The cancellation of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon for the first time in its 32-year history was a blow to everyone involved in the race and to the wider community. But the event remains a world-class city marathon and there is little doubt that the race will continue to flourish as Africa’s leading city marathon.
The spirit of the would-be participants remained strong, however, with many completing alternative runs, and a timely announcement from the title sponsor brought a glimmer good hope amongst the disappointment.
The overnight winds wreaked havoc in the race venue in Green Point, with marquee tents damaged and branding being ripped off fences and scaffolding, prompting emergency meetings during the night involving race organisers in conjunction with the Joint Operations Committee (JOC).
Since the FIFA 2010 World Cup, Cape Town’s JOC, which includes representatives from the City’s Disaster Risk Management and Safety and Security teams, medical services and the South African Police Services (SAPS), has built an international reputation of excellences in its pursuit of delivering top quality, safe events.
Speaking on behalf of the JOC shortly after the decision to cancel at 4.45am this morning, Colonel Christo Engelbrecht of the SAPS said, “The route is unsafe for runners and pedestrians as the wind is constantly gusting in Woodstock, and the infrastructure at the start and finish venue has been compromised. That’s why the race has had to be cancelled.”
City of Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis empathised with runners. “All the runners must be disappointed, as are we all. But I’m grateful to the event organisers for taking a decision with runners’ safety in mind. The City is committed to hosting events of the highest global standards, and that includes sometimes managing difficult calls like this one.”
Sanlam Cape Town Marathon CEO, Clark Gardner, reflected on months of planning for all scenarios and conditions. “Ultimately a bigger force had the final say, and we are so sorry for the situation,” he said.
“The cancellation represents possibly our worst moment. But we have been blown away by all the support, kindness and understanding from all our participants, our partners, our sponsors and our community and, in particular, by our title sponsor.”
Sanlam immediately responded to the crisis by announcing that, in spite of the event operating on a no-refund policy, it will provide free entry in either 2026 or 2027 to all those who had been registered to take part in today’s marathon.
“When faced with adversity, Africans unite,” said the Sanlam Group CEO, Paul Hanratty. “We find a way to create opportunity out of adversity, in spite of all obstacles and challenges, and we remain confident that the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is on course to become an Abbott World Marathon Majors race.
“Following the disappointment felt by the marathon runners today, we feel that we need to support all of those who were unable to take part in the race. So we have extended our support by offering them a free entry into the race in May 2026 or 2027, depending on capacity constraints.”
In the wake of the disappointment of the cancellation, runners quickly overcame their disappointment. Small, medium and large groups of runners were soon running out and back along the western seaboard or through the city centre along the would-have-been route towards the southern suburbs.
One of the runners out on the Sea Point Promenade early this morning was three times Cape Town Marathon champion, Stephen Mokoka, who completed a comfortable half marathon instead of fighting the wind in search of marathon glory.
“The cancellation was a shock to me and I’m still trying to process it before planning the way forward with my coach and team. Racing in this wind might not have brought us the times we were hoping for, but we were still ready and eager to race.”
But Mokoka fully understood and backed the decision to cancel the race.
“In a race of this nature, the safety of runners and others involved is paramount. We need to know that our safety is never compromised and rely on the organising team to ensure that is so.
“The City’s Events and Disaster Management teams have a good reputation. While they would not cancel events lightly, they always put safety first, and that also includes deciding how many participants can take part in a race.
“So we fully understand the decision and respect the reasons for making it.”
“I hope that this will not have a negative impact on Cape Town becoming a World Marathon Major. Safety should always a primary factor in all the biggest city marathons and I’m sure there will be an understanding of why the cancellation took place.”
Many of the elite runners may well have welcomed the cancellation, given the very windy conditions which prevailed earlier today. Rather than expending their energy on a sub-optimal, wind-impacted time, they will look to regroup around another marathon within the next weeks and return to Cape Town next May, typically the least windy month in Cape Town.
While today’s events may have been among the darkest in the race’s history, yesterday’s programme demonstrated the strength of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon package and what it has to offer the the Abbott’s World Marathon Majors.
None of the other cities offer a world-class trail marathon in conjunction with the premier road race, and the 1500 participants in yesterday’s three races (11km, 22km and 43km) enjoyed competitive and professionally organised trail racing along some of the finest single-track trails in the business in and around the iconic Table Mountain and Lion’s Head.
In addition, the high-performance 10km Peace Run led to intense racing and competitive times, in particular that of Tayla Kavanagh, whose 31:37 places her among the top echelons of distance running in South Africa, alongside legendary names such as Elana van Zyl and Colleen de Reuck and more recently Glenrose Xaba.
“It was a great race, feeling very grateful and blessed,” Kavanagh reflected this morning.
