OPINION: Elite athletes have a chance to raise profile of Two Oceans

As popular as the race is, the Two Oceans ultra-marathon has always been seen as the Comrades Marathon’s less attractive cousin.

The country’s oldest road race, the Comrades has history and lore which Two Oceans does not.

From the stories told of past legends to the traditions which signal the start, Comrades holds its own special place in the South African sporting landscape.

And while Two Oceans does have a very popular and prestigious half-marathon which attracts runners from across the country and around the world, the ultra-marathon has always played second fiddle to ‘the big one’.

However, this year’s Two Oceans promises to produce men’s and women’s elite races that could do more to promote the 56km race than any previous edition.

Quality line-ups

In recent years, Gerda Steyn has dominated the women’s contest, but Irvette van Zyl has pushed her all the way to the line on a couple of occasions.

Van Zyl has shaken off the injury troubles that affected her late last year, and though she will have to work hard over the next few months to get herself into shape, another cracking battle could be on the cards.

And in the men’s race we can expect even more fireworks.

While Steyn has been on a record-breaking spree in recent seasons, the men’s race record of 3:03:44 has been held by Thompson Magawana since 1988 and is long overdue for revision.

Only two athletes – Zimbabwe’s Marco Mambo (3:05:39 in 2005) and Lesotho’s Mabuthile Lebopo (3:06:18 in 2010) – have come within two minutes of Magawana’s mark.

This could be the year, however, that the 37-year-old record is finally given a real shake.

World-class athletes

It won’t be easy, and the men’s field will need to show intent from the start if they want to give themselves a chance, but the quality of the line-up suggests they should be ready to fire.

The full entry list for the 56km race in Cape Town in April is still unclear, but national 50km record holder Stephen Mokoka will be lining up, and though he did not finish on debut last year, he will have a much better idea of how to approach the challenging course.

Other athletes who should be in the field include experienced road runner Gladwin Mzazi and defending champion Onalenna Khonkhobe who also won the Soweto Marathon last season.

On top of this, a strong foreign contingent should help push the pace, and if the elite men are on their game, a hard-fought battle is expected.

Despite being considered the most beautiful race in SA (a title it richly deserves), Two Oceans has long played second fiddle to Comrades, but if the elite athletes deliver two spectacular record-breaking races this year, it will go a long way in closing the gap.