Reflecting on decades of joy as I say farewell to the Two Oceans Marathon

By chance, this weekend, while enjoying a beautiful Johannesburg autumn afternoon, I decided to listen to an album from my old vinyl record collection.

I chose All Things Must Pass by the “forgotten Beatle”, George Harrison. The record is an old favourite of mine, a reminder of a different, simpler, and very happy time.

The song rang true for me, as while listening to it, I was starting to accept that for the first time in over 40 years I would not be attending the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon this year. (At this point I must beg the reader’s forgiveness for my all-too-frequent use of the first-person singular “I” in this short piece, but what follows are my impressions and memories of the Two Oceans, and so you, the reader, will have to indulge me.)

Ever since I first ran this wonderful race in 1983, it has been an essential part of every April, and of every autumn, every year thereafter.

“If it’s autumn, it must be the Two Oceans” has been an oft-repeated mantra.

Since 1983, I have participated in the Two Oceans, whether as a runner in the ultramarathon, half marathon, or more recently, as a television commentator.

In fact, my close ties with the race could be said to stretch back to late 1982, when I was one of a few selected runners invited to Cape Town to celebrate, and to offer advice on, the launch of a new sporting goods retail brand called “Totalsports”.

Of course, Totalsports is now the title sponsor of the Two Oceans Marathon. We would never have guessed that back then.

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My first run in the Two Oceans saw me instantly addicted to this great race. I had a dream run, posting a very strong second half, which included a 47-minute split for the 14km from the marathon mark at the base of Constantia Nek to the old finish at Villagers. I finished fourth in 3:14. I never ran Two Oceans that fast again, but still enjoyed the race just as much each year thereafter.

I always wrestled with my desire to race well at the Two Oceans, and yet do justice to the race to which I had to be totally committed: the Comrades Marathon. I understood back then, and I still do, that the demands of the two races and their close proximity on the race calendar made them mutually exclusive. In other words, it was too physically demanding to race both ultras at maximum effort.

Yes, Derek Preiss achieved the double-double, winning both races in 1974 and 1975, but both races are faster now, and the required winning times make the same achievement almost impossible.

Enjoyment

And yes, of course, the incomparable Gerda Steyn continues to confound us all by dominating both races every year (but she is so gifted she shouldn’t count for this analysis).

And so, back then after my 1983 baptism, I made the almost reluctant decision to put all my eggs in one basket and race the Comrades, while never missing out on the fun of running the Two Oceans.

Each year I relished the prospect of running the Two Oceans for enjoyment and as an invaluable training run. And the race has never let me down. The enjoyment has been immeasurable.

We all know that the Totalsports Two Oceans rightly boasts that it is the world’s most beautiful marathon. Its towering mountains and rocky mountain passes offer breathtaking views of sparkling oceans and seemingly infinite white beaches.

These include the familiar landmarks plus sights and sensations en route: the rich ocean ozone at Muizenberg, supporters at Sun Valley, the crowds at Hout Bay, and beautiful Kirstenbosch Gardens. Camouflaged by all this beauty is the “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” nature of the challenge.

Though author Robert Louis Stevenson was long dead before the birth of the Two Oceans, he could not have written more accurately about two different characters who mirror so precisely the vastly different characteristics of the two halves of the race: the first half gentle, seductive, and polite; the other, brutal, harsh and punishing.

Making mates, creating heroes

The race has offered me great characters and friends, and stirring heroes and heroines. I will never forget Harold Berman’s nasal twang at the race’s start as he guided us through the pre-race ritual and introduced runners to us:

“And we welcome 250 runners from Germany…”

I’m delighted to have shared a few kilometres with Noel Stamper while listening to his tales of the early days of the race. Noel, who for many years had earned the most finishers’ medals, and who took time off while running to leave the course and have a dip in both oceans.

In 1988, Thompson Magawana taught us all how to fly while setting a ridiculous record that still stands. A few years earlier, Vincent Rakabaele, following a gargantuan breakfast at the race hotel, took an alarming wrong turning at the start and still won.

Sadly, he died unnoticed a few years later. It was a couple of years before his windswept grave was found in the Maluti Mountains of Lesotho, where he had been born.

For a few ridiculous years, six of us ran for charity in a giant green centipede tube. The shongololo made children laugh with glee, and other runners gasp at our Monty Python humour.

On one particularly windy morning at the top of Chapman’s Peak, the howling gale threatened to blow us off the peak across the Atlantic Ocean. We weren’t alone in our madness. We often raced another group calling themselves “The Pub of Eternal Despair”.

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I still hold dear in my memory a special run with Two Oceans running legend, Chet Sainsbury. We earned coveted silver medals that day. Chet Sainsbury’s silver was particularly noteworthy because, for a runner, he was a large man who did not choose his parents nearly as wisely as I chose mine.

For his contribution to growing, protecting and treasuring the race, Chet must be remembered as the greatest Two Oceans runner – Chet and, of course, his right hand, wife Annemarie.

Greatest of them all

But the greatest athlete of us all must surely be the wonderful Gerda Steyn.

As I write this, she stands on the cusp of winning her seventh Two Oceans, and she has broken the record on a couple of occasions. But these are bare statistics. It is the manner of her victories that stands out. Gerda always finishes full of smiles and waves and laughter. She appears to win convincingly and have fun at the same time.

And so, I have to bid farewell to participating in this great race. Of course, I will still follow its progress with fascination and love, and this year I will be cheering the runners along from the comfort of an armchair in front of my television.

I will never forget the memories, the pride of earning my permanent blue number 648, but most importantly, how the Totalsports Two Oceans has enriched my life.

I started this piece with some lines from a Beatle and must end with another, from Beatle Paul McCartney, from his album Egypt Station. [Editor’s note: The song is in fact from Days We Left Behind, from McCartney’s March 2026 album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, but we appreciate the sentiment]:

“And no one can erase the days we left behind.” DM

This story was reproduced courtesy of Bruce Fordyce.

For all Bruce’s running tips and stories, go to https://www.brucefordyce.com/