Two women runners initially finished outside the top 10 in the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town before bib swap spotted.By The Associated PressPublished On 17 Apr 202617 Apr 2026Two men have been disqualified from one of South Africa’s flagship marathon races after they finished in the top 10 of the women’s race.Their attempt at swapping bibs, which bear the identification numbers worn by racers, resulted in two women runners initially finishing outside the top 10 in the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town on April 12.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe annual Two Oceans race is one of South Africa’s iconic marathons and includes a 56km (34.7-mile) ultramarathon and a 21.1km (13.1-mile) half-marathon. The event attracts more than 16,000 participants, and finishing among the top 10 is a significant achievement for most runners.The two men, Luke Jacobs and Nic Bradfield, finished seventh and 10th. They were disqualified after a marathon board member uncovered the deception. The women runners who had been bumped were subsequently recognised for their legitimate finishes.Jacobs and Bradfield will face disciplinary processes by the marathon’s disciplinary subcommittee, said Two Oceans Marathon board member Stuart Mann, who helped uncover the cheating, which overshadowed the performance of honest runners.Swapping bibs is unethical and riskyExchanging bibs with another marathoner has become more common while also carrying far-reaching consequences, Mann said.“Not only is it considered unethical, but it also poses health and medical risks in case of an emergency, as wrong medication may be administered to a wrong person,” Mann said.Swapping numbers can result from different motivations, Mann explained. For …
