Discovery Joins Two Oceans Marathon as Sponsor, and Its Bank Clients Get a First-Ever Pre-Sale
Announced today: Discovery is the Official Health, Wellness and Banking Sponsor of the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon. The headline for runners is a first in the race's history: qualifying Discovery Bank clients can secure a 2027 entry in an exclusive pre-sale window from 10:00 on 28 July to 09:59 on 31 July 2026, first come, first served, before the public ballot opens on 5 August. Vitality members also earn points for every race-week finish, topping out at 3,500 for the Ultra.
The short version
The Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon powered by BYD announced today that Discovery has come on board as the race's Official Health, Wellness and Banking Sponsor, and the deal arrives with something the race has never offered before: a way to skip the ballot queue.
Qualifying Discovery Bank clients get an exclusive pre-sale window from 10:00 on Tuesday, 28 July until 09:59 on Friday, 31 July 2026. A limited allocation of entries, including both the 56km Ultra and the 21.1km Half, goes on sale first come, first served, a full week before the public ballot opens on 5 August.
For a race where both events are capped at 21,000 runners and demand comfortably outstrips supply, guaranteed early access is the most valuable perk a sponsor has ever attached to a Two Oceans entry.
How the pre-sale works
The mechanics are simple, and the clock matters:
- Who: qualifying Discovery Bank clients
- When: 10:00 on 28 July to 09:59 on 31 July 2026
- How: first come, first served, from a limited allocation
- What: entries across race week, headlined by the Ultra and the Half
Secure an entry in the window and you're in: no ballot, no waiting for the 18 August draw, no payment-window scramble. Everyone else enters the two-ballot system from 5 to 16 August, with results on 18 August and payment due by the 31st. Discovery has since confirmed the step-by-step entry process, including how ID verification works.
Two important fine-print notes. First, the allocation is limited and Discovery hasn't said how big it is, so treat 10:00 on 28 July as a start gun, not a suggestion. Second, a pre-sale entry is an entry, not an exemption: the Ultra's qualifying rules still apply, meaning a sub-5:00 marathon (or equivalent) run after 30 May 2026. Not sure where you stand? Check your time in our qualifying calculator, and read the full qualifying guide for the standards, seeding batches, and licence rules.
The Vitality sweetener
The sponsorship also folds race week into Discovery's rewards engine. Vitality members earn points for every 2027 race-week finish:
- Ultra Marathon: 3,000 points, plus a 500-point bonus
- Half Marathon: 1,500 points, plus a 500-point bonus
- Trail Run 24km and 16km: 1,500 points, plus a 500-point bonus
- Trail Run 12km: 600 points, plus a 500-point bonus
- Night Run: 300 points, plus a 500-point bonus
Members also get discounts on official race merchandise through Vitality Active Gear, along with the usual gym, travel and wellness benefits aimed at the training months in between.
"Discovery is a brand that shares our passion for encouraging healthier, more active lifestyles," said race event director Wade Bromfield. Discovery's chief marketing officer Firoze Bhorat called the early access "a natural extension" of the group's promise, "giving qualifying clients a genuine head start on securing a place."
What it means for your entry strategy
The 2027 entry landscape now has four doors, and they open in order:
- 15 to 22 July: Blue Number Club priority window
- 28 to 31 July: Discovery Bank client pre-sale, first come, first served
- From 3 August: premium-priced TOMI entries, plus first come, first served entries for the Trail Runs, Night Run and International Friendship Run
- 5 to 16 August: the public two-ballot draw for the Ultra and Half
If you bank with Discovery, the maths is obvious: the pre-sale turns a lottery ticket into a checkout page, and 28 July becomes the most important date on your calendar. If you don't, nothing changes except the field: some portion of the 21,000 places will be spoken for before the ballot opens, which makes having your qualifying plans and club licence sorted before August all the more important.
Race day is Sunday, 4 April 2027. The countdown to entries just got a week shorter.