SPECIAL SECTION

The course records in the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon have only been held by a total of eight men and 10 women in the 52-year history of the event , showing just prestigious a record it is to claim , that but only a handful of them managed to win the race more than once , let alone twice , or even three or four times … and only one athlete has ever managed four in a row ! – BY SEAN FALCONER

The initial women ’ s course record was run by Ulla Paul in 1975 , the first year that women were officially allowed to enter . She crossed the finish line in 5:14:51 , and that record was improved three times in the 1970 ’ s and a further seven times in the 1980 ’ s . The course record was then claimed by Frith van der Merwe in 1989 , when she finished in an incredible 3:30:36 , obliterating Monica Drögemöller ’ s oneyear-old mark of 3:44:29 . Van der Merwe averaged 3:45.64 per kilometre and also set new world bests for 30 miles and 50km on the way to her win .

Both of these records were set on the original route that finished at Brookside , which is considered to be slightly easier than the route ending at UCT , which has been in use since 1998 . That ’ s due to the fact that the old route featured a downhill or flat last section once the runners passed Kirstenbosch , whereas

Frith van der Merwe ’ s women ’ s course record of 3:30:36 stood from 1989 to 2022 .

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Gerda Steyn ’ s recordbreaking 3:29:42 run in 2022 gave her the women ’ s course record .

the current route has a more challenging uphill run-in to the finish at UCT .

As a result , Magawana ’ s men ’ s course record still stands after 35 years , with Marko Mambo ’ s 3:05:39 in 2005 the closest any man has come to the record since then . In contrast , Van der Merwe ’ s women ’ s record nearly went in 2019 when Gerda Steyn won in 3:31:28 , less than a minute outside the course record . Steyn then went still faster in 2022 , setting a new course record of 3:29:42 , with an average pace of 3:44.68 per kilometre , in spite of the route supposedly being tougher than in Van der Merwe ’ s day . Now in 2023 , Steyn has obliterated her own record , taking it down a further 36 seconds to 3:29:06 , at a slightly faster average pace of 3:44.03 per kay .

Another interesting stat is out of eight men to set a course record at Two Oceans , only three could do so more than once , and of the 10 women to break the record , there are also just three to have done so more than once . If Steyn manages to do it one more time , she will not only become the only runner with five wins , but will also become the only athlete to break the course record three times .

The late Thompson Magawana has held the men ’ s course record since 1988 , at 3:03:44 .

Three Routes , Three Records

There are effectively three different course records for the Two Oceans Marathon , thanks to various route changes over the years . From 1971 to 1997 , the route finished at Brookside , then from 1998 the finish moved to UCT . However , due to Chapman ’ s Peak Drive being closed for rebuilding and repair work , the ‘ Detour Route ’ over Ou Kaapse Weg was used from 2000 to 2003 , and again in 2015 , as well as in 2019 ( due to threatened protest action in Hout Bay ). Therefore , unofficially , there are three sets of fastest times for the race .

Original Route ( Finish at Brookside ) Men : Thompson Magawana ( 1988 ) – 3:03:44 Women : Frith van der Mewe ( 1989 ) – 3:30:36

Current Route ( Finish at UCT ) Men : Marko Mambo ( 2005 ) – 3:05:39 Women : Gerda Steyn ( 2023 ) – 3:29:06

Detour Route ( Via Ou Kaapse Weg ) Men : Bongmusa Mthembu ( 2019 ) – 3:08:40 Women : Gerda Steyn ( 2019 ) – 3:31:28

Images : Courtesy Two Oceans Marathon