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INTRODUCTION
THE WORLD’ S MOST BEAUTIFUL MARATHON
The fledgling idea for the Two Oceans Marathon was born in the late 1960s when former Durban-based runner Dave Venter was transferred to Cape Town by his then employers, BP Southern Africa. A keen runner who enjoyed marathons and ultradistance racing, Venter was disappointed to find very few marathons in the Cape, and no ultras! Having played with the idea of asking BP for a transfer back to Natal, Venter then decided to give the Cape another chance, and to try‘ improve’ long distance running in his new home city.
Venter wanted to start an ultra with a similar distance to the Bergville / Ladysmith race, around 35 miles, but neither his new club, Celtic Harriers, nor the Western Province Amateur Athletic Association( WPAAA) felt there was any need for such a race in Cape Town. However, Venter was not to be deterred, and in early 1970 he was finally given permission to hold the race in early May.
With that hurdle out the way, Venter had an easy decision to make. His favourite training route ran through Muizenberg, Fish Hoek and Noordhoek, over Chapman’ s Peak Drive, through Hout Bay, up Constantia Nek Drive and Rhodes Drive, and down past Kirstenbosch, offering an incredibly scenic route measuring the approximate distance he was looking for, so the choice of route was simple. He also found a suitable venue for the start and finish by asking BP if he could use their Impala Park grounds in Newlands, and BP donated a floating trophy for the winner.
The race flyer for the first Celtic 35 Mile Road Race duly went out, with the entry fee set at 50 cents, and runners would need to supply their own support team, or seconds, to compliment the sponges and drinks available at the 10, 20 and 30-mile markers. Race day arrived, with a small but intrepid group of 24 runners lining up on a wet, blustery
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