CAPE TOWN - For the first time in the history of the Two Oceans Marathon, two athletes will be returning to run their record-breaking 45th Ultra Marathon next week.
This has never been done before, but Louis Massyn and Tony Abrahmason will be back to run the 56km race as the oldest to do it.
For Massyn, this will be his 45th race being the only athlete to do it consecutively, however due to the cancellation of the Two Oceans Marathon in 2020 and 2021, it would have been his 47th race.
“The athletes keep me motivated, and just to be back in Cape Town year after year for the Two Oceans and run along the most beautiful marathon route you don’t experience anywhere else in the world,” said Massyn.
“I foresee a great future for the Two Oceans Marathon, and I am really excited about running this year and getting down to Cape Town just to meet up with everyone again. It is great to have the event back on the calendar again.”
The 71-year-old from the Free State said this year was a huge milestone for him as it marked 50 years since he started running at the end of 1972.
Abrahamson, 72, ran his first Two Oceans Marathon in 1971 while studying at UCT, but during the 1970s he skipped a few races because he worked overseas, however from 1980 to 2022, he ran all the Two Oceans Marathons back-to-back.
“My training has hardened my body by consistently training and not training excessively, so I have been very fortunate to be able to escape injury. It has been 25 years since I had any injuries,” he said.
Abrahamson said he so far had good training but fell last Sunday, putting him behind on preparations for next week. He hoped for a speedy recovery.
“I am not really at the top of my game at the moment, I fell during my last run and I am trying to recover. However, I will run in the race but it probably will be slower than it would have been, but I will finish, that is the main thing for me,” he said.
In 2019, Abrahamson was awarded a Ministerial Commendation Award at the Western Cape Sports Awards.
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Cape Times