Below are the comprehensive set of questions that I sent to the Two Oceans Board. The Chair gave the organisation a self-scored mark of 95% (noting that there were “5% of things we could have done better”). I think that this set of questions provides a better examination of the Board’s performance in 2025. Any independent invigilators out there willing to give them a passing grade?
Good morning Two Oceans Board members,
I think you would struggle to find an experienced Two Oceans runner who disagreed with the sentiment that 2025 was the worst organised event in the race’s history. I have been involved in 25 Two Oceans (20 as a runner and 5 as a volunteer) and it was definitely by far the worst I have experienced.
Below is a list of questions based on issues I personally experienced and those raised by fellow runners.
For ease of use, I have categorised them for you.
Half Marathon
- Can you explain how you ran out of half marathon medals in a pre-entry event (no one who finished in the last 30 minutes received a medal, according to my calculations this would make it at least 2410 runners who did not get a medal)?
- Can you explain why there was no water table between about 3km and 9km on the half marathon?
- Can you explain how the half marathon entrants and runners drastically exceeded what was on the permit?
- Can you explain the implications for contravening the CoCT’s permit to the future of the race?
- Will anyone be facing accountability for the serious negligence and recklessness of violating the CoCT’s permit conditions and related safety implications?
- The permit also only allowed 5000 spectators as the finish venue. Experts have told me that one usually caters for a ratio of 1.2 spectators for every runner. Therefore, the 5000 limit was almost definitely also violated – can you comment?
- Is the 5,000 limit the reason why you no longer have spectator stands at the finish venue?
- Can you explain the logic of sharing a social media post at 3am on race morning announcing route and start time changes?
- Can you confirm that an emergency meeting was held before the half marathon that concentrated on the runner numbers being exceeded (rather than the medical concerns which is usually why an emergency race meeting is held)?
- Can you explain how shortening the route by removing the dog’s leg mitigated the alleged heatwave risk?
- Can you explain how adjusting the start times for batches, decreasing the wave intervals to 1 minute up front and increasing them to 5 minutes at the back mitigated the alleged heatwave risk?
- Can you explain the adjustments to wave times for the alleged heatwave risk when the final batch still went off at 7am (as was the original plan)?
- It was reported that the temperature at the time of the final 3h30 cutoff was 23 degrees (and the max of the day was 29 degrees) – what do you think prevented the predicted heatwave conditions?
- Would it be fair to say that you overreacted to the alleged heatwave?
- Can you provide the source documentation you received from the South African weather service about the alleged heatwave necessitating medical warning social media posts?
- Can you provide the number of people that started in each batch at the half marathon (or give me approval to liaise directly with FinishTime to get this information)?
- How will you ensure that all those who didn’t get a medal will get one?
- When medals ran out in 2019, there was an official apology and all runners were contacted within 48 hours to arrange to receive their missing medals – why has nothing official happened other than a few vacuous statements on a radio show by the Chair?
- When and how will you contact people who did not get a medal?
- A group of runners who cornered a Board member were told that a box of half marathon medals were given to the ultra marathoners – I assume that this is not true as no ultra marathoners have complained about receiving the wrong medals. Can you comment?
- There were reports of a substantial number of seed cheatings, batch jumping and number swapping – will there be any repercussions for the offenders?
Ultra Marathon
- Improvement from 2024: Well done on the toilets at the start. They were fantastic and I’m sure the ladies appreciated not having to share.
- Improvement from 2024: Well done on the much improved medal from last year.
- Improvement from 2024: Well done on the much improved traffic flow this year.
- Over the past few years several water tables have been dropped from the route (there were somewhere between 4 and 6 additional tables in the past). Please can you confirm whether this is for cost cutting or for some other reason?
- According to the official rule book, there should be tables at a minimum every 3km but there were just 2 tables in the first 10km – was there approval from WPA/ASA for this?
- There was no water table for about 6km from about 38.5km to 44.5km – this is at a crucial point in the race for ultra runners. What happened?
- Would you agree that the water situation provided a health and safety issue for the runners?
- The cups ran out and were reused at several water stations – would you agree that this provided a health and safety issue for the runners and has the potential to spread disease?
- I have received many reports of people suffering from stomach problems during and after the race – do you think this was caused by contaminated water?
- How do you ensure that there is no contamination in the water?
- It was also noticeable that there was less food (potatoes, bananas, etc.) along the route – is this also for cost cutting or another reason?
