3 WINS | ||
Siphiwe Gqele |
1983 |
3:11:54 |
1984 |
3:10:57 |
|
1985 |
3:11:57 |
|
1973 |
3:24:06 * |
|
Derek Preiss |
1974 |
3:21:40 * |
1975 |
3:22:01 |
|
Brian Chamberlain |
1977 |
3:15:22 * |
1978 |
3:15:23 |
|
Gabashane Rakabaele |
1976 |
3:18:05 * |
1979 |
3:08:56 * |
|
Thompson Magawana |
1987 |
3:05:31 * |
1988 |
3:03:44 ** |
|
Zithulele Sinqe |
1996 |
3:09:45 |
1997 |
3:07:17 |
|
Isaac Tshabalala |
1993 |
3:14:20 |
1999 |
3:11:20 |
|
Images : Courtesy Two Oceans Marathon
Out of the 41 men who have won the Two Oceans Marathon , just nine managed more than one win , and of those , just two have been able to win the race three times – Siphiwe Gqele and Zimbabwean Marko Mambo – and Gqele remains the only man to win three races in a row . |
Remarkably , the eight years from 1972 to 1979 saw just four men win the race , each claiming two wins . The first was Don Hartley in 1972 and 1973 , who also recorded two course records . Next was Derek Preiss , with two consecutive wins in 1974 and 1975 , and a course record to accompany his 1974 victory . He also made history as the only male athlete ever to win both the Two Oceans and Comrades ultra-marathons in the same year – and remarkably , he did this two years in a row ! |
With the Two Oceans Marathon having been opened to all races in 1975 , the following year saw Gabashane Rakabaele of Lesotho claim not only the title and the course record , but also the first win by a Black athlete . He would go on to win it again in 1979 , with another course record , in the process wiping out the course record set in 1977 by another two-time winner , Brian Chamberlain , who also won the race in 1978 . |
Siphiwe Gqele not only won the race three times in a row from 1983 to 1985 , but remarkably finished one year without drinking anything en route . When asked about this at the finish by race announcer Harold Berman , he simply replied that he had not been thirsty ! Even more remarkable was Thompson Magawana ’ s recordbreaking double in 1987 and 1988 , including his scintillating , still standing 3:03:44 course record in his second win . Along the way , he also set World Bests for 30 miles and 50km , in spite of the hilly course ! |
Another two doubles followed in the 1990 ’ s , with Isaac Tshabalala ’ s 1993 and 1999 victories having the biggest gap between them , whereas Zithulele Sinqe pulled off two consecutive wins in 1996 and 1997 . Since then , the only runner able to win more than once was Marko Mambo , who took the men ’ s title in 2004 and 2005 , then achieved his treble in 2008 .
Marko
Mambo
Siphiwe Gqele
|
* Course Record
** Current Course Record
Derek
Preiss
Don Hartley
|
Brian Chamberlain
Gabashane Rakabaele
Thompson Magawana
Zithulele Sinqe
Isaac Tshabalala
|
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TWO OCEANS 17 2023
SPECIAL SECTION
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