Two Oceans marathon cancelled for second year in a row

The annual Two Oceans ultra-marathon has been cancelled for the second year in a row, with organisers announcing on Thursday it had been scratched due to Covid concerns.

“As the pandemic continues to rage across our country unabated, we have continued to consult extensively with our stakeholders, Athletics South Africa (ASA) and Western Province Athletics (WPA), as well as our medical team on the best way forward,” organisers said.

“Guided by the advice from the medical team and Two Oceans Marathon chief medical officer Dr Adrian Rotunno, the Two Oceans Marathon NPC is deeply saddened to announce that the 2021 Two Oceans Marathon, scheduled to take place on 3 April 2021, is cancelled.”

Two Oceans Marathon 2021 − Event Update https://t.co/6Ndtg1dbtR

— Two Oceans Marathon (@2OceansMarathon) February 4, 2021

While sports events were allowed under current level three regulations, mass participation events remained suspended.

Usually attracting nearly 30,000 runners for the popular event’s 56km and 21km races in Cape Town, Two Oceans was currently limited to 500 participants based on government regulations for outdoor events.

While organisers considered postponing the event until later this year, the idea was scrapped.

“It is not feasible given the general uncertainty due to talk of third and fourth Covid-19 waves, and the already congested event calendar,” organisers said.

Instead, a virtual event was expected to be held on the scheduled race day.

“It is never pleasant when an event like this is disrupted and which in turn, affects the fixture calendar and the many athletes who are already planning for that day,” said WPA president Jakes Jacobs.

“However, it is even more painful to us when an event of this magnitude is forced to be cancelled.”

Last year the Two Oceans was cancelled for the first time since it was launched in 1970.

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