-off marks in the time specified will not be allowed to continue. Sun Valley - 25 kilometres at 09h40. Halfway, Main Road – 28 kilometres at 10h00. Outside the Four Seasons Guest Farm – 42,2 kilometres at 11h50.
The averages indicate an 85% chance of finishing, with 3% of the field achieving silver glory. This ranks as the most difficult ultra in which to earn a silver medal in South Africa. The following percentages indicate which medal is earned on the day: 16% Sainsbury, 41% Bronze and 40% Blue.
The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon is certainly popular with out-of-towners with 72% of the field coming from outside the Western Province. Gauteng participants make up 25% of the field, and KwaZulu-Natal 6%. Last year over a third of the field ran the Two Oceans Marathon for the first time. Women are running this race in ever increasing numbers. In 1986 only 6% of the field were women; in 2018 this number had increased to 29%. The event organisers regularly promote the race overseas with the intention of attracting top class runners to South Africa. It is their commitment to grow the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon to be the premier Ultra Marathon in Africa.
In 2018, there were 1,147 international runners from 64 countries. The biggest contingent of international runners was from the Germany, followed closely by United Kingdom and then the USA. Many of these runners have indicated that they will be back. The Two Oceans International Friendship Run was introduced in 2007. All international entrants are invited to meet at the V&A Waterfront on Good Friday morning, 19 April 2019 at 09h30 for a scenic run/walk through Cape Town, taking in historical landmarks and key points of interest. Participants jog with the flag of their respective country.
All runners are required to wear a RaceTec timing chip during the race: no chip, no results. Permanent numbers will be awarded to all runners who have completed 10, 20, 30 and 40 races within the time limit.
The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon is televised live on SABC Two with a 60-minute highlight package aired at a later stage. The Two Oceans Marathon is a runner's race and the experience of a lifetime. It is a definite personal favourite. Visit www.twooceansmarathon.org.za, the official Two Oceans Marathon website for more information.
Time Limit: 07:00
Finishers: 9639
ACCOMODATION