Two Oceans 2027: Substitution and Charity Entry Dates Confirmed
The ballot is done and the next doors have dates on them. The official substitution window opens on 16 November 2026 for both races, closing 10 March 2027 for the Ultra and a full nine days earlier, on 1 March 2027, for the Half. Charity entries go on sale from October, and the official Training Run series starts in November. If you missed out in August, these are your routes to the start line.
The short version
The 2027 ballot drew a record volume of applications during the 5 to 16 August window, and plenty of good runners came out the other side without an entry. Two Oceans has now put dates on what comes next.
- Substitutions, Ultra: open 16 November 2026, close 10 March 2027 (midnight)
- Substitutions, Half: open 16 November 2026, close 1 March 2027 (midnight)
- Charity entries: available from October 2026
- Training Runs: the official TTOM series kicks off in November
- Race weekend: Half on Saturday 3 April 2027, Ultra on Sunday 4 April 2027
Note the gap between the two substitution deadlines. The Half closes nine days sooner than the Ultra, which is exactly the kind of detail that catches people out in a busy March.
How the substitution route actually works
A substitution is a formal handover of an existing entry. Somebody who can no longer run gives up their place, you take it over, and the race records the change officially. It is the only legitimate way to change hands, and it runs through the event's own system rather than through a WhatsApp group.
Both directions are covered by the same window:
- If you can no longer run, you can release your entry rather than write off the fee entirely.
- If you are looking for a place, you can take over an entry from a runner who is stepping away.
Two things worth being blunt about.
Substitutions depend entirely on somebody else pulling out. There is no cap being released here, no second allocation, no queue that moves on its own. The supply is other people's changed plans, which means the route is real but unpredictable, and it gets busier the closer race weekend comes.
The buying and selling of entries outside this process is not allowed. Bibs traded privately are not transferred, the timing chip still belongs to the original entrant, and races routinely disqualify both parties when they find out. Use the official window, keep the paperwork, and start under your own name.
Expect an administration fee for the transfer. Two Oceans has charged R210 for like-for-like substitutions in recent cycles, and the official process will confirm the 2027 figure when the window opens.
The Ultra still needs a qualifier, however you get in
This is the part that catches substitution runners more than anybody else, because the entry often arrives late in the cycle.
Taking over an Ultra place does not inherit the previous runner's qualifying time. You need your own sub-5:00 marathon, or the equivalent at a longer distance, run after 30 May 2026, loaded on the entry system before the profile update deadline. Your qualifier also sets your start batch, so a place that lands in February with no qualifier behind it is a stressful place to be.
Check a time you already have, or one you are chasing:
If you are picking up an entry in the substitution window, work backwards from the closing date and get the marathon done in the October to December season rather than hunting one in March. The full qualifying rules are here, and you can find a qualifying race and build a plan for it in an afternoon.
The Half has no qualifying requirement, which is part of why its ballot was the harder of the two to win.
Charity entries: the route that does not depend on luck
Charity entries open in October, ahead of the substitution window, and they are the most dependable way in for a runner who missed the draw.
The trade is simple. You commit to raising money for an official charity partner, and in return you get a confirmed place rather than another maybe. Unlike substitutions, the supply does not depend on somebody else's cancelled plans, and unlike the ballot, there is no draw to lose.
It is also the only way to race both the Half and the Ultra over the same weekend. The ballot never offered a double: runners drawn in both took their preferred event only. If racing Saturday and Sunday was the plan, a charity entry for the second race is the route.
Full details, partners and pricing land with the October launch. If the budget stretches and April 2027 matters to you, this is the one to diarise.
The Training Runs start in November
The other date worth writing down is not an entry date at all.
The official TTOM Training Run series kicks off in November, running through the build to race weekend. These are targeted sessions on the roads you will actually race, and for anyone taking on Chapman's Peak and Constantia Nek for the first time, that is worth more than another solo long run on flat suburban tarmac.
The full line-up is still to be announced, so keep an eye on the event's social feeds. Slot them into your build early, because a training run that clashes with your qualifying marathon helps nobody.
Dates to diarise
- October 2026: charity entries become available
- October to December 2026: SA marathon season, prime time for your Ultra qualifier
- November 2026: the official TTOM Training Run series begins
- Monday 16 November 2026: substitution window opens for both the Half and the Ultra
- Monday 1 March 2027, midnight: Half Marathon substitutions close
- Wednesday 10 March 2027, midnight: Ultra Marathon substitutions close
- Saturday 3 April 2027: Totalsports Two Oceans Half Marathon
- Sunday 4 April 2027: Totalsports Two Oceans Ultra Marathon
Two dates, two different deadlines, and one of them is nine days earlier than the other. If the Half is your race, 1 March is your line in the sand. If it is the Ultra, you have until 10 March, and you still need the qualifier that nobody can run for you. Find a marathon, build the plan, and send this to the clubmate still refreshing their ballot email.