Two Oceans Champions ‘champing at the bit’ to defend their titles

By Stephen Granger

Three years after their impressive victories in the Two Oceans 56km Ultra-marathon, Bongmusa Mthembu and Gerda Steyn will line up in defence of their titles, every bit as enthusiastic about racing the “The World’s Most Beautiful Marathon” as they were in 2019.

The COVID pandemic put paid to two years of Two Oceans history – the only external influence to have halted Cape Town’s unique foot race since its origin in 1970 – but with government relaxing its strict COVID protocols, the green light has again been given to mass events. Many of the continents leading ultra-distance athletes can’t wait for the traditional sound of the fish horn signalling the start of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon (TTOM).

In particular, the defending champions Mthembu and Steyn are ‘champing at the bit’, straining to be given free reign and gallop home in fast times which they hope will once again gain them a place on top of the podium.

Mthembu and Steyn have not been idle during the pandemic pause. They have impressed with their speed over the marathon and sub-marathon distances. Especially Steyn has excelled over shorter distances and now holds the national marathon record, having eclipsed the legendary Colleen de Reuck’s long-standing mark with a superb 2 hr 25 min 28 sec run in Italy last April. Steyn is also among the top ten of all time in South Africa over 10km.

Running an ultra, however, is a different challenge, especially one as testing as the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon (TTOM) with several major hill climbs to negotiate. Any athlete hoping to dethrone the champions will be hoping that the champions may have sacrificed the strength and endurance necessary for the Oceans in becoming super-fast athletes.

Mthembu has trained hard and as professionally as ever but is conscious about his relative lack of recent ultra-racing. “I’m going to give the Two Oceans everything I can,” said the three-times Comrades Marathon champion last week from his training base at a Lesotho Mountain Lodge near the top of Sani Pass.

“But the last two years have not been normal. Everything was different, especially the racing, and we all had to adapt to what was there. So I can’t tell yet how it will go, even though I’m feeling quite strong.  We have had limited opportunity for racing ultras, so my focus over the past two years has been more on shorter distances, up to the marathon.”

Mthembu raced to his marathon PB with an impressive performance in winning the Cape Town leg of the 2020 Cape Town Marathon in 2:17:31 and underlined his ultra-marathon prowess in last year’s Nedbank Runified 50km in Gqeberha – his single ultra-distance race during the COVID years – where he placed 6^th in 2:43:11 in a world-class field. Short of his best distance, Mthembu nonetheless finished 7 seconds inside the previous world record.

“Although racing marathons has helped my speed, my primary focus and strength is ultra-marathoning and Comrades in particular, so it could take some time to get back into the routine and fitness of an ultra-distance runner,” Mthembu admitted.

“Lesotho has produced some top distance runners who have won many high-profile ultra-distance races on the continent. I live at low altitude and I’ve benefitted significantly from training with some of Lesotho athletes in high-altitude conditions. I’m hoping that will benefit me when I race at sea-level in Cape Town.”

Comrades Marathon and the World 100km Championship are both priority races for Mthembu – he placed an impressive second in the 2016 World 100km Championship in Spain – but the change of date of the Comrades Marathon date to August this year has made a 2022 ‘double’ impossible, with the 90km race between Durban and Pietermaritzburg scheduled just one day after the World Championship in Berlin, Germany.

“I have not finally made up my mind on this one,” admitted Mthembu.  “But the Comrades is our favourite race, and I can’t see that I would not be on the start line this year. Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about race clashes at Two Oceans and I look forward to giving it a full go again this year!”

Steyn has achieved remarkable success since winning the Oceans title three years ago – and coming within less than a minute of Frith van der Merwe’s ‘unbeatable’ record.  With top ten finishes against the world’s best at big city marathons, bagging the South African record and running a solid 15^th in tough conditions at the Olympic Marathon in Japan, Steyn is rightly regarded as her country’s ‘golden girl’ of distance running.

Steyn has also rung the changes, signing with new coach Andrew Booyens, new club University of Johannesburg and new sponsor adidas at the start of the year. The Free State-born athlete is itching to return to her first love, however – running long distances on the road and eagerly awaits Easter Sunday.  

“I am extremely excited and happy about the return of Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon after three years of missing out on the privilege of lining up for this very special race! And I’m most excited about the fact that is it back to its original format with a near-normal size field too.”

But will Steyn find herself short on the strength and endurance needed to race beyond the standard marathon? The Johannesburg, Dubai and French Alps-based athlete does not believe so. “When I started running, I was immediately attracted to endurance and the challenge of running ultra-marathons,” Steyn explained. “Even though I have been focusing on the marathon distance for the past few years, I haven’t forgotten how to run an ultra! 

“Two oceans is unique – it’s still a very fast race so I am hoping that the experience I have gained in terms of racing highly competitive marathons in the past two years will give me an extra gear in the Two Oceans as well.  I haven’t raced an ultra-marathon since 2019 but I did a 50km in training a few weeks ago, which was a reminder of how much I love the ultra-distances!” 

Many felt Steyn could have taken Van der Merwe’s record in 2019, had she not slowed up marginally in the latter stages, possibly with a view to protect herself for the upcoming Comrades Marathon. “I thought then that I would be back within a year to have a full go at the record,” admitted Steyn. “I never thought it would be three years!

“But my main goal for this year’s race is to defend my title and run a strong race. I want to run smart and make sure that I conserve enough energy to climb Constantia Nek and finish strongly on the downhills. I think that chasing a record time would not be a smart way to approach the race. I respect the distance and know how a situation can change very quickly so defending my title is what I really want to walk away with.”

Perhaps more than most, Steyn is conscious of the history of the event and of the pioneers who trod the early footsteps of the Two Oceans. “I love that Oceans is a race with a rich history and I hope that many years from now, I would be able to say that I have inspired others to become a part of the TTOM community too,” Steyn said.

“I’ve read up on its history and have watched a lot of the Two Oceans footage from previous years. It’s important to understand the magnitude of the race and realise what you become a part of when you line up for this special race.”

With Steyn’s new sponsor, adidas, having its HQ in Cape Town, Steyn will not lack for local support, but more than that she will also have her family ‘in her corner’ on race day. “Both my parents will be in Cape Town, which is extremely special for me. Duncan (her husband) will also be there and knowing that they are all out there cheering for me makes me feel like I’m doing it for more than just myself,” Steyn admitted.

“I know from running Cape Town Marathon that there will be a huge amount of support out on the route so I look forward to seeing everyone and really want to make everyone proud. You can’t beat racing on home soil, and a bonus of having your family right by your side is priceless!

“My transition to adidas has been such a joyous experience and I look forward to running my first race in adidas kit,” Steyn enthused. “The adidas runners will also be assisting me on race day, and I’ve been really grateful for everything they’ve done for me, making me feel so welcome and part of their community too.”