My marathons

Two Oceans Marathon

06:006:00 AM Cape Town
Chapman's Peak Drive
Chapman's Peak Drive. Photograph by Martinvl, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 56th Two Oceans Ultra Marathon is on Sunday 4 April 2027, 56 km from Newlands Main Road to the UCT Rugby Fields by way of Chapman's Peak, with an entry limit of 21,000.

The course in short 3 lines
  • Around the Cape Peninsula, Newlands to UCT56 km over Chapman's Peak, with a 21,000 entry limit.
  • A qualifying marathon is requiredA marathon under 5:00 or a 56.6 km under 7:00 gets you in.
  • Seven hours from your batch gunThe clock is your batch's gun, so a later batch gets a later cut-off.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseLandmarkAround the Cape Peninsula, Newlands to UCT56 km over Chapman's Peak, with a 21,000 entry limit.

The organiser names the highlights as Chapman’s Peak, which it calls often cited as the most spectacular coastal drive in the world, together with Muizenberg, St James, Kalk Bay, Hout Bay, Noordhoek, Constantia and Newlands. Runners leave Newlands Main Road in batches from 6 AM and finish at the UCT Rugby Fields on the Upper Campus in Rondebosch. The race runs under the auspices of World Athletics, Athletics South Africa and Western Province Athletics.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsA qualifying marathon is requiredA marathon under 5:00 or a 56.6 km under 7:00 gets you in.

The qualifying times are 42 km in under 5:00, 48 km in 6:00, 50 km in 6:30, 56.6 km in 7:00, 90 km in 12:00 and 100 km or more in 13:30. A qualifying race must be on an officially measured course and officially timed, and counts if it is a World Athletics affiliated marathon or longer than 42.2 km. Runners add the result to their profile on the entry system.

Sourced

Whole courseFinishSeven hours from your batch gunThe clock is your batch's gun, so a later batch gets a later cut-off.

The organiser sets the final cut-off at 7 hours from the start gun of the last batch, and each runner’s official-finisher time is counted from the gun of their own start batch. Cut-offs along the route are set so that roads can be reopened safely, and the organiser says they are not pacing guidelines: runners who pace themselves to them risk missing the final cut-off. If the start is delayed, all cut-off times are adjusted accordingly.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

2 gels for Cape Town, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7.3mile 4.6
  2. km 14.7mile 9.1

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
21.1 km13.1 mi
cut-off
7:00 h

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 4 April Race day

  1. 06:006:00 AM

    Ultra Marathon 56 km start, first batch Newlands Main Road, Newlands, Cape Town. Runners leave in batches from 6 AM.

  2. Time not published

    Ultra Marathon finish UCT Rugby Fields, Upper Campus, Rondebosch. The finish is on the UCT Rugby Fields.

  3. Time not published

    Ultra Marathon time limit 7 hours from the start gun of the runner's batch to be an official finisher. The time-of-day cut-off follows the start of the last batch. 7:00 limit: 19:54/km for 21.0975 km7:00 limit: 32:02/mi for 13.1 mi

Times as published by the organiser, in Cape Town time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Cape Town time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Questions about the Two Oceans Marathon

When is the Two Oceans Marathon 2027?

Sunday 4 April 2027. The start is at 06:00.

How do I enter the Two Oceans Marathon?

Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: £140 (for the 2027 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site

What is the time limit at the Two Oceans Marathon?

Runners have 7 hours to finish.

1 more question
Where does the Two Oceans Marathon finish?

Finish: UCT Rugby Fields, Upper Campus, Rondebosch.

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