Facebook Archives - The Running Mann

17th February 202617th February 2026

Anatomy of a Scam (An investigation into race entry scamming)

With unprecedented demand and road running race entries selling out across the country scammers are having a field day fleecing runners desperate for entries.

It is difficult to know whether all the scamming is done by one person using different numbers or whether there are multiple scammers. Some numbers definitely belong to the same person and there is at least one number, 0738823545, that has been in use for over six years. It is also difficult to estimate how many people have been scammed over the years but the number of victims is likely in the thousands.

15th February 202617th February 2026

Ask the Admin: How to prevent getting scammed on Facebook

With the proliferation of race entry scamming I asked Demitri Baroutsos, group admin of the popular Cape Town Runners Community, for his advice and insights on how to prevent being a race entry scamming victim.

Demitri Baroutsos is a the group admin of the Cape Town Runners Community group and helps keep the 31,000 members safe from scammers.

8th February 202618th July 2026

A List of Known Race Entry Scammers

Below is a list of South African mobile numbers confirmed to be involved in race entry scamming. Their modus operandi is to create fake profiles on Facebook so there is no point in listing the names as they are fake and will keep changing.

This list will be updated as new scamming numbers emerge – feel free to email me on therunningmann@gmail.com or DM on my social media profiles with scammer details.

20th May 202421st May 2024

Two Oceans Board member (and former chairperson) calls cutoff issue ‘trivial matter’

It is in times of great turmoil that you hope for a hero. Someone who will step forward to create sense and order from the chaos. Someone who will do the right thing when others cower and hide. Someone who will act with the maturity and integrity that their peers seem incapable of.

As William Shakespeare said, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” It was indeed another William who raised his hand amidst the turmoil of the Two Oceans cutoff saga. William Swartbooi is a current Two Oceans Board member and former chairperson of the organisation.

This William is part of a Board that has stumbled over sensibility, tripped over truthfulness and trampled on the hopes and dreams of the runners they are meant to serve. If William Shakespeare were alive today, no doubt the Bard of Avon would shake his head in dismay and observe on the current Board of Bergvliet, “Some are born stupid, some achieve stupidity, and some have stupidity thrust upon them.”