After a week of confusion over entry fees and when entries will open, the organisers of the Two Oceans Marathon have confirmed that entries for the half marathon and ultra will open over the course of this coming week. The trail runs are  still to be confirmed.

Ballot system confirmed for 2020 

More significantly, it was announced that the TOM (Two Oceans Marathon) will implement a ballot system for both the Ultra and Half Marathon.

The announcement read, “Following the unprecedented swift sell-out of Ultra Marathon entries in 2019, the ballot or draw system will be used, in line with international best practice, as is done in other world-class major marathons.

Given the high level by which demand for entries exceeds supply, the draw system is a more equitable process compared to the anxiety that comes with the traditional ‘first come, first served’ sprint to the payment check-out portal. The intention is to give runners a smoother, more inclusive, fairer and audited process.

Draws
There will be seven days in which runners can apply to ‘be in the running’ to have their name drawn to secure an entry. This entry is subject to subsequent payment and providing any missing information by the applicable deadlines.”

There are two draws for the Ultra and Half Marathons each.

Ultra Marathon draws:

1. The first Ultra Marathon draw is for runners who have 7 or more TOM Ultra Marathon medals.
2. The second draw is for everyone else.
3. There may also be an extra draw for the Ultra marathon if the uptake of entries is lower than expected.

Half Marathon draws:

1. The first Half Marathon draw is for runners who belong to South African running clubs.
2. Accordingly, and in acknowledgment of this, those not picked in Half Marathon draw 1 automatically go into draw 2.

Entries and Ballot opening dates

• Blue Number Club (BNC) and Yellow Number Holders: Monday, 18 November 2019, PM.
• Cape Town International Friendship Run: Monday, 18 November 2019.
• Ultra and Half Marathon ballot applications: Tuesday, 19 November 2019 (opening date) to 5pm on Monday, 25 November 2019 (closing date).
• Charity entries: Monday, 2 December. Fees will be uploaded once final charity selections have been made and the respective charities advise us of their selling prices.
• Fun Runs: 2 December 2019
• Trail Runs: TBC. This event is currently under review for TOM2020. Confirmation as to the status of this event will be communicated as soon as possible.

Fees

For licensed South African athletes the 56km Ultra Marathon is R575 (including the Ultra T-shirt) and the 21.1km half marathon is R275.

Half Marathon T-shirts will be available at R275 each.

As well as the entry details announcement, the statement read, “TOM 2020 heralds a new era for the Two Oceans Marathon with exciting changes, such as an enhanced runner experience both along the route and at the Finish Village at UCT, as well as a brand refresh.”

For more information and to enter the ballot, click here

Kick-start your training!

Two Oceans Ultra 2020: Training Starts Here!

Two Oceans Half 2020: Your Training Starts Here!

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