- Last year and in 2023 it was pointed out that the support tables cannot handle the volume of runners coming through resulting in people waiting for water and drinks. Not only does this cost people time, this also means that some runners skip drinking at tables and / or take too little fluids posing a serious medical risk. If anything the problem was worse this year – can you comment?
- I have been told that the cups that are not recyclable because they are multilayered and wax is used but the plastic sachets previously used are recyclable – can you confirm?
- What do you do with all the cups after the race?
- I have a report from a spectator that a runner collapsed at the 55km mark and it took a long time for the ambulance / medical support to arrive – can you confirm and comment?
- People who crossed the finish line after the cutoff (and in some cases many minutes after the final cutoff) still received a medal – can you comment on this?
- Is the official Two Oceans policy now that anyone who crosses the finish line gets a medal?
- Whilst wave starts have been in place since 2022, there were many cases of people getting the incorrect medal (some a better medal than they deserved, others a worse one) – can you comment on not being able to handle the medal process correctly?
- Why have you reverted to the incredibly inefficient method of manually writing the race number for togbag tags on race morning which leads to massive queues?
- Why is the traditional fish horn no longer blown at the start?
- Several runners reported qualification time and other cheating to the race manager, Chair and Vice before the race but were ignored (I have email trails evidencing this). Is it the Two Oceans policy to turn a blind eye to cheating?
Trail
- Toni, you ran the short trail, can you comment on whether everything was up to expectations?
- Reports from most participants were that the marshals arrived late – can you comment?
- There are several reports that when the marshals eventually arrived, they were distracted, in the wrong position, surly, did not know the route and that some were smoking (which would be a complete no-no after the recent fires) – can you comment?
- Why wasn’t a GPX file provided?
- Can you comment on why there were no clear route markings?
- Reports are that the emergency number did not work and was ‘out of service’ – can you comment?
- With the emergency number not working, do you agree that the races should not have started?
- Is it true that the emergency number was ‘out of service’ because it was only in use on Saturday and Sunday and someone had forgotten to activate it for Friday when the trail runs were announced?
- One lady had a serious injury and suffered a concussion. After the emergency number failed, she sent a pin of her whereabouts to friends to get medical assistance. I understand she was 2.5km from the finish. Her friends notified the relevant officials and sought medical help from the organisers but it took 90 minutes for medical assistance to arrive. Can you comment?
- The ‘entry level’ 12km short trail run was incredibly technical and not suitable for the type of entrant it attracted – can you comment?
- Who was responsible for the route design?
- Why were no pre-race kit checks done?
- Can you comment on the Chairperson, Toni Cavanagh, given herself an elite seeding in the short trail run?
- In retrospect, do you agree that putting on trail races when you were struggling to organise the half and ultra marathons was a bad idea?
Fatalities
- The was another unfortunate death in the half marathon this year. Will an independent investigation into the cause of death be conducted?
- If it is found that dehydration due to missing and inadequate tables was the primary or contributing cause to the fatality, will those responsible be held liable?
- Were any of the unfortunate deaths at the 2024 event a result of dehydration?
Shirts
- I got confirmation from a Joma representative that they submitted the shirt that was used by assistants / staff at the expo as the official race shirt but the Board insisted on a different design (the one that runners got) – was this a collective Board decision or did one person push to have their design used instead of that of Joma’s brand experts?
- Can you comment on the poor quality of the shirts (especially the half marathon shirt where there are many pictures and reports of bad stitching and holes)?
- Who chose the colour of the half marathon shirt?
- Can you comment on complaints about massive sizing differences in this year’s shirts compared to previous years?
- Can you comment on running out of sizes of pre-ordered (and in the case of the half marathon prepaid) race shirts?
- The writing and graphics on the race shirts looks like a badly faded tattoo – was this the intended look or a printing mistake?
- You took a social media hammering on the half / ultra shirts (from when they were announced to when they were received). Perhaps the only positively received social media post was that of the trail shirts (which I confirmed with Joma were designed by them). In retrospect, do you think you should have gone with the Joma design for the ultra and half shirts?
Expo
- Improvement from 2024: The registration process itself was quick and efficient this year. Well done.
- I understand that there are (and have been contacted by) a number of very unhappy expo vendors who said that what they were promised and what they got was very different – do you have a comment and will they be getting a partial refund?
- I have been contacted by several vendors who say that they made a massive loss at this year’s expo (one told me he’d only recovered 18% of his costs) – can you comment?
