The Cape Town Marathon[a] is an annual marathon held in Cape Town, South Africa. The race has developed into one of Africa's leading standard-distance road marathons and was confirmed as a Abbott World Marathon Major in 2026.[1][2][3]

The marathon is run on a road course centred on Green Point and the Cape Town Stadium precinct. In addition to the marathon, the event weekend includes shorter road races and trail running events. The race has hosted the South African marathon championships.[4][5]

History

The Cape Town Marathon traces its history to 1994, when the event was organised by Celtic Harriers and staged from Mutual Park in Pinelands. The race continued in that form until the early 2000s, before a second phase from 2005 to 2013 under Western Province Athletics and Athletics South Africa.[4]

In 2014, the race entered its Sanlam-sponsored era, with Sanlam becoming naming-rights sponsor and the race being renamed the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.[6] ASEM Running, and later Faces, became involved in the organisation of the event.[4] In 2017, it became the first marathon in Africa to receive IAAF Gold Label status.[5]

The in-person 2020 edition was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] The 2025 marathon was cancelled on race day after severe winds damaged event infrastructure and made the route unsafe.[8][9]

Abbott World Marathon Majors candidacy

The Cape Town Marathon was named as a candidate for the first African race admitted to the Abbott World Marathon Majors in 2021, beginning a multi-year assessment process.[3] Its candidacy became a central part of the event's recent development, influencing its international positioning, elite field and race-week operations.[2]

After the 2024 race, Abbott World Marathon Majors announced that Cape Town had passed the first stage of its assessment and would proceed to the second stage.[10] Reuters reported that the 2025 edition was intended to meet the second-stage assessment criteria.[11] The cancellation of the 2025 marathon delayed the race's opportunity to complete that part of the assessment process and placed renewed attention on its World Marathon Majors bid.[12]

In 2026, the race entered what was reported as the final phase of its Abbott World Marathon Majors candidacy.[13][14]

In June 2026, the Cape Town Marathon was confirmed as the first African Abbott World Marathon Major.[1]

Organisation and sponsorship

The event is staged through a partnership involving Western Province Athletics, ASEM Running and the City of Cape Town.[15] Sanlam became naming-rights sponsor in 2014.[6] In 2026, Sanlam renewed its title sponsorship for a further five years.[16]

Course

The Cape Town Marathon has used several route versions since its early editions, but its modern course is centred on Green Point and the Cape Town Stadium precinct.[4] The current route starts near Cape Town Stadium and takes runners through the city centre, Woodstock, Salt River, Mowbray and the southern suburbs before returning through the central city and finishing in Green Point.[17]

The course passes a number of Cape Town landmarks, including Rondebosch Common, the University of Cape Town area, the Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town City Hall, St George's Cathedral, the Company's Garden, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and the Sea Point Promenade.[18] A late 6.43 km section of the route takes runners past the finish area at around 35 km before heading out towards Sea Point and returning to Green Point. The section is informally known among local runners as the "Loop of Death", a reference to its position in the closing stages of the race and to runners having to pass the finish area before completing the final loop.[19]

Other races

The Cape Town Marathon event programme expanded in 2014 with the addition of the 10 km Peace Run and trail races over 22 km and 11 km. A longer trail marathon was added to the programme in 2021.[4]

The current event weekend includes the marathon, the 10 km and 5 km Peace Runs, and the Cape Town Trail Marathon events, including longer and shorter trail distances.[20]

Results

The current men's course record is 2:04:55, set by Mohamed Esa in 2026, and the women's course record is 2:22:22, set by Glenrose Xaba in 2024.[2][21] Wheelchair races form part of the modern event programme, with the current wheelchair course records set in 2026 by David Weir and Manuela Schär.[2][22]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Known as the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon for sponsorship reasons.

References

  1. 1 2 Brophy, Selene (10 June 2026). "BREAKING NEWS: Cape Town makes history as Africa's first World Marathon Major". Time Out Cape Town. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ullyett, Sue (24 May 2026). "Fastest Marathon on African Soil as Cape Town Marathon Records Shattered". Runner's World South Africa. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Cape Town Marathon becomes Abbott World Marathon Majors Candidate Race". Abbott World Marathon Majors. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Stewart, Kendra (13 February 2026). "History of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon". Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Cape Town Marathon awarded global Gold Label status". TeamSA. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Sanlam to sponsor renamed Cape Town Marathon". Bizcommunity. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  7. ↑ "Sanlam Cape Town Marathon cancelled; virtual race to go ahead as planned". Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Singh, Kaveel (19 October 2025). "Cape Town Marathon cancelled for safety reasons after 'winds overnight wreaked havoc'". News24. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "Cape Town Marathon cancelled, deemed unsafe after wind damages structures". Daily Maverick. 19 October 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Cape Town takes a step towards the Majors". Abbott World Marathon Majors. 21 October 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Sumo comes to London, while Cape Town's marathon steps up". Reuters. 17 October 2025. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Butler, Lynn (20 October 2025). "Devastated Cape Town Marathon 'not giving up' on historic World Major Marathon bid". News24. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Results from the 2026 Cape Town Marathon". Runner's World. 24 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  14. ↑ Hemmonsbey, Keanan (25 May 2026). "Cape Town Marathon edges closer to World Major status after record-breaking weekend". News24. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon". Top Events. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  16. ↑ "Sanlam renews title sponsorship of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon through to 2031". Sanlam. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "Course Map: Cape Town Marathon". Watch Athletics. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  18. ↑ "Cape Town Marathon: Route, Landmarks, Destinations and Feature Views" (PDF). Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  19. ↑ Cupido, Gerry (18 May 2026). "Not running the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon? Here's how to turn race day into the ultimate Cape Town outing". Cape Times. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "World Class Field Promises Record Times at 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon". Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  21. ↑ Hemmonsbey, Keanan (24 May 2026). "WRAP | Cape Town Marathon: Records tumble on a perfect day for rapid running". News24. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
  22. ↑ "Fastest marathon on African soil run in Cape Town". Modern Athlete. 24 May 2026. Retrieved 25 May 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Town_Marathon