The Two Oceans Marathon is a
ultramarathon
An ultramarathon is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon distance of . The sport of running ultramarathons is called ultra running or ultra distance running.
Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the ...
and
half-marathon held annually in
Cape Town
Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
, South Africa with the ultramarathon held on a Saturday in April and the half marathon held the next day on the Sunday. It was previously held on Easter weekend.
Described as "the world's most beautiful marathon",
the race is run against a backdrop of spectacular scenery through the
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula () of South Africa is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good ...
.
Both races start in
Newlands
Newlands may refer to:
Places Australia
* Newlands, Queensland, a locality in the Whitsunday Region
* Newlands, Western Australia, a town in the Shire of DonnybrookâBalingup
Ireland
* Newlands Cross, Dublin, named after the former Newlands ...
. The Ultra Marathon follows a more or less circular route through
Muizenberg,
Fish Hoek
Fish Hoek (, meaning either Fish Corner or Fish Glen) is a coastal suburb of Cape Town at the eastern end of the Fish Hoek Valley on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula in the Western Cape, South Africa. Previously a separate municipality, Fi ...
, over
Chapman's Peak, through
Hout Bay and
Constantia Nek, and eventually finishes at the
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa.
Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...
campus. On occasions when Chapman's Peak Drive has been closed due to construction or rock falls, the Ultra Marathon has followed an alternative route over
Ou Kaapse Weg
Ou Kaapse Weg (Afrikaans for ''Old Cape Way''), numbered as route M64, is a mountain pass in the Cape Peninsula that connects the Southern Suburbs, Cape Town, Southern Suburbs of Cape Town with the Fish Hoek Valley. It traverses the Steenberg M ...
.
The Half Marathon takes runners along Edinburgh Drive (the M3 highway), before turning into forest roads past
Kirstenbosch and finishing at the
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa.
Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...
campus.
Since its inaugural edition in 1970, the event has grown. Selling out every year, the Half Marathon sees some 16,000 participants (making it the biggest half marathon in South Africa), while 11,000 athletes tackle the 56 km Ultra Marathon.
In addition to the main events, other events take place:
*Approximately 6 000 runners - including toddlers and young children with their families - take part in various
fun runs
*Approximately 1 000 trail runners traverse the trails of the
Table Mountain National Park
Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park, is a national park in Cape Town, South Africa, proclaimed on 29 May 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain chain, and ...
*International participants get to run a scenic 5 km route along the Sea Point promenade as part of the International Friendship Run
The 2020 and 2021 editions of the race were cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
Winners
Men
Key:
Women
Key:
Half Marathon
Key:
References
External links
Official web page ARRS. Retrieved on 2016-10-13.
Two Oceans 21 km ARRS. Retrieved on 2016-10-13.
{{Cape Town, sports
Ultramarathons in South Africa
Half marathons in South Africa
Recurring sporting events established in 1970
Marathons in South Africa
Athletics competitions in South Africa
Autumn in South Africa
Sports competitions in Cape Town