One thing that Stellies students aren’t afraid of is a challenge. With the Two Oceans Marathon (TOM) being right on our doorstep, the ambitious students of Stellenbosch University (SU) couldn’t refuse.
The TOM entries were completely sold out this year and with it being known as ‘the world’s most beautiful marathon’ as well as a bucket-list run – something you have to do at least once in your lifetime – it’s easy to see why. TOM offers something for every runner with a variety of races ranging from a 56km, 21.1km, 22km and 12km trail runs.
The entrants of 2025 truly raised the bar. The winner of the 56km finished with an overall time of 3h 10min. That equates to an average pace of 3:25 min/km! Fans were all glued to the television screen as Gerda Steyn was (once again) the first woman to cross the finish line, for the sixth year in a row, with an astonishing time of 3h 29min. The winning time for the men’s half marathon was 1h 04 min (avg pace of 3:04 min/km), an equally amazing achievement.
Some people had other goals besides breaking records. There were a few Warriors on Wheels – differently-abled people getting pushed in wheelchairs – in both the 56 km and 21km distances. Marissa Groenewald, also known as the Rope Runner, skipped the whole 56km, hoping to raise R500 000 in aid of fighting human trafficking, breaking the world distance record for rope running in the process. She currently has her eyes on the Comrades Marathon. What an inspiration!
Despite the seeming success of Two Oceans, there has been a bit of a plot twist… It was announced on News24 on Thursday, 17 April, 10 days after the 2025 TOM, that The City of Cape Town is officially withdrawing all future support from the Two Oceans Marathon due to a breach of event permit conditions. According to capetownetc.com, the organizers of the race exceeded the approved participant limit of 17 000 runners during the half marathon by allowing a total of 20 600 runners to take part. As the future of Two Oceans faces a real dilemma, runners and lovers of the race from all around the world are holding their breath in hopes that this problem will soon be resolved and that the 2026 TOM will indeed take place with the support of the beautiful city of Cape Town.
In the spirit of optimism, here are a few things to keep in mind if you are looking to take part in the Two Oceans Marathon next year:
Don’t forget to enter!
Keep your eye on their website and socials for when ticket sales open. Entries are hard to get second-hand and if you run under someone else’s name there are serious consequences.
Start training early.
According to Abigail Larsen, a half marathon runner, running 21km is no joke! The half marathon route is hilly, so be sure to get that hill-training in. To enter the ultra-marathon (56km), you need to submit a marathon time. Ensure that you are fit enough to run a 42.2km before attempting it, since you need to run it in under five hours to qualify.
Get to the starting line in time.
With 17 000 runners doing the half marathon (or, in this year’s case, a few more than that) and about 14 000 attempting the 56km, the start is absolute chaos. Be sure to get into your starting batch with enough time to spare.
Just do it!
Since it is such a popular race, there is support the whole way. I’m convinced that the vibe and cheering of the supporters made me run faster. And the posters such as ‘toenails are overrated’ and ‘pain is temporary, but Strava lasts forever’ provided a good bit of humour along the way. Exceeding all of this, however, is the unmatched feeling of crossing that finish line and proudly walking around with your medal around your neck for the rest of the day. I promise you won’t regret doing this race!
By Chelsy Rickard
