By Emma Theron
Stellenbosch University (SU) students were among the 30 000 runners who laced up for the Total Sports Two Oceans Marathon over the weekend of 10 March. Students recognised the need to train consistently for the event, but pointed out that “the world’s most beautiful marathon” lives up to its slogan and that supporters continue to define the race.
“I am currently training for Cape Town Marathon and used Two Oceans as a training run,” said Kayla Kruger, a MEng (Industrial Engineering) student, who did the Two Oceans Half Marathon for the first time. When asked by Die Matie about her training regime for this race, Kruger explained that she used a Runna training plan and that “[she] didn’t train for this race specifically, but [she feels] like more hill training is always a good idea. The elevation is tough.”
Stacey Sandy, MCom (Industrial Psychology), shared Kruger’s sentiment despite training consistently using a plan she created. She said, “I was fit, but I should have focused a bit more on speed […]. Also doing more hill work would have helped.” The Half Marathon has an impressive elevation gain of approximately 400 m, which is not for the faint-hearted.
For a race that laureates itself as scenically supreme, Kruger points out that supporters along the way make the race really enjoyable. “I think the support on the roads is definitely a highlight, and then also the beautiful mountain views along the way,” said Sandy.
The 2025 event came under a slew of scrutiny following an array of issues, including exceeding permits, an overallocation of runners, lack of water en route, administrative deceit, and a fatality. This year, the race organisers were forced to take accountability and ensure a safer, and better, race for every runner. “I think the administration of the race was much better this year; they seemed more organised and they even allowed for t-shirt size swaps, which was super convenient! The water tables were amazing too,” said Sandy, who has run three Two Oceans Half Marathons.
Two Oceans is an iconic race that emphasises the camaraderie that can be found in running. “I loved seeing so many people participate. 17 000 people running is just extraordinary,” said Kruger.
