'Win or top 3' - Nadolo targets Two Oceans glory after Best of the Best success

Enstika Athletics Club's elite athlete, Mphatsho Nadolo, is confident that he has what it takes to secure a spot on the podium at the 2026 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon. Nadolo who hails from Malawi but lives and trains in KwaZulu-Natal is in the middle of a busy start to the season, having already completed two marathons this year. 

Nadolo racing for a top five finish at the Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon. This year he wants to end up on the podium. Photo Credit: Cuan Walker.

In February, he achieved a respectable 2:28:00 at the undulating Hillcrest Marathon, finishing second overall. Then on Sunday, 1 March, he demonstrated his improvement when he delivered a time of 2:19:09 to claim the runner-up position at the Best of the Best Marathon - 1 minute and 47 seconds behind winner Sphamandla Nkosi also of Entsika AC. Speaking to the media after the race, the multiple Two Oceans gold medalist said the event which was run on a flat course starting and finishing at the Kings Park Stadium in Durban, served as excellent preparation for the World’s Most Beautiful Marathon, scheduled to take place on April 11.

"The route was fine and the weather was good. That's why I managed to get a good time.  In February, I ran the Hillcrest Marathon where I did 2:28 and finished second overall. I was not happy with the result and I came here to lower my time. My target was 2:22 because my Two Oceans plan is to pass the 42km mark there in 2 hours 22 minutes which I think will push me to finish in about 3:09," he shared.

Nkosi (2:17:09), Nadolo (represented by his coach Willie Mtolo) and 3-time Comrades Marathon champion Tete Dijana (2:20:53) were the top three finishers in the men's race at the Best of the Best Marathon on Sunday 1 March. Photo Credit: Best of the Best Marathon.

Nadolo, aged 31, will participate in his third Two Oceans 56km race this year with aspirations to perform better than ever before. Over the past two seasons, he has achieved two top-five finishes. He took fifth position in 2024 and his fifth place finish last year, where he achieved a time of 3:12:08, was later upgraded to fourth following the doping scandal involving Nkosikhona Mhlakwana. Nadolo believes the time has come for him to produce a top three finish.

"I'm also going to do the Harry Gwala Half Marathon now as part of my Two Oceans training. It's tough race. Everyone who has done the race knows that. I have been number five twice so this time I need to aim higher. This year I'm targeting to either win or finish inside the top three," he concluded