Cape Town on path to take its place amongst the world’s biggest city marathons

With just 80 days to go before runners line up for the start of the 2023 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon (SCTM), quality and quantity are the watch-words as Africa’s leading city marathon moves steadily towards becoming the next Abbott’s Marathon Major, alongside London, New York, Tokyo, Chicago, Berlin and Boston.

Full steam ahead – Sanlam’s Karl Socikwa, Andre Kearns and Elena Meyer with Hendrick Ramaala (second right) committed to going all out for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. Photo – Stephen Granger

And at a City media function on Thursday (27 July), title sponsor, Sanlam, agreed to doubling the number of free entries on offer from 1000 to 2000 (see https://spnafricanews.com/80-days-to-go-as-cape-town-marathon-sends-strong-message-of-inclusivity-and-access-to-all/)

Sanlam’s Chief Executive: Market Development and Sustainability, Karl Socikwa, was a picture of pride as he announced that Sanlam had agreed to extend their sponsorship of the Cape Town Marathon for another three years.

“We are extremely grateful and proud to be associated with Cape Town Marathon – a partnership which has stretched over ten years,” Socikwa reflected. “Any corporate would want it – it’s an absolute no brainer to support this great race.”

Sanlam’s Chief Executive: Market Development and Sustainability, Karl Socikwa, confirmed Sanlam’s continued support for the Cape Town Marathon. Photo – Stephen Granger

Clearly with a view to attracting top athletes to this year’s race in October, SCTM CEO, Clark Gardner, unveiled a newly trimmed, faster route which he hopes will remain a fixutre for years to come.

“We have added an extra loop at the start which has enabled us to take out 90 metres of uphill climbing into District Six,” Gardner explained. “We estimate that this will equate to a reduction in time of around two minutes for the elite men and between two and three minutes for the top women.

“And we’ve tried to do as much as possible to bring back the ‘gees’!  We’ve changed the finish back to Vlei Road which will allow many more spectators to be accommodated at the finish.”

Route speed was a theme echoed by Kate Woods, senior brand director at adidas South Africa, the event’s technical sponsor. “Clark has promised a faster route and we are promising that our athletes will run faster!”

 

Hendrick Ramaala and Karl Socikwa – forging a strong partnership for the SCTM. Photo – Stephen Granger

With the emphasis on marathon speed at Cape Town, the invitation to Hendrick Ramaala to share centre stage with Socikwa at the launch was a master-stroke. Socikwa and Ramaala, both law graduates born in February, immediately bonded, sharing personal experiences of the speed needed to contend for a podium position in an Abbott’s Marathon Major.

Socikwa leaned on his visit to this year’s London Marathon with the SCTM team for his story. “I noticed a moving conveyor belt near the entrance of the Expo,” Socikwa recalled. “An official explained it was set to move at the average speed run by the London Marathon winner.

“No problem, I thought. I’ll easily be able to run a short distance at the speed elite athletes run for over two hours, so I jumped on. I think it took me three months to recover!”

Ramaala’s reflections were of his own marathon footfalls. One of a small club of South African elites who have won one of the ‘Big Six’ marathons, now branded as Abbott’s Marathon Majors, Ramaala won the New York City Marathon in 2004, while Xolile Yawa, David Tsebe and Colleen de Reuck (all Berlin), Gert Thys (Tokyo) and Willie Mtolo ( New York) are the other ‘club members’.

Ramaala is one of the best distance athletes ever produced in South Africa, having won titles and set records at home and abroad over a range of distances on track and road. Only a freak injury while he was leading the Olympic marathon in Athens in 2004 prevented a probable gold medal.

Coach Hendrick Ramaala (left) with the South African marathon team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Photo – courtesy Hendrick Ramaala

Coach of the Olympic marathon team in Japan in 2021, Ramaala is one of a handful of outstanding distance running coaches in South Africa, but his attribute is that his mentorship comes from having achieved success at the highest level.

