Cape Town's Two Oceans Marathon — famous today for its dramatic Chapman's Peak Drive coastal route and its own devoted following — wasn't originally designed to be its own event at all. It began as a long training run for a completely different, much older South African ultramarathon.
A Comrades Training Run, Not a Race in Its Own Right
The race's founder, Dave Venter, was a Durban-based runner who had completed his first Comrades Marathon — South Africa's most famous ultramarathon — in 1967, before relocating to Cape Town for work with BP Southern Africa. Once there, he was disappointed to find the city had few marathons and no ultramarathons of its own, leaving local runners with nowhere suitable to train for an event as demanding as Comrades.
Celtic Harriers Says Yes
After persistent lobbying, Venter convinced Celtic Harriers — a Cape Town running club founded in 1906, among the oldest in South Africa's Western Cape — along with the Western Province Amateur Athletics Association, to let him organize a new race. It launched as the Celtic 35 Mile Road Race on May 2, 1970, Cape Town's first-ever ultramarathon, with a modest field of just 26 starters.
The Route Comes First
Venter insisted from the start that the Cape Peninsula's coastal scenery be the nucleus of the route rather than an incidental backdrop — the course was deliberately designed to touch both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coastlines in a single loop, which is directly where the race's now-famous 'Two Oceans' name comes from. The inaugural race was won by 22-year-old Stellenbosch student Dirkie Steyn, who ran the entire distance barefoot.
From a Training Run to One of South Africa's Biggest Sporting Events
What started as a practical training solution for Comrades hopefuls has grown into one of South Africa's biggest annual sporting events in its own right, drawing international ultrarunners specifically for the Two Oceans distance rather than as preparation for anything else — a genuine reversal of the race's original purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the Two Oceans Marathon originally created?
As a training run for Cape Town runners preparing for the Comrades Marathon, South Africa's older and more famous ultramarathon — the city had no ultramarathons of its own at the time.
How many runners started the first Two Oceans Marathon?
Just 26, at the inaugural 1970 race, then called the Celtic 35 Mile Road Race.
Where does the name 'Two Oceans' come from?
The route was deliberately designed to touch both the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coastlines of the Cape Peninsula in a single loop, a routing quirk unique to Cape Town's geography.
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Editorial Team
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