The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is a City Marathon (42.2 km) held in Cape Town, South Africa, first held in its current form in 2007. Available distances include the marathon, a 10K, a 5K, and two trail runs of length 22 km and 12 km. The marathon is held on a fast and flat course, starting and finishing in Green Point, near the

Cape Town Stadium The Cape Town Stadium ( af, Kaapstad-stadion; xh, Inkundla yezemidlalo yaseKapa) is an association football (soccer) and rugby union stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, that was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. During the planning stage, it wa ...

. The Cape Town Marathon is also the host of the South African marathon championships. The marathon is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics.

History

First iteration

In 1994, the first iteration of the Cape Town Marathon was organised by Celtic Harriers running club. It started and finished in Pinelands. In 1996, the Cape Town Marathon was won by

Josia Thugwane Josia Thugwane (born 15 April 1971) is a South African retired long-distance runner, best known for winning the gold medal in the marathon at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Thugwane, who is of Ndebele heritage, is the first black athlete to earn a ...

, who went on to win the men's Olympic Marathon at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

in Atlanta, Georgia.

Second iteration

In 2005 and 2006, a separately organised marathon was also held in Cape Town.

Current era

The first Cape Town Marathon (in its current format) was run in September 2007. From 2007 to 2013 the race was organized by Western Province Athletics, under a corporate sponsorship agreement with the national federation,

Athletics South Africa Athletics South Africa is the national governing body for the sport of athletics (including track and field, cross country, road running and racewalking) in South Africa, recognised by the IAAF, and also a member of Confederation of African Athle ...

. From 2014 its name changed to the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, and it is being run under a joint partnership between Western Province Athletics, the City of Cape Town and Asem Running. The 2013 men's winner Lindikhaya Mthangayi (2:17:02) was stripped of his title in 2014 due to a failed doping test for the steroid

methandienone Metandienone, also known as methandienone or methandrostenolone and sold under the brand name Dianabol (D-Bol) among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which is still quite often used because of its affordability and eff ...

. The original runner-up Paul Manawa was elevated to first place as a result.Hauman, Riël (2014-05-27)
Cape Town Marathon Winner DQ’d For Doping
Competitor. Retrieved on 2015-09-21. In 2014, 2015 and 2016 it was accredited with

IAAF Silver Label World Athletics Label Road Races are races that the World Athletics (until 2019: ''IAAF'') designates as one of the "leading road races around the world." The classification was first introduced for the 2008 running season, upon the suggestion of ...

status. In 2017 it was the first African Marathon to achieve IAAF Gold Label Status, which it continues to achieve. In 2018,

Stephen Mokoka Stephen Mokoka (born 31 January 1985) is a South African long-distance runner who competes in races ranging from 3000 metres to the 50 km distance. He formerly held the 50 km world record. He is a four-time medalist at the Universiade a ...

of South Africa set the men's course record at 2:08:31. In 2019,

Celestine Chepchirchir Celestine is a given name and a surname. People Given name * Pope Celestine I (died 432) * Pope Celestine II (died 1144) * Pope Celestine III (c. 1106–1198) * Pope Celestine IV (died 1241) * Pope Celestine V (1215–1296) * Antipope C ...

of Kenya set the women's course record at 2:26:44. The 2020 in-person edition of the race was cancelled due to the

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...

pandemic A pandemic () is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. A widespread endemic (epidemiology), endemic disease wi ...

, with all registrants given the option of obtaining a full refund.

Other races

In addition to the marathon, the event includes the Sanlam Cape Town 10 km PEACE RUN / Walk, the Sanlam Cape Town Peace Trail Runs (12 km & 22 km) and the Sanlam Cape Town 5 km PEACE RUN / Walk.

Environmental impact

The marathon is accredited as a Climate Neutral event and achieved zero waste to landfill.

Sponsorship

The marathon is sponsored by Sanlam and City of Cape Town.

Winners

Key:

Multiple wins

By country

Notes

References

;List of winners
ARRS - Race series: Nedbank Cape Town

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

. Retrieved on 2015-09-21. {{Cape Town, sports Marathons in South Africa Half marathons in South Africa Sport in Cape Town Recurring sporting events established in 2007 2007 establishments in South Africa