“It’s great to be in contention to host an Abbott’s Marathon Major in South Africa,” Ramaala enthused. “I always wished that we could host our own world-class marathon. It takes hours and even days to travel to New York or the other majors and that is damaging to the athlete’s preparation.

“So many medals in Abbott’s Marathon Majors and championship races are won by Africans, yet we still don’t have a single marathon major on our continent. But hopefully this will change – Cape Town 2025 is just going to explode!

Givemore Mudzinganyana with his gold medal following his win at this year’s Two Oceans Marathon. Hendrick Ramaala will be looking for a similar performance from his charge at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in October. Photo – Stephen Granger

“But we still have to bring it home,” Ramaala cautioned. “So we must be at our best for the next two years.

“Hosting a marathon major will be great for our sport. Most South Africans will get excited and watch the race on television.  The standard of running will improve, and everyone will benefit. Elite and social runners compete together, so everyone’s chasing someone and if the runners in front are faster, everyone benefits!

“I ran my PB in London (Ramaala placed 3^rd in 2:06:55) because the guy in front was running faster and we all chased him.  Even the last guy in the field is chasing someone to improve his time! So our athletes will get faster and enjoy greater access to top races.”

Senior brand director at adidas South Africa, Kate Woods, walking (or running) the talk after completing last year’s SCTM. Woods confirmed that a number of leading adidas athletes will race in Cape Town in October. Photo – Stephen Granger

A further incentive for athletes to race in Cape Town is the doubling of the prize money. “We’ve switched from Rands to Dollars and the male and female winners stand to win $25 000 each,” Gardner confirmed. “And we’ve upped the prestige and broadcast value in line with our aim of becoming an Abbotts World Marathon Major.”

Woods re-affirmed the support of adidas, a global brand with strong ties to two of the Abbott Marathon Majors – Berlin and Boston. “We are totally committed to bringing the Abbott’s Marathon Majors to Cape Town,” Woods emphasised. “There are steep criteria which have to be met and we will contribute in two specific areas.

“Firstly, through assisting to build an elite field.  Thanks to our global sports marking team, we have an incredible field coming to run Cape Town Marathon this year and we estimate that about 60% of the elites will be adidas athletes.

Senior brand director at adidas South Africa, Kate Woods, confirming her company’s strong support for this year’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. Photo – Stephen Granger

“Building a mass field is the second area where we will contribute. This year we aim to have 15000 finishers at SCTM, bringing back the numbers to marathon running in South Africa. And we will be helping by rewarding participants to run.

“As part of our ‘Campaign to run for Africa’, we will be giving out R2000 adidas vouchers to anyone who starts and finishes the Cape Town Marathon in adidas shoes.  We hope this will encourage thousands to take part and be part of bringing to Africa its first Abbott’s Marathon Major.”

With 30 April 2024 the cut-off date for qualification for the marathon at next year’s Paris Olympics, Cape Town provides an ideal opportunity for athletes to set a marker ahead of time. World Athletics have significantly sharpened the entry-level, with men and women having to better 2:08:10 and 2:26:50 respectively for automatic qualification as one of their country’s three athletes in the field.

Desmond Mokgobu (second from left) taking up pacing duties at the 2017 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. Mokgobu will be racing the full distance in October in an attempt to beat the Olympic qualifying standard. Photo – Stephen Granger

But Ramaala remains confident South African athletes – and his athletes in particular (Desmond Mokgobu, Givemore Mudzinganyana and Sbiniso Sikhakhane) – can get there. “These three will be at SCTM in October and with the faster course they will have a real chance (of qualifying).”

He believes they should be inspired, not intimated, by their fellow Africans from Kenya and Ethiopia. “Our athletes watch them run and feel they cannot match them. Why are the Kenyans so good? When I was racing, I was able to beat them once I got to know them.

“And I know that our best young athletes are better than I was. I’m committed to seeing some of my boys winning an Abbott’s Marathon Major. I believe in SA talent, and it is possible. We can beat the Kenyans and the Ethiopians. We have the talent to do it!”