The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has achieved IAAF Gold Label status. This means it is now in the same league as the famous Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York marathons. Says race director Janet Welham: “A first for Africa, and with less than 35 IAAF Gold Label status marathons internationally, this is a huge honour and achievement.”
We couldn’t agree more and can’t wait to join the spectators in the Central City on 17 September. Some of the CCID’s staff are even planning to enter events held over the race weekend. These include the 10km Peace Run, two Peace Trail Runs and the Fun Run.
The 42.2km marathon itself starts in Granger Bay, before passing through our area via Bree and Wale streets, The Company’s Garden, and Plein and Darling streets. There will be plenty of entertainment en route for onlookers and participants. Last year 19 336 took part in all the events, with 7 939 in the marathon proper. These runners came from 67 countries.
To achieve gold, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon had to meet certain criteria, which it managed in just three years since its relaunch in 2014. There were:
- Attractiveness: this refers to the history and heritage of the race, city, country and continent;
- Marketing;
- Athlete lineup: the number of participants, elite field, prize money, equality and safety.
There were also a host of technical issues, including the provision of water stations and the quality of road closures. To have achieved IAAF Gold Label status adds a level of credibility that will attract even more of the best athletes in the world. This year, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has capacity for up to 10 000 entrants, but could one day reach 50 000 like the New York Marathon!
Says executive mayor Patricia de Lille: “The City of Cape Town is delighted to be host to this key event on our growing and dynamic events calendar. Running is a great symbol of our success in building an inclusive city as the growing sport continues to bring people from all walks of life and all over the city together in their love for running. The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is without a doubt one of the biggest and most anticipated events for runners and the city as a whole. We look forward to yet another successful event and wish all runners good luck with their training and for race day.”
If you’d like to enter, visit www.capetownmarathon.com.
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