Supplements Two Oceans Marathon Training Guide 2018 | Page 58

HISTORY
An Ocean Dip at Two Oceans
The 1977 edition of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon saw the beginning of a tradition that lives
on to this day, taking a dip in the ocean as you reach Hout Bay after descending Chapman’s Peak
Drive. – BY SEAN FALCONER
T
he two Stamper brothers, Noel and the late
Robin, enjoyed a long history with the Old Mutual
Two Oceans Marathon. Both had been part of the
first race in 1970, with Robin finishing fourth and Noel
making the decision to withdraw at Muizenburg, since
he had not trained specifically for the race and was just
using it as a training run. Noel would go on to finish the
race every year for the next 41 years, becoming the first
runner to achieve 40 medals along the way in 2010,
while Robin would earn 15 medals.
As told by John Cameron-Dow in his book, The Two
Oceans Marathon Story, the brothers ran the 1977 race
together, with Robin seconding Noel and keeping him
company for much of the way. Coming down the long
descent from Chapman’s Peak, they spoke about how
hot it was, and how invitingly cool the sea looked. A few
words were all it took, and as the road passed the beach,
the pair left the course, removed their running shoes,
clambered down the steps to the beach and plunged into
the beckoning sea.
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Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon / Training Guide 2018
After their soothing dip, which couldn’t have lasted
more than a few minutes, they returned to their shoes,
but suddenly became conscious of the amused stares
of a couple of policemen and a few mothers with young
children, one of whom even remarked, “The loonies on
the road are bad enough, but these two!” Doing their
best to ignore this bemused audience, the brothers
brushed off the seaweed and as much sand as they
could, put their shoes back on and rejoined the race.
Feeling exhilarated by the swim, they sped up the
Constantia Nek climb, only to be reminded by their
legs a bit later that they were still in an ultra marathon,
but for many years after that, the brothers would
rendezvous at Hout Bay and enjoy their customary
mid-race swim. The tradition was picked up by other
runners, and over the years many a runner has left the
road to go for a quick ocean dip during the Old Mutual
Two Oceans Marathon, so keep it in mind if you find
your legs need a cold soak when you reach Hout Bay
next March.