Caroline Wöstmann (KPMG) will if she wins the Old Mutual Two Oceans women’s ultra-race on Saturday be only the third athlete to complete a hat-trick of victories in the 47-year history of the race. 

Siphiwe Gqele (1983-1985) was the first to achieve this unique feat. Monica Drogemoller (1990-1992) was the second followed by Angelina Sephooa (1997-1999).

Ironically Wöstmann who trains at the Tuks High Performance Centre never set out to win the Two Oceans. It just happened. The plan was always that she should use the race as a hard training run as part of her Comrades preparation.

However, Lindsey Parry (Tuks/HPC head coach) refers to Wöstmann as a real “competitive animal”. Once she gets a “sniff” of victory there is no stopping her. 

Parry reckons that Wöstmann’s rivals in the last Two Oceans-races also made thing easy for her by being afraid to race from the front.

“Caroline was allowed to run at her own pace. That will always be a mistake. Caroline tends to get stronger and stronger the longer she runs. My motto as a coach is that if the opportunity of a victory should arise and the athlete is up to the challenge they should go for it. Caroline will always be game if her legs allow her to do so.”

In 2015 a relative unknown Wöstmann caused quite a stir by winning the Two Oceans and the Comrades in the same year. Last year she was hampered by severe cramps over the last few kilometres from the Comrades from completing the unique double again. Still, her performance was one of the gutsiest ever in the history of the race. She basically hobbled her way to a second-place finish.

Wöstmann considers it to be one of the best performances of her career.

“Those last few kilometres were a personal victory. It proved to me that once I put my mind to a specific goal I am capable of achieving it.”

She considers her second Two Oceans victory also as a special moment.

“I never thought I was the kind of athlete who can win the Two Oceans, therefore, it will forever be one of my favourite running moments.”

 Parry said he is partly to blame for what happened last year.

“In 2015 when she won the Two Oceans I made sure that she was properly recovered before she resumed her Comrades training. Last year perhaps I slipped somewhat on Caroline’s recovery.”

The one question Parry gets asked ever so often is whether it is not a gamble to race the Two Oceans to hard if the real goal is to win Comrades.

Parry emphasised for the third successive year that the goal is not for Wöstmann to win Two Oceans.

“Everything will depend on the race plays out. If she is up there with the leaders in the last kilometres and she feels like making a race of it I will encourage her to do so. I will just make sure this time that she recovers properly.”