The annual Two Oceans ultra-marathon will be held in Cape Town on Saturday morning.
We pick our top contenders for the men’s and women’s 56km races.
Men
Onalenna Khonkhobe
A brave and gutsy athlete, Khonkhobe holds back for nobody, and the defending champion will again turn out among the favourites to retain his title.
Khonkhobe’s ability on tough courses was proved again late last year when he won the Soweto Marathon at altitude, and he is likely to be in the mix again at the front of the race.
Givemore Mudzinganyama
In ultra-distance running, form counts a lot, but experience can count even more, and Mudzinganyama has proved he knows how to race over the Two Oceans course.
After winning the race in 2023, he went on to grab third place last year, and many athletes in the lead group will be keying off him and eyeing his tactical decisions.
Stephen Mokoka
Many might not fancy Mokoka’s chances against such a strong field.
He’s only finished one ultra, and though he broke the South African 50km record in that race, in his only previous attempt at Two Oceans he bailed in the closing stages last year.
But he learned a lot on debut in 2024, and Mokoka is such a class act we don’t have enough space on this page to list all of his accomplishments. He should be in with a shout for victory.
Women
Gerda Steyn
What can we say about Steyn? She’s absolutely phenomenal.
Much of the talk in the build-up to the race has revolved around her potential attempt to break her own record of 3:26:54 set last year.
The only athlete to have won the race five times in succession, she has the speed, the strength and the experience to secure victory again, and if she has a good run, it’s hard to imagine anybody stopping her.
Irvette van Zyl
Since Steyn began dominating the race after she first won it in 2018, Van Zyl has been the only athlete to put up a fight in an attempt to dethrone her.
The only woman other than Steyn to have ever gone under 3:30:00 at the race, Van Zyl will be eager to secure her first Two Oceans 56km title after previously winning the half-marathon contest on two occasions.
However, the SA 50km record holder is still on the comeback trail from injury, and it is unclear if she will be able to push Steyn all the way to the line, as she did in 2022 and 2024.
Meseret Mengistu
At the age of 35, Mengistu is past her prime over shorter distances, but she is the fastest athlete in the women’s field.
The Ethiopian, who won the Paris Marathon back in 2015, holds personal bests of 31:32 (10km), 1:09:31 (21km) and 2:23:36 (42km).
She might struggle over the hills and the lengthy distance, but if she has done the work in training, she will be hoping to spring a surprise against the local favourites.
* Featured image of elite men’s contenders at the pre-race press conference by George Sithole/Hollywood Athletics Club
