I should probably be more careful about the people I hang around with. I seem to find myself in groups where one person throws out a crazy idea, and enough voices respond with a “yes” to make it happen.

And so, back in 2023, whilst recovering from a serious injury resulting from the latest of these “crazy ideas,” it was suggested that we tackle the Two Oceans Marathon in 2025. Coined as “The world’s most beautiful marathon.”

Now, the thing about the Two Oceans is that it is A) in Cape Town, South Africa. And B) the South African definition of “marathon” is fairly loose - this one is 56km.

For context, I’d completed three Comrades Marathons (90km) in Durban in 2018, 2019, and 2023 - the last of which put me in hospital for many weeks with torn meniscus and a very serious knee infection. Doctors told me I’d be unlikely to run again, so Two Oceans became my recovery challenge.

Race Day Reality

Fast forward to April 2025. We’re waiting outside the race expo, which is still not open an hour after it was supposed to be. I was reminded of the saying: TIA - This Is Africa!

The race itself was incredible. Starting at 5:15am and running through the suburbs of Cape Town, watching the sunrise over the Indian Ocean, then climbing through the Table Mountain range before turning north along the cliffs above the South Atlantic Ocean. After dropping down into Hout Bay and crossing the 42km mark, there was still a brutal climb up Constantia Nek. I still mentally kick myself for walking most of that hill but, once at the top, it was downhill for the final 10km push to the finish at the University of Cape Town sports fields.

Crossing the line in 5 hours 44 minutes fulfilled my recovery dream. It wasn’t the ideal result I had hoped for, but I had completed the challenge and it was an amazing experience.

In many ways, the race day was not smooth sailing. The start was disorganised. water stations ran out of cups. Some even ran out of water. A critical issue when the temperature hit 30 degrees Celsius.

In running, there’s a saying: “Control the controllables.”

You can’t control the weather or the fact that someone else’s planning was poor, but you can control your own preparation, your own decisions, and your own reactions. I carried extra water, more by luck than good planning - and it saved my race.

The Business Parallel

And I can't help but connect this back to dealerships.

You can’t control interest rates, factory allocations, or when a competitor drops their prices. But you can control how your team greets customers, how quickly you follow up leads, and how well you manage stock.

You can’t pretend scarcity won’t happen. A marathon running out of water isn’t “unthinkable,” and neither is a dealership facing stock shortages, cashflow pressure, or technician turnover. The best operators don’t act surprised - they plan for it.

Complaining about the weather doesn’t cool you down. Complaining about the manufacturer doesn’t sell a car. Think of the result if all of that energy was being invested in responding constructively instead.

And just as pride in a race can lock you into an unrealistic pace; pride in business can make you cling to the wrong strategy. Emotional discipline — being honest enough to adjust - is what keeps both runners and businesses moving forward.

The dealerships that thrive are the ones who, like good runners, know when to push, when to pace themselves, and when to change tactics altogether.

The Road Ahead

The finish line is still there. The road might just look a little different from what you planned.

Control the controllables. Everything else is just part of the race.