- Can you explain why the informational signage was only erected on the Friday around 11am (over two days after the expo officially opened)?
- Whose decision was it to have the number collection at the end of the expo – most runners ‘hunted their race number’ and left immediately after getting their numbers resulting in less browsing and shopping?
- Is it fair to say that forcing runners to do a loop of the expo before getting their number backfired?
- Can you comment on running out of goodie bags?
- Can you comment on the lack of goods in the goodie bags?
- Why did the expo venue change to the Cape Town Stadium this year?
- Can you comment on the lack of parking in the expo proximity and the lack (or incorrect) parking signage?
- Which Board member was responsible for the expo this year?
- I understand that the reason the expo opened an hour late on Day One was because of last minute safety concerns. Last minute safety issues seem to be a perpetual problem at Two Oceans – is the root cause bad planning, incompetence or something else?
Blue Number Club
- I was pleased to see that guests are allowed into the BNC again this year.
- Why was preferential seeding (and a special seeding batch) discontinued for Blue Numbers?
- Why was the new policy to split Blue Number up and seed them towards the middle back only communicated after complaints on social media?
- Why is the bell no longer rung at the entrance to the tent when a new BNC member enters?
- Why are only BNC members that have entered the race allowed into the BNC? In the past anyone who had earned a BNC was allowed access regardless of whether they had participated in that year’s event.
- In the past, there was special acknowledgement for milestone runners – especially those completing 20, 30 and 40 voyages. Why has this been discontinued?
- Is there any reason why there was no special acknowledgement, social media post or any recognition for Ian Benson running his 40th ultra?
- Is there any reason why there was no special acknowledgement, social media post or any recognition for Sharon Bosch and Lucille Damon who together set a new record for most female finishes in the ultra?
Communication
- There were hundreds of complaints that runners were not able to get an email response from Two Oceans and that the phone lines just rang in the build up to the event. Can you comment?
- Would you agree that the staff members responsible for communications are performing far below expectations?
- I have been told that staff members were told “not to reply to negative emails” – can you confirm that this is correct?
- I have been contacted by several people who are still waiting for their refund long after the substitution process – can you comment?
- Most organisations would just refund the amount to the credit card originally used but Two Oceans asks people to send their bank details over an unsecure channel – would you agree that this is bad practice and is it a deliberate tactic so that some people give up and Two Oceans gets a ‘double whammy’ on the entry fees?
- I have received reports from runners who paid for engravings (some of whom have sent 5 emails with no response) that there was a several hours long queue to get medals engraved after the race – the same problem occurred last year – can you comment?
- How can runners who paid but were not able to get their medals engraved because of the long queue or because you ran out of medals be refunded?
- Other than some remarks made by the Chair on a radio interview, there has been no apology of any sorts for the plethora of issues experienced at Two Oceans 2025. Can we expect to see a formal apology on the website, social media pages and emailed to participants?
- Last year the Board was too busy patting themselves on the back to take note of the genuine and valid complaints after the 2024 event – can you convince the running public that the same thing is not happening this year?
- The most recent communication to half marathon runners who did not get a medal contains some blatant lies (which I have covered in this article: https://runningmann.co.za/2025/04/15/two-oceans-board-cant-stop-lying/) – can you explain why the Board insists on continually lying to the running public?
- In December 2024 I published an article detailing lies and embellishments in the running and professional CV of you Chairperson (https://runningmann.co.za/2024/12/11/lies-damn-lies-two-oceans-press-releases/) – was this lack of integrity ever an issue for the Board and / or ever discussed at Board meeting?
AGM
- I could not find the minutes from the most recent AGM in September 2024 – can you provide them?
- I could not find the Annual Financial Statements from the most recent AGM in September 2024 – can you provide them?
- Why is online attendance no longer facilitated for the AGM?
Other
- I have confirmed that last year’s Vice Chair, Liezel Short, was awarded the event planning, furniture and décor contract for the hospitality areas (including the Blue Number Club and VIP facilities) which raised some eyebrows – can you comment?
- Does Two Oceans have a conflict of interest policy? Can you send it to me?
- Can you provide the process that was followed to approve Short’s contract?
- I have also confirmed with Short that her company coordinated the furniture and décor at the 2024 event while she was Vice Chair. Can you confirm that this was done on a pro bono basis and that neither Short nor her company received any compensation (financial or otherwise)?
