Hendrick Ramaala tips Stephen Mokoka to win the Two Oceans Marathon

The highly anticipated 56km ultra-marathon will take place on 5 April, starting at Newlands Main Road and finishing at the University of Cape Town Rugby Fields, with the male and female winners each taking home R250,000.

Gerda Steyn, who has claimed the women’s race title a record five times, including four consecutive victories, is the undisputed favourite for the women's race.

The men’s race, however, is expected to be more competitive, with defending champion Onalenna Khonkhobe, Melikhaya Frans, Mokoka, Nkosikhona Mhlakwana, and Givemore Mudzinganyana—who is coached by Ramaala at Zoo Lake—all in contention.

Despite the strong competition, Ramaala, who represented South Africa at the 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympic Games, views Mokoka as the biggest threat to win this year’s race.

Although Mokoka had to withdraw after 42km in his debut Two Oceans marathon last year, Ramaala still sees him as a formidable contender ahead of next month's race.

Mokoka, a three-time Cape Town Marathon champion with a personal best of 2:07:40, remains a standout compared to the current generation of long-distance runners.

"Mokoka is the favourite to win the race, hands down. Just look at his numbers and accomplishments. It’s surprising that people don't regard him as the top contender. His profile puts him far ahead of the competition, even though I’m not sure which international runners will join the race. Mokoka is in a league of his own locally. For me, he’s the main contender. But anything can happen on race day," Ramaala told SABC Sport.

The rain over the past few weeks has disrupted Ramaala and his team's training sessions, leaving them with a lot to make up for, as they couldn’t carry out the necessary drills at Zoo Lake.

"It's been raining constantly in Johannesburg, making it tough to train on most days. My athletes, including Givemore, are training hard, and we're very familiar with the Two Oceans course. We're putting in the effort, but I don't want to place too much pressure on them to win the race," explained the 2004 New York City Marathon and 2003 Mumbai Marathon champion.

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The 53-year-old law graduate from Wits University is eagerly anticipating the Two Oceans Marathon and is confident that Mokoka is the one to beat.

"If I were a betting man, I’d put all my money on Mokoka," he said.

"Let’s wait and see, but I’m sticking with Mokoka. He has the experience to excel in a marathon, he’s disciplined, and even at 40 years old, he works incredibly hard. However, as always, anything can happen in a marathon."

Ramaala, who finished in tenth place at the 2011 Berlin Marathon, added his thoughts on the unpredictable nature of the race.