Two Oceans Marathon organisers handed brutal beat-down in High Court ruling
Thursday saw a BIG win for runners – and an even bigger smackdown for negligence, incompetence and fragile egos.
In the Gauteng High Court case between Two Oceans chairperson Toni Cavanagh (first applicant) and the Two Oceans Marathon NPC (second applicant) and Stuart Mann (respondent), the Honourable Judge Yacoob ruled emphatically against Cavanagh and the TOM NPC granting a costs order on scale C (the most severe possible outcome).
This will reportedly cost Cavanagh and the TOM NPC around R400 000.
Whether Cavanagh will cough up the cash herself or turn to the NPC for help remains to be seen.
The full 15-page judgement can be found HERE
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. HISTORY
The future of the Two Oceans Marathon is in serious doubt after the City of Cape Town pulled its sponsorship of the event following a number of flagrant contraventions of conditions by the organisers of this year's race.
Organisers were on the receiving end of more criticism this year – as is seemingly the case every year – as runners took to social media in their droves to vent their unhappiness and frustration.
Runners lashed out at the organisers for – among many other things – shocking (read: no) communication pre-race, a lack of sufficient markings on the trail race, goodie bags hardly worth taking home, a lack of water tables during the race and running out of medals for finishers.
Race director Hilton Kearns is on record as saying they 'overcompensated in predicting the number of silver medallists they expected and did not have enough bronze medals'.
This was proven to be a lie by well-known South African runner and blogger, Stuart Mann, who, writing on his blog ' The Running Mann ' this week exposed the latest untruth.
Mann ran the numbers and the percentage of silver medallists in the Two Oceans Half Marathon has been the same for the last three years: 1.3%.
A mere 234 runners earned silver medals, while 17 443 runners earned bronze this year.
The real reason the race ran out of thousands of bronze medals was the fact they accepted – and took payment for – more entries than they were allowed by the City of Cape Town.
Meanwhile, according to Two Oceans chairperson Toni Cavanagh, the race has struggled to rope in enough sponsors since emerging from the Covid pandemic a few years ago.
While they appreciated the support from current headline sponsor Totalsports – and the runners who paid entry fees – they are falling short of the claimed nearly R27 million required to organise the event.
RELATED | Tributes pour in for runner after tragic death at Two Oceans Marathon
In the irony of all ironies, just two short years ago prior to taking over as Two Oceans chairperson, Cavanagh took to social media to slate the race organisers following her 'fudging ridiculous' experience at race collection back in 2023.
The South African website has in its possession a letter of demand to cease and desist from the Two Oceans Marathon NPC and Toni Cavanagh sent to Mann on Wednesday.
The South African website also has it on good authority that Mann plans to neither cease nor desist from exposing the truth.
It appears clear that the City of Cape Town is siding with Mann – and the truth.
In a response sent to The South African website on Thursday, the City confirmed: 'Following the Two Oceans Half Marathon on Sunday, 6 April 2025, the City of Cape Town's Events Permitting Office discovered that the Two Oceans Marathon race management allowed more participants to take part in the half marathon than what was approved in the official permit.
'The Two Oceans Marathon race management contravened conditions of its permit and subsequently the Events By-Law by allowing more than the permitted number of runners to take part.
'This is a complete disregard of the months of work behind the scenes to plan the logistics and safety measures in place around the event.
'The contravention of stipulated permit conditions places at risk the safety of people taking part in events.
'The sponsorship agreement between the City of Cape Town and the agreement between the City and the Two Oceans Marathon NPC is clear that any breach of permit will result in the municipality pulling sponsorship of the event.
'The Two Oceans Marathon NPC was notified of the City's decision withdraw support on 10 April 2025.
'The City provides support in kind in the form of municipal services which assist in the event safety and logistics planning for the Two Oceans Marathon.
'The City's actions pertain specifically to its sponsorship of the Two Oceans Marathon – the Event Organiser can continue to apply for permits through the normal channels, as they are required to do in any event – irrespective of City sponsorship.'
Quite how the Two Oceans Marathon plans on holding an event without the sponsorship of the City of Cape Town remains to be seen, considering the lack of funding alluded to by the organisers themselves.
Whether any other sponsors wish to come on board and be associated with the race and its current Board remains to be seen.
In addition, race founder Celtic Harriers (a club which still receives royalties from the Two Oceans brand, but is no longer involved in the organisation) has said it wants to meet with the Two Oceans board out of concern for the future of the race.