- Can you confirm whether VIPs and dignitaries are giving preferential seedings (regardless of their qualification times) for the seeded races?
- Can you comment on how many ultra marathoners had their entries confirmed despite them not running a qualifier or not running one under 5 hours?
- Can you comment on allowing South African runners who are not club members / do not have a 2025 ASA license being allowed to run the ultra marathon?
- What are you planning to do to address the above problems in 2026?
- Can you comment on what skills are missing from the current Board / staff?
- Is it Two Oceans policy to ignore offers of free help and assistance from experts?
- Do you think it’s a problem that the senior leadership positions on the Board keep getting filled by occasional runners with no ultra marathon experience?
- Will any Board members be resigning after the issues experienced this year?
- Will any staff members be undergoing disciplinary proceedings as a result of the lack of service delivery, poor performance and / or direct involvement in the plethora of issues?
- Does the Board agree with the Chairperson, Toni Cavanagh, giving the race organisation a score of 95% on a social media post?
Can you confirm whether you are intending to reply and, if so, an expected date.
Based on the vast number of genuine issues raised, I am happy to take replies to my questions iteratively.
Regards,
Stuart
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Is there any way to sign a petition to show just how many people want answers to these questions? If they are seen to come from multiple people surely Two Oceans can’t use a cease a desist against the whole internet as it demonstrates validity to the criticism.
95% scoring, now this is delusional after all the complaints! You’re right, wasting money on legal action is not wise, considering it could be put to better use improving next year’s race. But they will not respond to your questions as they cannot and would be seen in a poor light no matter what.
There are serious issues with this Board around transparency, professionalism, effectiveness and overall accountability. There is no way that this can be allowed to continue in the name of running in South Africa. Western Province Athletics should do a greater job at oversight in this event as they do with Local Club events.
Wow, you have a very comprehensive list of issues and these questions need to be, but probably will not be answered.
One point that wasn’t mentioned in your letter is the management and planning of the Club Gazebo area.
Running clubs paid at least R900 for a spot on the cricket field, but were not allowed to take preordered and paid for drinks to the Gazebos. So the setting up the club gazebo was a complete waste of time and money many clubs and their members.
After running 56km, the walk down to the cricket field is difficult. And to make it worse, some runners need to do the walk more than once as they head back to the finish to meet friends or family over the line.
Good 👍
Do they have a responsibility to respond to you? When you send similar questions to other race organizations do they respond well?
Does any of your questions help make changes? I do hope so !
I also feel like parking and traffic fines need to be addressed.
Thank you @Runningmann, for taking up these issues with the board. Your questions are on point.
I am one of the Ultra runners who was handed a medal even though I missed cutoff. Had my watch not died at 43km, I would have known I missed cutoff and not taken the medal. It’s now lying somewhere in my room.
Batch starts made it difficult for me check my time with runners as everyone had a different seeding.. calculations were out the window by then 🫣
Once again, thank you for this task you so willingly undertake for the running community.
We hosted 5 International Ultra Runners who paid approx R4000 per entry – the refreshments in the International Tent were inedible, not refridgerated and hence probably another health risk. Not acceptable. They also all battled with the water on course issues as they read that sachets would be available and so were ill equipped.
Wow Stuart. What would we do without you. The Isabel Jones of the running fraternity. Thank you for taking time to address these issues. I sincerely hope the Board bothers to answer your questions. Or will they just ignore you, hoping you will go away. They forget that your middle name is Pitbull. You rock man!
My partner was refused food at blue number area, I requested to pay for her meal which I refused. Last year she was offered for free !
Ek het nooit kon droom dat n wedloop soos die “Two Oceans” so ongelooflik swak organiseerd kon wees nie. Ek is nou wel nie n atleed nie, maar het n groot belangstelling in sport oor die algemeen. Hoekom word hierdie soort onbeholpenheid ( soos ook byv, leerlinge wat in n bus sonder kos moet slaap) In Suid Afrika toegelaat? Wat n absolute skande!!!
Ms Cavanagh’s main talent seems to be stringing together reams of cliches.
I think we should call her Ms Toni 95% Cavanagh.
I think that Toni Cavanagh’s rather trite and flowery assertion that she scores herself 95% for managing the Tom event to be rather well embellished and possibly assisted by AI. How can you believe anything that comes from someone who lied about her running and business achievements in order to secure her job, and a board who seem to have made no effort to sanction her.
A very pertinent set of questions running Mann, though I doubt that you will recieve a coherent answer.
