Heartbreak for runners as Cape Town Marathon cancelled

Runners woke to disappointing news on Sunday as the 2025 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was cancelled at short notice after fierce overnight winds continued into the early hours.

The disappointing decision call was made at 4.45am, just 90 minutes before the start gun, with communications to runners going out from 5am via direct WhatsApp messages to all participants and a dedicated running club captains’ group, along with statements on social media, to local radio stations, event media partners and key stakeholders.

A record field of 24 000 runners was due to line up for the start at 6.15am, with many already at the Green Point precinct or en route when the announcement landed.

On-site, the wind had caused significant damage at the race venue in Green Point, with marquee tents ripped apart and branding torn from fences and scaffolding. That led to emergency meetings between the organising team and the Joint Operations Committee (JOC) that brings together representatives from the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management and Safety and Security portfolios, medical services and the South African Police Services (SAPS).

The event’s CEO, Clark Gardner, acknowledged the gravity of the decision and the disappointment for the running community: “The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is devastated at the cancellation of our very special event. We have worked for months on planning for all scenarios and conditions, but ultimately a bigger force had the final say, and we are so sorry for the situation. We wish to thank our participants, sponsors and stakeholders for their ongoing support and understanding. 

Providing an operational safety update on behalf of the JOC, Colonel Christo Engelbrecht (SAPS) explained why the race could not proceed: “The route is unsafe, as the wind is constantly gusting in Woodstock, and the infrastructure at the start and finish venue has been compromised. It’s unsafe for runners and pedestrians in that whole area, and that’s why the race has had to be cancelled. It was a collective decision made by the whole team in the Joint Operations Committee.”

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis echoed the focus on runner safety and global-standard event delivery: “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 after heavy winds blew down some race infrastructure this morning. The City is committed to hosting events of the highest global standards, and that includes sometimes managing difficult calls like this one.

While runners shared their disappointment on social media, the organisers will be equally distraught at the last-minute cancellation. The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has been vying for Abbott World Marathon Majors status since 2021, and today’s race may have seen it pass Stage 2, meaning it could have been included as one of the world’s Majors as early as 2026. That plan, surely, has now been tripped up.

Uh oh... there's traffic chaos coming this week too!

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