Two Oceans Ultra Marathon: the 56 km course and 2027 date

Two Oceans Marathon 2027: date, venue, entry

Dates: the 56 km ultra is on Sunday 4 April 2027, the 21.1 km half marathon on Saturday 3 April 2027 and the trail runs on Friday 2 April 2027.

Venue: the ultra and the half start on Newlands Main Road in Newlands and finish at the UCT rugby fields on Upper Campus, Rondebosch. The trail runs start and finish at UCT.

Races: the 56 km ultra (batches from 6 am), the 21.1 km half (batches from 7 am) and trail runs of 24, 18 and 12 km on Table Mountain.

Ultra fees: R840 for licensed South African runners, £46 for other African runners and £140 for international runners. Half marathon: R450 for South Africans (unlicensed runners also pay a R95 temporary licence), £37 for other African runners and £98 for international runners. Charity (TOMI) entries are listed at R1,840 for the ultra and R1,450 for the half, both sold out.

Trail fees: 24 km R950 or £43, 18 km R750 or £34, 12 km R550 or £25, all shown as sold out.

How to enter: South African residents enter through ballot windows on the official entry system. International and other African runners, including Kenyans, must enter through Marathon Tours & Travel, either as entry only or with a travel package. Ultra runners need a marathon under 5 hours, or a longer qualifying race, run between 1 May 2026 and 7 March 2027. Substitutions open on 16 November 2026 and close on 10 March 2027.

Race pack: collect your number and pack at the Expo. Ultra, half and trail entrants receive an event T-shirt.

Official website: www.twooceansmarathon.org.za

Checked on 8 November 2026 against the official race website; confirm details there before you enter.

The course

The ultra starts on Main Road in Newlands and heads south through Claremont, Kenilworth, Wynberg, Plumstead, Diep River, Retreat and Lakeside to Muizenberg on False Bay. It follows the coast through St James, Kalk Bay and Fish Hoek, then crosses the peninsula to Noordhoek.

From Noordhoek the route climbs Chapman's Peak Drive above the Atlantic, drops into Hout Bay and climbs again to Constantia Nek at about 46 km. The last stretch runs down Rhodes Drive past Kirstenbosch to the finish at the University of Cape Town. If Chapman's Peak Drive is closed, the race uses an alternative route over Ou Kaapse Weg.

On our map the ultra covers about 56.6 km; the official distance is 56 km.

What the race is known for

Two Oceans is known for its scenery: the False Bay coast, the climb round Chapman's Peak and the run past Kirstenbosch. The organisers also describe its half marathon as South Africa's biggest, and the weekend is one of the largest running events on the continent.

Running it

The ultra rewards a patient plan:

• Qualify early: you need a marathon under 5 hours inside the qualifying window.
• Save effort for the second half: Chapman's Peak and Constantia Nek both come after the halfway mark.
• Start in your allocated batch; you may drop back to a later batch but never start earlier.
• Wear your race number on the front and back, and keep hydration pack straps from covering it.

Frame your finish

We print the Two Oceans course on the real terrain of the Cape Peninsula, so Chapman's Peak and Table Mountain stand out in 3D. Add your name, date and finish time and we work out your pace over the full 56 km.