Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 118, May 2019 | Page 8

ROAD RUNNING Double Dreams vs Dreams Shattered 8 ISSUE 118 MAY 2019 / www.modernathlete.co.za SEIDLER & SEAN FALCONER T he 2019 Two Oceans Marathon will be remembered for many things, including two incredible winning performances by two of South Africa’s most talented ultra-distance runners, but also for the last-minute change to the route, due to the threat of violent protest action taking place in Hout Bay. This saw the so-called ‘Detour Route’ over Ou Kaapse Weg brought back into play – it was used in 2000-2003 and again in 2015, when Chapman’s Peak Drive was closed for repair – and would have a major impact on the race. True to his promise, Kenyan Abraham Kiprotich went out hard to chase the record, and as he crested the top of Ou Bongmusa Mthembu takes the win in the 2019 Two Oceans Marathon In the lead-up to the 50 th edition of the Two Oceans Marathon, all the talk in the men’s race was about whether Thompson Magawana’s 31-year-old record would finally fall, while the big question in the women’s race revolved around whether Gerda Steyn would aim to defend her title, or ‘save herself’ for Comrades six weeks later. In the end, both the men’s and women’s races were won in dramatic fashion, with Bongmusa Mthembu and Steyn taking line honours – the first time that both champions are South Africans since Joshua Peterson and Sarah Mahlangu won in 2000 – but it has raised just as many questions ahead of the Comrades Marathon in June. – BY MANFRED