Cape Town - The City will host the 2024 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon taking place this weekend, with 21 000 runners, including some of Africa’s top athletes, gathering to explore the metro’s diverse suburbs and landmarks on foot.
The 5km and 10km peace runs will take place tomorrow.
Setting off outside the DHL Stadium on Sunday, the marathon race will take athletes on a 42.2 km route to Newlands via Nelson Mandela Boulevard, passing through Woodstock, Salt River and Mowbray before heading back to the city centre, Sea Point and finishing on Vlei Road in Green Point.
The race will also pass some of the Mother City’s iconic landmarks, including Rondebosch Common, District Six, the Castle of Good Hope and City Hall, among others.
“We have mobilised our staff to assist in making this a possibility in the planning phase and on race day,” said safety and security Mayco member, JP Smith.
“Our Events Coordinating Committee has worked with the marathon’s management for months to finalise a route fit for an Abbott World Marathon Majors race, and our Safety and Security personnel are prepared to ensure the race route is protected while also putting measures in place for residents to continue their Sunday routines without too much inconvenience.
“This is a race for Cape Town and we hope residents and visitors near the route will come out to show support to the runners,” Smith said.
The stakes are higher than ever with a prize pool of $50000 on offer for the top podium finishers.
Both the men’s and women’s marathon champions will take home $25000, while the second and thirdplace finishers will receive $15 000 and $10 000, respectively.
Race director, Barry van Blerk, expressed his excitement: “This year’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is set to showcase the best marathon elite field ever assembled on African soil.
“With a prize pool to match, we expect an extraordinary level of competition, and, weather permitting, the course records will undoubtedly be challenged.”
All eyes will be on South African athletes Glenrose Xaba and Cian Oldknow as they both aim to make history.
Xaba, in her marathon debut, has already proven herself by breaking Elana Meyer’s 23-year-old 10km record and reigning supreme over multiple distances. Oldknow’s marathon personal best of 2:25:08 from the Seville Marathon in February this year, is the second fastest time by a South African.
Oldknow was crowned SA Marathon Champion at the Durban International Marathon in April with a 2:29:46.
The 2023 winners of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, Tsige Haileslase (Ethiopia) and Adane Kebede Gebre (Ethiopia), will return to defend their titles.
“There’s no doubt that African runners dominate in the sport, and as a proudly Pan-African group, it is only fitting that we ensure the rest of the continent is able to unite in Cape Town to run Africa’s only Abbott World Marathon Majors candidacy race,” said Karl Socikwa, group executive of market development and sustainability at Sanlam.
“We have extended invitations to athletics bodies across our 27 markets in an attempt to identify promising top marathon runners.
“Our commitment to unlocking Africa’s untapped talent will see 25 athletes from countries such as Mali, Namibia, Botswana and more, compete with confidence on a world stage on African soil.”
The City advised of road closures and no parking areas for the marathon, which include Portswood Drive, Main Road in Greenpoint, and Three Anchor Bay Road, each closed from 8am today until Sunday.
A comprehensive list of road closures can be found here: eventsincapetown.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SCTM24-Road-Closures-V9.pdf
Cape Argus