Supplements Two Oceans Marathon Training Guide 2018 | Page 8

OMTOM
The World’s Most Beautiful Marathon
In 1970 a small group of 26 hardy athletes met up for a 35-mile race around the Cape Peninsula.
The run was organised by Celtic Harriers, and thus it was simply called the Celtic Harriers 35-mile
Race, but soon it was renamed, and today we know it as the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon.
– BY SEAN FALCONER
W
hat started out as a small event steadily grew
in size and popularity through the 70s and
80s, during the Running Boom period that saw
running take the world by storm, and today the event
is almost unrecognisable from that first Two Oceans
Marathon. Today the Ultra Marathon attracts 11,000
runners and sells out within days of entries opening, and
there is even more demand for the 16,000 Half Marathon
entries, with over 25,000 runners putting their name into
the ballot to obtain a coveted race number.
Meanwhile, another 1000 runners tackle the two Old
Mutual Two Oceans Trail Run distances, and a further
6000 turn out for the various Old Mutual Two Oceans
Fun Runs that all form part of the annual Easter
Weekend programme. That’s over 30,000 runners
pinning on a race number and lacing up their shoes
to be part of the biggest single running event in the
country!
Throw in the three-day Old Mutual Two Oceans
Marathon Expo at the CTICC, which attracts over
55,000 visitors, and you begin to understand just how
much bigger the Two Oceans Marathon is compared to
that 1970 race. But it’s about so much more than just
numbers. The OMTOM is recognised all over the world
as one of the great ultras to run, and many runners
travel to South Africa to be part of what is known as the
world’s most beautiful marathon, offering a mixture of
breathtaking scenery, a gruelling test of fitness for both
the elite and recreational runner, and an unrivalled race
organisation and atmosphere.
The 2018 OMTOM will be the 49th running of the Ultra
Marathon, with the two main races taking place on
Saturday 31 March, and the Trail Runs and Fun Runs
scheduled for Good Friday, 30 March. Naturally, there is
already talk about the big 50th celebration coming up in
2019, but that is still well over the horizon, and for now
the focus is on the 2018 event, which already boasts
the fastest ever uptake of Ultra Marathon entries, selling
out in an incredible two days, whereas the previous
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Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon / Training Guide 2018
fastest sell-out was 30 days for the 2017 event! It
appears the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon is more
popular than ever.
PREPARE FOR THE HILLS
Of course, for all the big numbers and incredible
festivity of the Two Oceans Marathon, it remains a
physical challenge. In the Ultra Marathon, runners
have to take on the Chapman’s Peak climb, then limit
the potential damage to their quads as they pound