Is the Two Oceans Marathon in danger of being cancelled?

Reports have emerged suggesting it might be the end of the road for one of South Africa’s most popular road running races, the Two Oceans Marathon.

We take a closer look at the situation in an attempt to clarify whether this is a real concern.

What happened?

The race organisers allowed more runners to participate earlier this month than the limit they were given by the City of Cape Town to ensure the safety of runners.

It’s not unusual for organisers of mass participation road races to do this, as they know some entrants will not turn up at the start (for various reasons), but the Two Oceans overshot the mark this year by thousands of runners.

The Two Oceans board claims this was an ‘oversight’, but with the race struggling for sufficient funding, the organisers were likely trying to find a way to cover their costs.

While one runner collapsed and died during the half-marathon race, it seemed to be unrelated to the exceeded entry limit.

No major incidents resulting from additional runners being on the road have been reported.

Is it a problem?

Yes, it is, but perhaps not to the extent some people have suggested.

With reports confirming the City of Cape Town withdrew its financial and logistical support after this year’s race, the organisers will now need to find more funding (which is already a concern) if they can’t convince the municipality to overturn its decision.

And the number of runners who have complained about various other issues — including a shortage of water tables and medals, and a lack of communication from the organisers — won’t make it any easier for the Two Oceans to find more sponsors.

However, the race contributes hundreds of millions of rands to the local economy in Cape Town, and despite withdrawing its support, the city has not suggested it won’t provide the required permits for next year’s race.

So, what now?

The City of Cape Town is notoriously strict in terms of issuing permits for mass participation events, due to safety measures, and it won’t be happy that the Two Oceans organisers exceeded their entry limit.

In future, the city might crack down even harder, not only on Two Oceans, but also on other road running races held in Cape Town.

Two Oceans race director Hilton Kearns has also said they might need to charge entry to the finish area next year, in order to monitor how many people are allowed into the venue and stop the organisers from exceeding the limits of what the city allows.

However, provided the Two Oceans can rake in sufficient financial support for the 2026 race, it will almost certainly go ahead.