It is disappointing to learn that she is considering taking a legal route, runners hard earned money should be used for more gainful purposes.
I have just seen a headline that the CoCT is seriously considering withdrawing support for TOM, in News 24. Does TC give herself 95% for that?
@Stuart It looks like the Dunning-Kruger effect is hard at work there. Thank you for another exposé – your questions are on point as always!
It is disgraceful that TOM would rather further damage their own brand by responding to your comprehensive list by means of cease-and-desist, rather than acknowledgment and co-operation. I remain hopeful that you will be able to stand your ground against the litigious behemoth.
“Legal advice regarding the issues we are facing on social media.” So, rather than addressing the very real issues, they’re looking to spend money to see if they can charge anyone who’s sharing and exposing these with libel or other charge so it can be swept under the carpet.
For the future of the TOM, the board should rather resign and step aside for a new one. I would hope TotalSport, as title sponsor, is pushing for that as a condition of remaining involved.
What an incompetent and deceitful board and Chairman.
Now the COCT has also cracked the whip on Toxic Toni and her amateur board…!
Imagine no Two Oceans in 2026…, absolute disaster for Cape Town and the running fraternity in general.
Keep up the good work and keep digging Stuart!
Hi Stuart
Thanks again for doing what you are doing.
I’m one on the plenty runners that skipped most of the water stations due to congestion and queues. I had my first water (two cups if I may add) at around 12kms, then had Energade for the next two, because I was not willing to stop and wait for water. With every congested water tables in the early hours of the race, I’ve noticed that the Energade , Coke and even more Coke Zero tables were relatively empty. What I liked was that each stand was clearly branded with the relevant gazebo’s, great idea, so you can plan your entry point to the drink you want. Any way, back to my point. Water were easier to get later in the race, because the field are stretched and more people wanting to drink Energade and Coke (very little Coke Zero still). I think there can be more water and less sugar drinks early in a marathon, which obviously should be balanced out later in the race.
The good thing for not slowing down for water in the first half part of the race, resulted that I can at least stop and shake your hand in Houtbaai.
Now that I refused to pay exorbitant amount for charity registration but opted to fly to Cape Town to support my team members, I feel like I made a great decision. I feel sorry 😞 for my fellow runners especially those who expected to get water station at 3km only to find the next water station around 6km. There was absolutely no vibe at finish point. But your metals are looking great hey!!!!
Stuart,
We have read and heard so much from runners themselves about TOM 2025.
Much of the commentary, but not all, has been critical of the race’s overall organization this year, and has extended to include previous years.
Fortunately, so many race support staff members and volunteers did a great job and they, in their individual roles, deserve positive recognition and gratitude, despite the “captured” behavior of their Board.
But I wonder how many will make themselves available again in 2026, if nothing changes at TOM before next year.
I also wonder if all the race sponsors will be back in 2026 if nothing changes at Board level.
I’m also wondering the same thing about the exhibitors at the Expo.
Will the TOM Board respond, honestly, to any of your questions? If they do, I will be surprised as they know they will still get the runner numbers next year.
I live in Bishopscourt Drive, about 500m from Kirstenbosch and this year’s event was particularly noticeable due to an extremely loud PA system, with an announcer blaring out non stop from very early morning. Add it to your list, because it was noticeably louder than previous years. Truly unpleasant.
I hope the City of Cape Town leans heavy on the TOM board for next year. Hopefully they get to read your list of questions to be answered. Cutting costs in the area of aid stations/water tables is very dangerous to runners no matter what. Maybe having running clubs in the Cape area all be assigned an aid station to man with club members volunteering. My guess is the shortage of people to work aid stations. I get involved with a 100 miler where I live and the new RD has managed to have running clubs man aid stations. Though a different time frame it makes a huge difference to the runners. Runners helping runners.
I have been guilty of not really understanding the structure of Two Oceans. I know that it is a Non-Profit Company under the Companies Act, but, what I wasn’t aware of is the fact that Celtic Harriers are apparently still the “Brand Owners”. Somewhere, I have read that they have called for explanations from the Board concerning the issues unearthed at this year’s events. Stuart, I hope that you have copied Celtic Harriers on your letter addressed to the Board.
One of the factors which, I believe, has been instrumental in ensuring that Comrades has been placed on a more sustainable and sound trajectory is the fact that a practicing attorney (who is now on that Board) was able to ensure that governance issues were properly addressed. I hope that someone with similar aptitude and resources is willing to stand up to ensure that a similar approach is adopted at Two Oceans.
