World major status nears as 21,000 line up for Cape Town Marathon

The Cape Town Marathon will welcome a record 21,000 runners on the start line on Sunday morning. Picture: Ian Landsberg/Independent Media

The Cape Town Marathon will welcome a record 21,000 runners on the start line on Sunday morning. Picture: Ian Landsberg/Independent Media

Published Oct 18, 2024

Share

A record 21,000 entries for the Cape Town Marathon are expected with the race set to take place on Sunday.

With organisers aiming to secure world elite race status, it will have a number of different events including the trail marathon and 10km races on Saturday, with the headline act being the 42.2km marathon taking place on Sunday.

The race will start at 6.10am on Sunday outside DHL Stadium and finish on Vlei Road in Green Point.

There will be a number of road closures over the whole weekend, with details availabe here: Road closures across Cape Town metro for Sanlam Cape Town Marathon this weekend.

Plenty on the line

A successful hosting of the race this year could lead to the event becoming part of the World Marathon Majors in the future.

The current six races that make up the majors are Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City.

Deputy Mayor of Cape Town Alderman Eddie Andrews told fullview.co.za: “We [City of Cape Town] have partnered with the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon team to ensure the event is successfully hosted. This is one of our flagship events and partnering with the Cape Town Marathon organisation, it allows us to showcase Cape Town and all that we offer in the city.

“You got the Table Mountain backdrop, the Sea Point Promenade and a family friendly environment with these types of events. We will also be welcoming international tourists as well and the impact of that goes towards our economy.

“Most of these people have to stay somewhere, they have to eat somewhere and would in turn support formal and informal businesses. The GDP of the city will definitely have a positive injection.”

@Golfhackno1