Humorous Anecdotes, Observations & Accounts of Marathon Running & Agile Adventures.
This currently unidentified man running in Nicke van Wyk’s 2026 Two Oceans half marathon race number is officially the first person to be bust by AI for bib banditting. I have contacted van Wyk to let her know about her ‘world first’ but have not received a response at the time of writing. I would of course like to get the name of the man who is running in her number as well.
They say a picture says a thousand words. Here’s exactly one thousand words explaining how this photo of an unnamed female bib bandit in Must Love Hills kit is relevant for integrity, ethics and morals.
The timing chip from #65036 has been removed. Whether this is sensible or devious is debatable but at least this bandit won’t compromise the official results and ship’s log. Removing the timing chip does however indicate premeditation and that the bandit and bib provider knew what they were doing was wrong.
Continue reading “Doubling Down on Integrity: A Question for Kendra Stewart”
Whilst there has been a lot of focus on bib banditting, I recently received tip offs from multiple people about bib swapping for the purpose of qualification cheating. Interestingly they were from the same Pretoria-based club, Zwakala Athletics Club.
In this case, I am pleased to report that all parties admitted their deceit and the club itself has been 100% forthright – and took immediate and appropriate action.
Continue reading “Two Oceans Cheating: Wife Swapping & Bad Seeds”
As I write this (wearing my Running Mann hat) I can tell you (wearing my board hat) that there are 91 reported cases of bib banditting in the Two Oceans half marathon and four in the ultra marathon. I am sure that there are some more that haven’t been uncovered – yet – but the overall number is likely somewhere between 100 and 200.
This is still a tiny fraction of the overall field. Most people follow the rules and abhor those that don’t. If you banditted you are in the minority. This is not a case where everyone is doing it. There will always be one or two people who “didn’t know I was doing anything wrong” but the majority of those who banditted (and those who defend the bandits) are consciously delinquent.
Continue reading “The Running Moan: Why Bib Banditting is Wrong”
I have some great news to share. There is indeed a silver lining to the BrahGate saga: This morning Karin-Mari Dötze, the 10th placed lady at this year’s Two Oceans half marathon, officially signed with Nedbank and became a sponsored athlete.
Continue reading “Karin-Mari scores a sponsor (silver linings over silver medals)”
I had several reports of sightings of Good Hope FM DJ and former Stormers centre on the Two Oceans half marathon route but he was mysteriously missing from the results. Thanks to some sleuthing from readers we have the big Scooby Doo Doo reveal…
[Sunday 12 April, 07:39, University of Cape Town, Finish Line].
There is just one gold medal remaining at the 2026 Two Oceans Marathon. Twenty were handed out at Saturday’s ultra and 19 have been claimed so far at the half marathon. Who will claim the 10th placed ladies’ position?
Two Oceans hosts the country’s largest, richest and most prestigious half marathon. It attracts a strong international field. All of today’s medals have been won by professional athletes – most of them from other countries. But then there’s a surprise. Instead of yet another purple Hollywood or green Nedbank vest adding to their weekend’s medal tally, a diminutive figure in the black and white of Jeppe Athletic Club rounds the corner and hits the finish straight.
Continue reading “Karin-Mari’s Story (How Two Morons Stole her Special Moment)”
Luke Jacobs, a Partnership Sales Manager with HYROX South Africa, decided to run the Two Oceans half marathon in Larissa Parekh’s race number. He finished as 7th lady. As you can see from the photos below he does not run in a sports bra.
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.
Continue reading “No More Free Passes: Inside Two Oceans’ New Stance on Cheating”
There are currently just three women who’ve run the Two Oceans ultra marathon 30 times or more. Matilda le Roux sits on exactly 30 whilst Sharon Bosch and Lucille Damon lead the way with 32 finishes each.
In 2026, a fourth lady is looking to add her name to this illustrious list – Jeppe Quondam’s Kim Pain. Kim ran her first Two Oceans in 1990 and will also become just the second woman, after Sharon Bosch, to earn a triple laurel at Two Oceans and Comrades (Kim has 32 Comrades finishes).
Boasting the most perfectly on‑brand surname in ultra running, it felt irresponsible not to check how many Pains had tackled Two Oceans. The answer is five (including her dad Alf), but Kim is in a league of her own. She hasn’t just run farther than her father — she has quite literally experienced more Pain than anyone else over the Two Oceans route.
Continue reading “Jeppe’s Queen of Pain tackles 30th Two Oceans Marathon”