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
4 hours ago
- IOL News
Gerda Steyn favoured to win the Comrades Marathon, but the men's race remains unpredictable
Gerda Steyn GERDA Steyn is favoured to winn the Women's race in the 2025 Comrades Marathon. | Sibonelo Ngcobo/Independent Newspapers Equally motivated will be his club mate yet adversary in the form of Piet Wiersma. The Dutchman has to be considered a possible winner given how close he ran Dijana in 2023. The South African in me of course wants one of our own to keep the title home. And there are a few athletes who can do just that, the standout being defending Down Run champion Morena Tete Dijana. But that has never stopped us from trying to play Nostradamus, has it? And I am not going to start now and shirk out of having a go. The men's race on the other hand is not so clear-cut. As it is, predicting a winner is tantamount to attempting to tell dark blue from black in the dark – impossible. Sure, there are some competitive runners who are likely to run her close. But you are not going to find punters putting high odds against her not winning. DURBAN - GERDA Steyn's status as a firm favourite to win the women's race in Sunday's Comrades Marathon is a given. Wiersma showed with that compelling run for a second spot that it is possible for a foreign rookie to win the race. There is one such rookie brought here by Maxed Elite in the form of Frenchman Guillaume Ruel who could pull the rug from underneath the aforementioned duo of Nedbank, a club he previously ran for. The 27-year-old who stands at a strapping 1.87m was in South Africa three years ago for the Nedbank Runified 50km where he ran the European record at 2:47:23. He said on Thursday during the press conference that he's here on a reconnaissance trip and will be returning to be competitive the following year, explaining that he's not fully fit having had an Achilles operation earlier in the year. That could well be. But athletes are known to play down their chances and with his kind of speed – he boasts a 2:14:48 standard marathon PB - and the fact he holds the French 100km record at 6:13:41 9:51 suggests he is going to be pretty competitive. The Comrades Marathon is renowned for being unkind to highly-rated foreigners though and few have had their noses bloodied by the world's most famous ultra. In recent years the locals have dominated the race, with the Nedbank Running Club having won it in the last four years. Dijana's teammate and captain Edward Mothibi was a winner in 2019 and his second and third place finishes in the previous two Down Runs suggests he should not be overlooked. Like Dijana, he had a poor run last year finishing 16th and while he says he is simply going for a top 10, the reality is that the man they call Slender has it in him to push for glory. Their former teammate Joseph Manyedi who won the veteran's category with his fourth-place finish has found a new lease on life at Maxed Elite. He has all intentions to get a podium finish for his new employers who will have the battle-hardened Teboho Sello once again pushing for glory. He has all intentions to get a podium finish for his new employers who will have the battle-hardened Teboho Sello once again pushing for glory. The Comrades stalwart that is Bongmusa Mthembu remains a force of the race even though it appears that his glory days are long gone, but cannot be completely written off. And then there's three-time gold medalist Gordon Lesetedi who is coached by the champion-producing John Hamlett who has said he is going for victory On the face of it, this could easily be a two-horse race between Dijana and Wiersma. But such is the unpredictability of the Comrades Marathon that the winner could well come from left field. We are in for an intriguing race this weekend.
The South African
4 hours ago
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs target prolific lower league striker amid transfer race
Kaizer Chiefs have stepped up their pursuit of one of the lower divisions' most exciting forwards, as they look to sharpen their attacking arsenal ahead of the new Betway Premiership season. A source has confirmed that Amakhosi are closely monitoring Thapelo Matlhoko, the prolific striker from Kruger United. Who has become a hot property following a string of standout performances, as per Soccer Laduma . Chiefs aren't alone in the chase, but they appear to be in the driving seat. 'Now Kaizer Chiefs are also interested in him. But let's see where he will go,' a source close to the situation said. Matlhoko first caught the eye of scouts during the ABC Motsepe League playoffs, where his finishing instincts and physical presence turned heads. Kaizer Chiefs have reportedly kept tabs on him ever since. According to the source, Marumo Gallants, Golden Arrows, and two other unnamed Betway Premiership teams have also shown interest. However, it's Chiefs who seem most determined to secure his signature. 'As much as Chiefs have enquired about him, so has Golden Arrows and two other Betway Premiership sides. But the scouts at Marumo Gallants know him better and that gives them a better chance of signing him,' the source revealed. Matlhoko's current club, Kruger United, managed to retain him last season despite previous attempts from clubs like Gallants to lure him away. This time, though, the level of interest has escalated, and Kaizer Chiefs are well-positioned to convince the player to take the next step in his career. 'It's not the first time they have shown interest in him. During the ABC Motsepe playoffs last season they wanted him but Kruger United kept him at least for another season,' said a source. With Chiefs rebuilding under pressure and seeking fresh attacking options, Matlhoko could emerge as a low-risk, high-reward addition. Will Matlhoko be able to handle the pressure at Kaizer Chiefs? Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
4 hours ago
- The South African
Kobamelo Kodisang reconsiders Sundowns future
Mamelodi Sundowns attacker Kobamelo Kodisang is reportedly reconsidering his future at the Tshwane-based club. Kodisang arrived as one of the high-profile signings following his decision to return home from Europe. However, the 25-year-old has not really lived up to the expectations as he often finds himself out in the stands. Competition for a place in the Sundowns starting line-up has been very stiff for him despite being highly rated. He was only limited to just 13 appearances across all competitions this past season, scoring twice and assists in a further two. According to UnplayableZA , Kodisang is seriously pondering his future with a possible exit not entirely ruled out. Kabomelo Kodisang signs for Mamelodi Sundowns. Image: @masandawana/X Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
