By Craig McKune
Sunday's Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon was run in near-perfect weather and a record number of finishers, but it was marred by the death of a man who collapsed at the finish line.
Medics on the scene said the runner, believed to be 55 years old, died of a suspected heart attack.
Race director Rowyn James said the man, who he could not name, died in the medical tent shortly after finishing the 21km half marathon.
'I was very confident going up Constantia Nek' "Netcare 911 medics tried to revive him, but they were not successful."
Protesters also lined the route on Chapman's Peak Drive, calling for the toll road, which has been closed for nearly a year, to be re-opened "for the people".
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In cool temperatures and no rain, about 6 000 runners completed the 56km ultra marathon and 11 000 finished the half marathon - the largest field in the country.
While the women's ultra marathon was won predictably by Russian twins Elena and Olesya Nurgalieva, who crossed the line triumphantly holding hands, the men's event took an unexpected turn when Kenya's John Wachira raced past favourite and three-time winner Marko Mambo just 2km from the finish.
Hailing from Kenya's "cradle of athletics" - Eldoret, in the heart of the Rift Valley - Wachira was significantly behind the leading group in the first half of the race.
'I was expecting anyone to come past' He said he was "just relaxing" behind the pack in the beginning, but he picked up his pace on Chapman's Peak.
"I thought, now is my time. I had no doubt that I would catch Marko."
Zimbabwe's Mambo finished less than a minute behind him, saying he started having problems with his shoe on Rhodes Drive.
Mambo said he first started to push the pace of the race leaders after 28km because they were "very, very slow".
"I was very confident going up Constantia Nek that I was going to win the race," he said. "But by the time I started to feel the pain, I was expecting anyone to come past."
Running his second-ever ultra marathon yesterday, Wachira said he'd lived and trained in South Africa for the past two years.
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