| Cape Town Marathon | |
|---|---|
| Location | Cape Town,South Africa |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | Marathon |
| Primary sponsor | Sanlam |
| Established | 2007; 19 years ago (2007) |
| Course records | Men's:2:08:15 (2024) Abdisa Tola AderaWomen's:2:22:22 (2024)  Glenrose Xaba |
| Official site | Cape Town Marathon |
| Participants | 6,008 finishers (2021) 9,574 (2019) |
TheSanlam Cape Town Marathon is a City Marathon (42.2 km) held inCape Town, South Africa, first held in its current form in 2007. The marathon itself is held on a fast and flat course, starting and finishing inGreen Point, near theCape Town Stadium. Other distances include road races of 5km and 10km, and three trail runs of 11/12km, 22km and 46km, added in 2021 as theCape Town Trail Marathon.
The Cape Town Marathon is also the host of the South African marathon championships. The marathon is categorized as aGold Label Road Race byWorld Athletics.[1]
In 1994, the first iteration of the Cape Town Marathon was organised by Celtic Harriers running club. It started and finished inPinelands.
In 1996, the Cape Town Marathon was won byJosia Thugwane, who went on to win the men's Olympic Marathon at the1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2005 and 2006, a separately organised marathon was also held in Cape Town.
 | This section needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2023) |
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. 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 winnerLindikhaya Mthangayi (2:17:02) was stripped of his title in 2014 due to a failed doping test for the steroidmethandienone.[2] The original runner-upPaul Manawa was elevated to first place as a result.[2]
In 2014, 2015 and 2016 it was accredited withIAAF Silver Label status.[3] In 2017 it was the first African Marathon to achieve IAAF Gold Label Status, which it continues to achieve.
In 2018,Stephen Mokoka of South Africa set the men's course record at 2:08:31.
In 2019,Celestine Chepchirchir of Kenya set the women's course record at 2:26:44.
The 2020 in-person edition of the race was cancelled due to thecoronaviruspandemic, with all registrants given the option of obtaining a full refund.[4]
In 2025 the main marathon was cancelled for safety reasons after ‘winds overnight wreaked havoc’.[5][6] However, related races, such as theCape Town Trail Marathon, which were scheduled for the previous day, ran as planned.
In addition to the marathon, the event includes the Sanlam Cape Town 10 km PEACE RUN / Walk and the Sanlam Cape Town 5 km PEACE RUN / Walk.
In partnership withRyan Sandes, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon presents theCape Town Trail Marathon. This mountain marathon includes a 46km marathon, 22km trail and 11km trail which all run through theTable Mountain National Park.[7]
The marathon is accredited as a Climate Neutral event and achievedzero waste to landfill.[citation needed][8]
The marathon is sponsored by Sanlam and City of Cape Town.
Key: Course record
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| Country | Total | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|---|
 Kenya | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| South Africa | 8 | 6 | 2 |
| Ethiopia | 8 | 4 | 4 |
 Zimbabwe | 7 | 1 | 6 |
 Lesotho | 1 | 1 | 0 |
 United Kingdom | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Namibia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
