Two Men Disqualified After Running in Women’s Category at South Africa Marathon

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Johannesburg: Two runners have been disqualified from one of South Africa’s most prominent races after entering the women’s category using swapped identification bibs, in an incident that has drawn criticism and overshadowed legitimate performances.

The incident occurred during the Two Oceans Marathon held in Cape Town on April 12. The annual event features both a 56-kilometre ultramarathon and a 21.1-kilometre half marathon, attracting thousands of participants, with a top-10 finish considered a major achievement.

The two men, Luke Jacobs and Nic Bradfield, initially placed seventh and 10th in the women’s race. Their results led to two female runners being pushed out of the top rankings before the irregularity was detected.

The issue came to light after discrepancies were noticed between race officials’ observations and electronic timing data recorded through chips embedded in bibs. Further checks revealed that the two men had competed using bibs assigned to registered female participants.

One of the bibs belonged to Tegan Garvey, who later acknowledged giving her entry to a friend after suffering a hip injury prior to the race. Another bib was registered to Larissa Parekh, whose number was used by Jacobs. Social media posts showing Jacobs wearing a bib with a different name also helped expose the violation.

Following an investigation led by race officials, both men were disqualified and now face disciplinary action. The women who were initially displaced have since been reinstated to their rightful positions.

Event organisers said such practices are not only unethical but can also pose safety risks, as medical information linked to bibs may not match the actual runner in case of emergencies. Officials added that all those involved have issued apologies and could face bans from future editions of the race.