Two Oceans Marathon 2027 is a 21.1 km race on Saturday 3 April, starting at 07:00 at Newlands, Cape Town. The course climbs about 319 m in total and has 7 aid stations.
From Newlands up Edinburgh Drive and down the M3 into Constantia, up Southern Cross Drive, and home through the forests below Table Mountain, past Kirstenbosch to UCT.
Saturday 3 April 2027, batches from 07:00 on Main Road, Newlands (Dean Street). There is no parking at the start: use e-hailing, the train to Newlands or pre-booked parking, and arrive at least an hour early
UCT Rugby Fields, Upper Campus, Rondebosch. Cut-off: 3 hours 30 minutes from the gun of the last batch; your official time starts with your own batch's gun
It climbs about 319 m in total. The highest point is 184 m above sea level, at km 13.
7 stations: water at km 3, then water, Coke and Powerade at km 6, 9, 12, 15, 17 and 19. Positions from the 2026 race guide
km 3 · 6 · 9 · 12 · 15 · 17 · 19
Gold: top 10 men and women. Silver: under 1:30. A medal for every official finisher, under 3:30
No qualifier, but you need a 10, 15 or 21 km seeding time by 28 February 2027 (parkrun doesn't count). No headphones, including bone-conduction. The 2027 route map isn't out yet: this is the 2026 course
07:00 · km 0
The half starts in batches from 07:00 on Main Road, Newlands, at Dean Street, with the back of Table Mountain above you. It is the same start the ultra runners use the next morning.
km 0.4 to 1.6 · Claremont
Right into Protea Road, then Paradise Road. The people who live here line both roads with their morning coffee and shout the runners on.
km 1.6 to 3.5 · the first climb
Edinburgh Drive climbs about 90 m in two kilometres, before you've properly warmed up. From the top at km 3.5, 140 m up, you look out over the Cape Flats to False Bay and the Hottentots Holland mountains.
km 4 to 7.3 · the M3
Over the top, the M3, the Simon van der Stel Freeway, drops about 95 m in two kilometres: a freeway with no cars on it, for once. Station 2 is at km 6, after the Constantia off-ramp.
km 5.5 · since 1998
The half marathon joined the Two Oceans in 1998, the year the race moved to its start in Newlands and its finish at UCT: 3,593 runners entered that first year. 2027 is its 28th edition, with 21,000 places, and it sells out every year.
km 7.3 to 10.3 · Constantia
Kendal Road, a hairpin on Spaanschemat River Road, then Ladies Mile and Parish Road through the Constantia valley, one of the oldest wine regions in the southern hemisphere. Groot Constantia, on your left below the mountain, was Simon van der Stel's farm from 1685; its sweet Vin de Constance was shipped to Napoleon in exile on St Helena.
km 10.3 to 13 · the big climb
The climb the half is known for: about 120 m in 2.7 km, up through Constantia to Rhodes Drive. It is steep, it seems to go on for ever, and it's where many runners first walk. Bands and crowds line the way. The top, 185 m at km 13, is the highest point of the course.
km 13 to 16 · Rhodes Drive
The top of Southern Cross Drive at km 13 is the highest point of the race. Then Rhodes Drive runs through the shade of Cecilia Forest on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, with a gentle rise to km 15.5. Station 5 is at km 15.
km 15.5 to 17 · Kirstenbosch
On your left is Kirstenbosch, a botanical garden since 1913, on land Cecil Rhodes left to the nation: 528 hectares on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. At km 15.5 you pass Van Riebeeck's Hedge, wild almond trees planted in 1660 along the edge of the Dutch colony; parts of it are still growing. Station 6 is at the main gate, km 17.
km 18.5 to 20.7 · Union Avenue
Union Avenue runs below Newlands Forest. Near the end comes Chet's Hill, a short rise of about 15 m named after Chet Sainsbury, race director from 1981 to 2008. On any other day you wouldn't notice it.
km 21.1 · UCT
Into the University of Cape Town and onto the rugby fields of Upper Campus, below Devil's Peak. UCT began in 1829 as the South African College; Upper Campus was built on Rhodes' Groote Schuur estate between 1928 and 1930. Medals: gold for the top 10 men and women, silver under 1:30, and a medal for every official finisher.
Route: GPS tracks from the 2026 race, checked against the organisers' 2026 route map. Hydration stations: the 2026 race guide