10 Dec ‘New Era’ for TWO Oceans Marathon Board
Debra Barnes, race director of the Two Oceans Marathon, is confident that the new board elected on Wednesday evening will lead the iconic race into a “new era”.
The newly elected directors Sipho (Seeps) Evans, Aubrey Isaacs, Elizabeth (Liezel) Short, Paul Murphy and Keith Temmers will join Graham Bentz, Hilton Kearns, Thozama Koli, Safwaan Lewis, Barry Matthew, Allan Ryninks and William Swartbooi to complete the Board for 2020/21.
The new TOM NPC Chairperson will be elected when the new board convenes for the first time on Monday, 14 December 2020.
Barnes says she is very excited because the new board comprises dynamic new people who can add a lot of value with the different skills they bring to the table.
The Two Oceans Marathon, founded in 1970, celebrated its 51st year of existence this year. The Gold Label Status race traditionally held on Easter Saturday, could not take place this year due to the disruptions caused by the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.
Barnes believes that the situation around the pandemic should be embraced rather than being an impediment to the development of the race.
“I believe Covid-19 has allowed us to think differently and to look at things differently. I think the situation should seen as an opportunity to take the Two Oceans on a new trajectory,” says Barnes.
“I’m particularly excited about the new board members because they come with expertise across multiple industries that can only benefit the Two Oceans Marathon not only from a governance perspective, but also as a brand whilst at the same time maintaining the whole stature of the Two Oceans Marathon as an iconic event. I think the new board members will contribute immensely to achieving that goal,” she explains.
Barnes believes the skillsets of the board members will not only bring resourcefulness from a management perspective, but it will add to the stature of the race.
“It is exciting for me that they (the new board members) are not only different in their expertise, but they are also representative of the running community. I am confident they will make a valuable contribution in this regard. “
For Barnes, the involvement and partnering of communities and clubs with the Two Oceans Marathon, is perhaps one of the most important aspects of her mandate as a race director.
“We need to serve the communities that support us. And here I am talking about the running community across all the demographic groups of which the board is representative.”
According to Barnes, she will ensure that her team does everything in their power to put everything in place to ensure the race takes place.
“The only thing that could possibly hinder whether the race takes place or not is the situation regarding the government’s regulations in terms of Covid-19.
“The format that the race will take will also determine what kind of limitation will be set within that framework. We are planning for the event to happen. Its just the scale and the format that must be determined.
“The race can only happen by engaging and partnering with the City of Cape Town and athletics federations to make sure that we are complying. We have an opportunity to put an event together and will only be limited by Covid-19 regulations and government restrictions that is unfortunately out of our hands.
Even though the Two Oceans Marathon currently do not have a title sponsor, it was confirmed by the financial report at the AGM, that the organisation is still in a strong financial position that will allow it to continue hosting the race without a sponsor.
“Obviously, we would like to be in a position to have a headline sponsor. However, because of good business practices over the years, the Two Oceans Marathon, can sustain the event well into the future.
“It is a model that has been developed by past board members and people who have really turned things around as to how we operate as an event and as a business. That allows us to comfortably say we will be able to still host an event or two without a big cash injection from a sponsor.”
Barnes confirmed there is an agreement between the SABC and Athletics South Africa (ASA) that commits the national broadcaster to cover Two Oceans as part of that agreement.
“We are very comfortable that whatever event we host, the SABC will be on board.”
Barnes strongly feels that as a Non-Profit Organisation (NPC), the benefit of the Two Oceans Marathon must be felt within the community.
“The Two Oceans Marathon Initiative (TOMI) is something that we are really hoping to amplify and put at the forefront in what we are hoping to achieve.
“The club partnerships and how we engage with them is something that we want to encourage as much as possible. We got great plans to work and collaborate with clubs and establish purpose-led partnerships with other events,” she adds.