Finally, I am most interested to know whether “virtual attendance” is permitted in the governing documents relating to the AGM. If they do not permit such attendance, do provisions exist which allow those unable to attend to appoint someone who is able to attend the meeting with a proxy to raise issues and vote on their behalf? If such a procedure is permitted, I would like to recommend that a bunch of us members of the NPC get together to provide a suitably worded proxy to allow a representative (would you be willing to volunteer, Stuart?) to ensure that everything that has been highlighted here is properly aired at the AGM (if it has not been properly addressed beforehand) and, hopefully, that the “right” people (i.e. those with running and race organising experience, at this level) can be voted onto the Board.
As an aside, however, whilst the buck stops with the Board, there seems to me to be serious “staffing problem” regarding those necessary to roll up their sleeves and actually do the job required. Comrades has a huge cohort of experienced volunteers who actually manage the various portfolios necessary to put on a race of that magnitude. Without them, the Comrades Board would be floundering. I sense that such a depth of experience and knowledge does not exist at Two Oceans. If my assessment is correct, the Board (however, it is constituted) has a huge uphill battle to get some of these issues right. Added to this, there is also the problem of “money”. Putting on 3 events over 3 days must be incredibly expensive. Without a big name, big resource sponsorship, maybe some hard decisions need to be taken about how the race should be managed, remembering that its roots and its main brand is interlocked with the Ultra Marathon 56 Km. Why is the Cape Town Cycle Tour apparently so successful in organising their event? Do they perhaps outsource more to professional event organisers?
Don’t worry, severe grade inflation is rampant in the US as well. 95% today isn’t what 95% used to be 😉
I ran the 21 km and can only support this. The21 km route was not shorter, bit probably 50m longer. At 21km my watch was 100% in sync with the distance marker.
I ran 10 x 56km and 9 x 21km and this was the worst organized event ever.
The only problem with last year’s exhibition was that it worked very well. Why was it changed to a parking lot with no parking.
My experience includes many issues:
I’m Italian living in Cape Town. I ran the 12 km trail run (my first official race ever), starting with second group of runners, hit a branch and had head injury at km 4, other runners called the given emergency number but number was out felt good enough to keep going. At km 8 I caught up with the leading group of ca. 8- 10 runners (including the overall female winner), we all get lost due to lack of marshals and indications, and decide to take all same routes. I arrived first of that group, running ca. 16 km from what i heard (my strava not accurate at all). Despite the amazing feeling for the great finish that will stay with me, unfortunately my name is not even on the results page, I emailed and called the organisers to enquiry, they said that’s because they didn’t get my payment (impossible since they gave me the racing number at the stadium the day before the race, and I even have proof of payment ).
I don’t expect a medal, at least to get my result
Re the 95% “evaluation”: WPA race referees score club races in an effort to give guidelines to clubs and show up where things can be improved. Even when everything is rated as “excellent”, total scores are seldom 80% or more – for a race that was rated as “excellent” in almost all categories. So 95% – Ha-Ha!
To Mark Fine complaining about the noise on the loudspeaker. Get a life please.It only happens once a year..Be reasonable and supportive to an event that places CoCT on the world map.
I see somewhere in this e mail there is a complaint about refunds.Allow me to mention that I had no problem with my refund this year Due to unfortunate personal circumstances I had to withdraw from this year’s event.TOM was notified accordingly and I requested them to donate my whole entry fee a charity organization. Received a reply that they have found a substitute and that my entry fee would be refunded.During this whole process I was kept in the loop and within two weeks the refund was paid into my bank account.Thank you TOM for this professional attitude and service.
I have been following the stories surrounding the Two Oceans 56 km Marathon with great interest, as my 25-year-old son participated in the race this year.
Tragically, he collapsed just 2 km from the finish line and has been in ICU since Saturday 6 April. He has suffered multiple organ failure, along with a barrage of other health complications. Our lives have been shattered beyond belief. However, we count ourselves among the fortunate ones — we still have our son with us.
He had no underlying conditions …..
He is a fit and healthy young man, in the prime of his life, and was running this race in memory of his grandmother, who passed away in October last year. It was a deeply personal and meaningful journey for him.
I would like to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to the medical staff, who responded with remarkable speed and care. Although it took time to stabilize him and transport him to hospital, their efforts were nothing short of heroic. I also have to commend the race organizers for the overall management of such a large and complex event.
