Two Oceans Marathon -
it's not just running!
I'm still not sure why I took up running! Ambitions to do the Two Oceans marathon certainly didn't come into it and to this day I have still only completed the Two Oceans half marathon. But for someone who hated any form of athletics in primary school, I number that amongst my proudest achievements!
If I did have any ambition to do an ultra marathon, the Two Oceans marathon would probably be my choice. The route is amazing (hey, it's 'the most beautiful marathon on earth' isn't it?) and it's just up the road from my home!
What am I waiting for? Some people fly halfway around the world to run this race!
Lots of people that I know have run it - lots of times! Most members of my local running club take part in Oceans every year, whether it's the Big Race or the Half Marathon. And if I ask those stalwart race veterans what brings them out year after year to put themselves through a gruelling ordeal, they all say "It's the atmosphere"
Two Oceans is REALLY special. Partly that's because of the route. The rest of it is the crowds. It's a Cape Town thing... Starting in Newlands, you follow Main Road all the way down through the Southern Suburbs. Every kilometre of the road is packed with supporters, local residents turning out in droves to spur you on. Once you reach Muizenberg, you're running a narrow road between mountains and ocean and that's how it stays for next 24km (bar a short distance between Fishhoek and Noordhoek). The views are as breathtaking, the effort is mind blowing)! You reach the marathon mark in Hout Bay with the highest steepest climb still to come. You slog your way up to Constantia Nek then take the undulating Rhodes Drive through the peace of Cecilia Forest's pine and gum plantations. (This bit of the route overlaps with the Half Marathon so I can say "Been there, done that"!) It's green and cool and best of all, you're nearly home! Finally you're running the last 5km past Kirstenbosch and up the home straight to the University of Cape Town. What a blast! Everyone gets a hero's welcome at the finish, no matter how fast or slow you were.
Two Oceans Half Marathon - you miss the really good bits! The Two Oceans Half is a great race in it's own right, not just as a hanger on of the Ultra Marathon. But it's a landlocked route and it doesn't take in any stunning ocean scenery. The most scenic (and notorious!) part is the Southern Cross Drive hill up through Constantia. This is the steepest bit, just under 3kms of continuous climb. But the race is still incredibly popular with around 9,000 runners getting up in the chilly pre-dawn to hit the road. That makes it a crowded start... Don't expect to run a Personal Best here! It took me 6 minutes after the starting gun to CROSS the starting line, 9 minutes to break into a gentle jog-trot! If you do choose to run this, do it for the scenery and the atmosphere! And hey, 21.1km is not that far... if I can do it, anyone can!
Have you heard of the other Cape Town classic sporting event? The
Argus Cycle Race
route overlaps in parts with the Two Oceans Marathon route.
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