Previous Two Oceans administrations have failed to impose consequences on cheaters but the current Two Oceans board has taken decisive action to uphold the integrity of the race. After the new board was formed in October 2025, a number of sub-committees were formed as part of the event’s revival plan.
READ MORE: Is Two Oceans soft on Cheating?
One of these was a Disciplinary Sub-Committee (SC) which I found myself chairing, with fellow board members Nombini Zaku and Wietse van der Westhuizen also putting their names forward to join the SC. We immediately reviewed all suspected cases of cheating at the 2025 event and implemented robust measures to safeguard the integrity of the event.
All runners identified as suspected cheats at the 2025 event were contacted and given an opportunity to dispute the evidence or provide mitigating reasons for their actions. While a small number provided reasonable explanations and were cleared, those found to have breached the rules have faced strict consequences including disqualification and a two-year ban from the event.
A total of twenty people received disqualifications and bans from the 2025 event. These included:
- A serial cheat, already banned at Comrades, whose split times and photographic evidence corroborated complaints that he had not run most of the route in 2024 and 2025.
- A number of runners in the ultra-marathon with statistically impossible splits.
- An Instagram influencer and her husband who doctored her bib to replace a Q seeding with an A seeding.
- A number of runners, particularly in the half marathon, who had given their race number to another runner without following the substitution process – presenting a significant safety and medical risk.
READ MORE: Instagram Influencer caught cheating at Two Oceans
Due to last minute changes to the 2025 half marathon batch starting times and other factors, no action was taken against batch jumpers at the 2025 event. However, those that started more than one batch in front of their assigned group have received warnings.
Looking ahead to 2026, runners can expect increased vigilance against cheating, with processes in place to identify and sanction any breaches swiftly and fairly.
For the 2026 event batch jumpers will be flagged immediately (Finish Time will literally provide us a list of batch jumpers five minutes after the last batch has started – it is that easy) and, unless there are extenuating circumstances, will receive a substantial time penalty per batch jumped or a disqualification and banning. Batch jumpers who escape with a time penalty will be flagged to start in the last batch at the following year’s event (should they enter). All repeat batch jumpers will receive a disqualification and two-year ban.
All runners with missing splits will have their results statistically interrogated and additional measures have also been put in place to ensure that runners do not receive vehicular assistance along the route.
There are generally seven acknowledged types of cheating:
- Tag Teaming (running Two Oceans as a relay race with a buddy)
- Taxiing (covering a portion of the route in a vehicle)
- Phantoms (one runner, two timing chips)
- Bad Seeds (submitting an incorrect qualifier or getting someone else to run your qualifier for you)
- Bandits (running in someone else’s number)
- Ritchie McCawing (entering from the side / joining the race along the route)
- Suppositories (batch jumpers who push from behind into places they don’t belong)
If you suspect anyone of cheating at the 2026 Two Oceans events, you are welcome to report your suspicions to info@twooceansmarathon.org.za and / or contact me directly therunningmann@gmail.com.
We’re committed to providing a fair and competitive environment for all participants and appreciates the support of the running community in upholding these values.
READ MORE: Defective Humans (Uncovering cheats at Comrades)
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People who cheat in marathon and ultra marathon running should be regarded as utter morons. Not only are they cheating other runners of their running positions, they are cheating themselves. Where is the sense in that?
100% – Unfathomable!
‘Richie McCawing” – holy hell I laughed.
Thinking ahead is sometimes not thinking at all.
Why should runners cheat in such a beautiful race.
My 2023 time was timed as 3 min late after cut off and I cudnt prove why all though my splits shows consistency.
So it would have been my permanent one yesterday .
For me to do it for a nother 2 year’s to get my 10 is a privilege to be part of this beautiful race.
In yesterday’s start I noted u few runners ahead of us who shouldn’t be ahead of us as we caught up with them which means they jump there seedings. All of us who worked hard for our seedings feels we get robbed in a way and those once just don’t care until they get caught.
Its about time its becoming a serious matter.