Perhaps an out-and-back course to Retreat would solve the problems posed by a point-to-point race …
starts somewhere in the suburb of Bergvliet ) will give you exactly the same sea views , but with 21 fewer kilometres to get there !
Around halfway into the race , as am empathic runner , I was pondering the trials and tribulations of the Cape running community . Whilst wondering whether there was a simple solution , the answer appeared straight in front of me – I saw a sign . Since you enter Retreat at halfway during the marathon , maybe an out-and-back advance-Retreat course would solve this problem ? An interesting social experiment might be to offer participants the choice of three route options and let them vote with their feet :
• Route 1 : Green Point to Retreat and back , with all the plastic you can throw .
• Route 2 : A plastic-free , protect the ocean Simon ’ s Town to Retreat and back option .
• Route 3 : The traditional Green Point to Simon ’ s Town course , with no plastic in the second half .
My race plan these days is to walk the water tables in the first half of a marathon and then walk the hills as well as the water tables in the second half . This is not a very good plan if you are running Peninsula Marathon , however , as there are no hills for 20 of the 21 kilometres in the second half , and this year the water tables were only every five kilometres . However , this lack of hills and tables did result in a season best time for me .
Sidenote : The Cape running community leads the way in water conservation as well as the # runclean movement . Although the five-kilometre gap between tables was officially listed as a COVID measure , I wouldn ’ t be surprised if this was a subversive method to further reduce water consumption and plastic usage .
Sidenote : The race has in fact twice been run as a circular route from Simon ’ s Town , in 2009 and 2010 , when the Cape Town World Cup soccer stadium was being built and roadworks necessitated a change .
Speaking of Water …
The highlight of the route is undoubtedly the stretch from Muizenburg to the finish in Simon ’ s Town , with the Atlantic Ocean a constant companion on your left-hand side . For those who struggle with delayed gratification , the half marathon ( that
The Man Behind the Marathon
With support tables every 5km and no hills in the second half , I did a lot less walking than usual
He and his wife emigrated to South Africa in 1954 from Liverpool in the UK . As a proud Scouser , he immediately joined Celtic Harriers so that he would never run alone , and remained a member until he passed in January 2019 . He had a knack for making a lasting impression , as he also founded one of the top 10 oldest races in South Africa a few years earlier in 1960 , the Don Lock Memorial Run , to commemorate the death of a close running friend who was hit by a motorist .
Left : Alex Jones on the way to completing the 2005 Two Oceans at 77 years old making him the oldest finisher at that time . Right : One last Peninsula for Alex , two months shy of his 90th birthday , with his daughter Lesley Ann
Alex ran the marathon he founded 31 times and is the holder of permanent # 1 at Peninsula . He also finished the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon 24 times , earning his final ultra medal in 2005 at the age of 77 , which made him the oldest finisher at that time ( a record subsequently beaten by Brian Key ), and he was still running the Two Oceans Half Marathon well into his 80s . He was still completing parkruns at 90 , and celebrated this birthday milestone by doing the Rondebosch Common parkrun , together with his four children and several of his 10 grandchildren and six great grandchildren .
The Peninsula Marathon was founded by Celtic Harriers stalwart , Alex Jones , all the way back in 1964 . ( For some perspective , that ’ s six years before the first Two Oceans Marathon was held ). At that time there was a scarcity of marathons in the Cape , and Alex , realising that the distance between Green Point and Simon ’ s Town was exactly 42.2 kilometres , did the logical thing and organised a marathon .
Alex ’ s first athletic achievement was as an 11-year-old when he and a group of friends decided to walk four miles to Anfield to see their first professional football match . The game had already started by the time they arrived , but it was inconsequential , as none of them had the four pence needed to get into the ground . However , they hung around outside , absorbing the atmosphere , and their perseverance was rewarded when the gates were opened 10 minutes from time . Those 10 minutes on the ‘ Kop ’ watching Liverpool beat Wolves was enough to make Alex a Liverpool fan for life ( much to the ire of the rest of his family , who were all Everton supporters ).
Alex Jones celebrates his 90th birthday with a parkrun accompanied by his children , grandchildren and great grandchildren
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