Kia is proud to announce its return as the Official Vehicle Sponsor for the TotalSports Two Oceans Marathon for the second consecutive year.
Kia will again lend its expertise in movement to the Race with a fleet of vehicles to provide reliable, stylish and technology-forward transport to key suppliers and office staff as preparations for Africa’s biggest running event kick into high gear.
“The Two Oceans Marathon creates a wonderful spectacle each year, with throngs of brave and enthusiastic runners set against the breathtaking scenery of Cape Town and the warm hospitality of the avid local supporters. This is a magical alignment with our brand slogan, ‘Movement that inspires’, and the world’s most beautiful marathon deserves to have the most beautiful car brand supporting it,” comments Gary Scott, CEO, Kia South Africa. “We lay claim to this based on the numerous design awards garnered by the whole Kia range, but the Sportage in particular. We look forward to engaging with runners and spectators alike at the Expo and throughout the race weekend.”
The 2024 Totalsports Two Oceans Marathon will see a number of Kia vehicles provide support over the course of the Race weekend. A number of Kia Pegas and Kia Sonet will provide Race staff and organisers the space and efficiency to move quickly and reliably along the route and its various operational bases, while the tough and versatile Kia K2700 Workhorse, with a 1,3-ton payload – will be doing all the heavy lifting. Kia’s multi award-winning Sportage will again be this year’s lead vehicle, guiding the elite athletes to the all-important finish line.
“The Kia Sportage will be stationed at the start of both the Ultra and the Half Marathon. The departure of the Sportage at one minute before the official race start will once again be the mental driving force and signal to our elites to kick into high-performance gear, ” says Race Manager Hilton Kearns. “Our partnership with Kia means our athletes will be reliably and expertly ‘steered’ towards that all-important finish line – may our elites be inspired to deliver some best performances on the day.”
Ilse de Wet, TOM NPC Chairperson says: “As a globally iconic race, we are pleased to be aligning with a similarly world-renowned and esteemed brand, which also underscores at its core the importance of movement as exemplified by their brand ethos, ‘Movement that inspires’. We are pleased that our mutually rewarding partnership has gone from strength to strength.”
Since its introduction late in 2022, the Kia Sportage – now in its fifth generation – has been acclaimed by customers and critics alike. In the past 12 months, it’s been named the winner in the Midsize SUV category in the South African Car of the Year Awards, with Car Magazine declaring it the ‘Best Buy for 2024’ in the same vehicle category. Furthermore, TopGear South Africa named it their ‘Family Car of the Year’, a category in which Sportage also triumphed in the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards (in which the Sportage also received the highest individual score amongst 39 finalists).
Kia will be present along the route during both the ultra- and the half-marathons over the race weekend in April, as well as during the annual Race Expo in the week preceding the race. More information about the various activations will be announced on Kia South Africa’s social media platforms over the coming month.