However, I would like to raise one concern: the cut-off time. I understand that South Africa is one of the few countries where such a strict rule is enforced. In my personal opinion, this cut-off time — and the pressure to finish within it to obtain a medal — may have contributed to the tragic events that unfolded for my son.
I respectfully urge the organizers to reconsider this rule. Perhaps a more flexible approach could be adopted, one that prioritizes the health and safety of runners over rigid time constraints. If reviewing this policy could prevent even one family from experiencing what we are going through, it would be a step worth taking.
We are now 13 days post marathon and my son remains in ICU with kidney and liver failure…
For my husband and I watching the two oceans on the app in Harare , The app stated he had finished the race , But apparently the app had a glitch at the 50km mark , He sadly collapsed 2km from the finish line .
His running club Mavericks have been very supportive and genuinely concerned of one of their own .
The Organizers of The Two Oceans have also reached out and have been incredibly kind.
We ask for your prayers to get through this time for our precious son xx
Sarah my heart goes out to you and your family. I really hope that you son makes a speedy and full recovery. This kind of situation puts everything else into perspective.
The start was terrible I had to walk behind the Newlands baths / water collection through a dark corridor/ Alley to get to my starting batch …
I didn’t enjoy the start … I started in Batch B with no gun or anything the announcer said “ get set GO !!” I was like 😳… what a crap start to an ultra
I didn’t like the Ultra Medal as it had no Mention of sub 5 as the 2024 medal
Did …
Everything else was okay as I don’t use the aid stations it was irrelevant to my race … I must say the oceans ultra T shirt is the worst thing from a design and quality perspective I have ever seen/put on 😂…
I still have all my ultra T shirts but this one won’t last for sure …
I’m trying to understand why this dog leg thing was introduced , I ran 500m over the distance of 56km … This means I ran ~ 10m per km off the racing line over this distance which I doubt as I ran purposefully the tightest line possible 🤷🏽♂️..
Sarah Cornish iI am very sorry to hear about your sons collapse 2 kms to the finish. I have completed 17 Two Oceans Ultra Marathons but each year that goes by and the older one gets , the harder it is to make cut off. 7 hours is tighter to finish this 56 kms route than the 90 kms Comrades Marathon is to finish in 12 hours. The race is extremely pressurising to finish in just 7 hours. Most overseas marathons allow a 6.5 hour cut off for 42.2 kms so 30 minutes more for a whole 14 extra kms is excessively tight on such a challenging course . I cannot tell you how unpleasantly uncomfortable it is to have to keep running all the time just to make the 7 hour cut off. The stress is enormous. I would have loved to have walked a bit more over Chapmans Peak and up Constantia Nek because it was so uncomfortable to run under the pressure to finish in time as a runner averaging 7 mins per km. I feel the organisers should increase the cut off time to 7.5 hours to allow more people to finish and the race time not to be so stressful for the back markers. it’s still a remarkable achievement and feat of endurance to run 56 challenging kms in sub 7 hours 30 minutes. (Also the delay to get water at the tables and pour it into cups yourself often , definitely wasted about 10 minutes of my time ). Please bring back sachets.
At the finish for the half marathon no marshals to show you where the club gazebos was. No marshals know where the buses for the parking was. Had to use an Uber. At the start no marshals to show you from parking to start and then to walk through a dark alley around the pool.
Here is the link to a petition created exactly to:
1. Call for support of the questions
2. Call for all legal action and threats against Stuart by the Two Oceans NPC and Toni Cavanagh to be stopped immediately; and
3. Call for the answering of these questions truthfully and now!
https://chng.it/VBwqBcnXzY
I was briefly part of the organising committee in the past, so I know firsthand how challenging and often thankless the task can be—especially when criticism tends to focus on the negative and becomes nitpicky. Stuart, many of your points are valid and worth raising, but I feel the tone could be more constructive. From my experience, many last-minute changes are due to City of Cape Town requirements, which are often outside the organisers’ control. I find it disheartening to see so much negativity in this thread.
One of the factors which, I believe, has been instrumental in ensuring that Comrades has been placed on a more sustainable and sound trajectory is the fact that a practicing attorney (who is now on that Board) was able to ensure that governance issues were properly addressed. I hope that someone with similar aptitude and resources is willing to stand up to ensure that a similar approach is adopted at Two Oceans.