NEWS
IN TWO OCEANS
news
Check out some of the latest news and announcements coming out of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon race office as well as from official staging and commercial partner of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon, Stillwater Sports.
NEXT STEPS FOR ENTRANTS
Runners who have been allocated an entry following the ballot process and have paid for their entry, still need to follow a few more steps before the entry process is complete. Early in the New Year, you will be asked to update your 2026 club and ASA licence details, and fill in the medical questionnaire. Ultra Marathon entrants will also need to submit a qualifying marathon time, which will determine your start seeding batch, while Half Marathon entrants can upload a 10km, 15km or 21km time to secure a higher start seeding.
ULTRA QUALIFYING WINDOW CONFIRMED
The qualification period for the 2026 Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra Marathon runs from 1 July 2025 to 15 March 2026. Once your entry is confirmed, you’ ll need to submit a qualifying time from an officially measured and timed marathon( or longer distance) run within this period. No qualifying times achieved after 15 March 2026 will be accepted, so plan your racing calendar accordingly to secure your spot on the start line on Saturday 11 April. If you have already run a qualifier, you can still try for a faster time before mid-March.
EXPO RETURNS TO CTICC
The Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon Expo will return to the Cape Town International Convention Centre( CTICC) in 2026, reverting to the venue last used in 2023. This move marks the TOM Board’ s commitment to deliver a world-class expo experience that truly complements the prestige of race weekend. The Expo will run from Wednesday 8 April to Saturday 11 April, including race pack collection for all races. Information about parking and transport plans will be announced early in 2026.
TRAIL RUNS CONFIRMED FOR 2026
SUBSTITUTION PROCESS OPENS IN JANUARY
If you are successfully entered and have paid for your entry, but you are unable to participate in the event, you can substitute out. The Substitution Process window opens on Tuesday 20 January 2026 and will close on Tuesday 3 March. Runners should note that a strict substitution process must be followed, and that no entries may be sold directly by one runner to another, and no cash should be exchanged.
Runners who wish to substitute out must log in to their TOM profile, to begin the process. You will receive an email with a Substitution Voucher number to give to another runner, and it is your responsibility to find another runner who matches the type of entry you had, i. e. a South African runner substitutes to a South African runner, a Rest-of-Africa runner substitutes to a Rest-of-Africa runner, and an international runner substitutes to an international runner. Once the new runner has redeemed the substitution voucher and paid for their entry, your substitution out will be successful. You can then send your proof of banking details to the TOM Office to receive your entry fee refund.
Note that a runner can substitute out of one event, e. g. the Ultra Marathon, and then substitute into another event, e. g. the Half Marathon, provided you find a runner to substitute in for your original entry, and find a runner who wants to substitute out of the event you prefer to run. This is the only way to swap from one event to another, as no downgrades or upgrades in distance will be allowed.
Great news for the trail runners is that the Totalsports Two Oceans Trail Runs are now confirmed for Friday 10 April. There will be 24km and 16km distance options, and entries will open on 20 January. Take note that entries will be limited for both events, so make sure you get your entry in as soon as they open. Also note that permanent numbers are awarded after 10 Trail Run finishes. More info will follow in early in January.
Image: Two Oceans Marathon
6 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon 2026