How the Discovery Bank Two Oceans Pre-Sale Will Work: Five Steps, One ID Number, 72 Hours

The short version

Two weeks out from the window, Discovery Bank has emailed clients the mechanics of its first-ever Two Oceans pre-sale, and the headline detail is how entry verification will work: your South African ID number (or passport number, for foreign nationals) is the key. It confirms your qualifying Discovery Bank account, and it must match the details on your Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon profile.

The 72-hour early access window opens at 10:00 on Tuesday, 28 July 2026, entries are limited and strictly first come, first served, payment is with a qualifying Discovery Bank card, and each account is limited to one entry. One more deadline hides in the fine print: anyone opening a Discovery Bank account to get in must do so before midnight on Friday, 24 July, with the account active by Sunday, 26 July. Get through checkout and you've skipped the ballot entirely for the 2027 race, running 31 March to 4 April in Cape Town.

The five steps

According to Discovery Bank's client mailer, securing an entry works like this:

1. Open the race entry page when the window opens at 10:00 on 28 July. Discovery is also linking clients directly from its own comms.
2. Enter your South African ID number, or your passport number if you're a foreign national, to confirm your qualifying Discovery Bank account.
3. Your details must match your Two Oceans Marathon profile. The system cross-checks the ID number you enter against the race profile, so any mismatch stops you at the door.
4. Complete your race registration details.
5. Complete payment to secure your entry, using your qualifying Discovery Bank card. One entry per account, no exceptions.

No ballot, no waiting for the 18 August draw. Payment at checkout is confirmation.

What to sort out before 28 July

The process is simple, but step 3 is where a first-come, first-served race entry can go wrong. Two weeks is exactly enough time to fix the things that would slow you down at 10:00:

• Check your Two Oceans profile now. Log in to the race entry system and make sure your name, ID or passport number and personal details match what Discovery Bank has on file. A typo in an ID number is the difference between checkout and a support queue while the allocation sells out.
• Confirm your account qualifies. Discovery Bank's Two Oceans FAQs name four qualifying products: the Discovery Bank Transaction Account, Credit Card Account, Suite and the Ðiscovery Account. A savings account on its own does not qualify; savings-only clients need to upgrade to one of the four.
• Not a client yet? Your deadline is even earlier. New clients (and savings-only clients upgrading) must open a qualifying account before midnight on Friday, 24 July 2026, and the account must be activated by Sunday, 26 July. Bank account approval isn't instant, so if you're opening an account for this, start now.
• Know which race you're entering. The pre-sale covers all five race-week events: the 56km Ultra, the 21.1km Half, the Trail Runs, the Night Run and the International Friendship Run. If it's the Ultra, remember the pre-sale gets you an entry, not an exemption: you still need a sub-5:00 marathon qualifier (or equivalent) run after 30 May 2026. Check your time in our qualifying calculator, and see the full qualifying guide for standards and seeding.
• Treat 10:00 as a start gun. Discovery hasn't said how big the allocation is, only that it's limited, that early access doesn't guarantee an entry, and that the window closes early if entries sell out before the 72 hours are up. The safe assumption is that the Ultra and Half allocations move fast on the first morning.
• Buy your own entry. Entries are non-transferable under the event's terms, and each account gets one. There's no grabbing a bib for a partner or clubmate on your account.