CAPE TOWN MARATHON HISTORY: FROM LOCAL CLUB RACE TO WORLD MARATHON MAJORS CANDIDATE

The Cape Town Marathon ran for the first time in 1994 as a Celtic Harriers running club event. The current format began in September 2007 under Western Province Athletics. The race added Sanlam title sponsorship in 2014, achieved Gold Label status in 2017 as the first African marathon to do so, and entered the Abbott World Marathon Majors candidate process in 2021. The 2026 edition will run on May 24 as the race continues its path toward potentially becoming Africa's first Major.

The 1994 Origins and the 2007 Restart

Celtic Harriers, a Cape Town running club, organized the first iteration of the marathon in 1994. That early version operated as a regional event, not yet positioning itself for the international elite circuit. The format and operations changed significantly in 2007, when the race was reformed under Western Province Athletics in partnership with Athletics South Africa. The September 2007 edition is generally cited as the start of the modern Cape Town Marathon.

From 2007 through 2013, Western Province Athletics organized the race with a sponsorship agreement with Athletics South Africa. The course used roads through Green Point and along the Atlantic Seaboard, with the V&A Waterfront and Table Mountain backdrop becoming defining visual features that distinguished Cape Town from other African marathons.

The Sanlam Era (2014-Present)

The race rebranded as the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in 2014 under a partnership between Western Province Athletics, the City of Cape Town, and Asem Running. The Sanlam sponsorship marked the start of the race's deliberate move toward international elite status. The same year, World Athletics granted the marathon Silver Label status, the second-highest tier on the international marathon hierarchy.

The Silver Label held through 2014, 2015, and 2016. In 2017, the race was upgraded to Gold Label status, making it the first marathon in Africa to achieve the designation. The Gold Label requires deep elite fields, strict course certification, and operational standards that few African races had reached at the time.

The Elite Era

Asefa Mengistu Negewo of Ethiopia won the 2017 men's race in 2:10:01. Stephen Mokoka of South Africa won the men's race in 2018, 2021, and 2022 in 2:08:31, 2:10:01, and 2:09:58 respectively, the most successful men's run by any athlete in the modern era of the race. Mokoka's 2:08:31 in 2018 stood as the men's course record for several years.

Helalia Johannes of Namibia won the 2018 women's race in 2:29:28. Celestine Chepchirchir of Kenya won 2019 in 2:26:44. Edwin Koech of Kenya won the 2019 men's race in 2:09:20.

The 2020 edition ran as a smaller event due to COVID-19 restrictions. Edward Mothibi of South Africa won the men's race in 2:16:48, with Annie Bothma of South Africa winning the women's race in 2:33:35. Both times reflected reduced field sizes and the absence of international elites.

The 2021 and 2022 editions returned to international standards. Stephen Mokoka won both men's titles. Lydia Simiyu of Kenya took the 2021 women's race in 2:25:44, and Meseret Dinke Meleka of Ethiopia won 2022 in 2:24:02.

The 2024 Records

Abdisa Tola of Ethiopia won the 2024 men's race in 2:08:15, setting the current men's course record. Glenrose Xaba of South Africa won the women's race in 2:22:22, lowering the women's course record. Xaba's win was particularly significant as a South African winning her home marathon in record time.

The 2023 edition saw Adane Kebede Gebre win the men's race in 2:11:26 and Tsige Haileslase Abreha of Ethiopia win the women's race in 2:24:15. Ethiopian runners have dominated recent women's editions, with three consecutive women's wins by Ethiopian athletes from 2022 through 2024.

The Abbott World Marathon Majors Candidacy

In August 2021, Cape Town became the first African race confirmed as an Abbott World Marathon Majors candidate. The candidacy process is multi-stage and requires the race to demonstrate consistent operational excellence, deep elite fields, large public participation, and global broadcast reach across multiple consecutive editions. Few races enter the candidate pool, and fewer still complete the process to become a Major.

The race has subsequently passed Stage 1 of the candidacy. The 2026 edition will host the AbbottWMM MTT Age Group World Championships, a significant operational responsibility that aligns with the candidacy requirements. If Cape Town completes the full candidacy process, it would become the seventh Major alongside Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, and Tokyo, and the first Major in Africa.

The Course

The Cape Town Marathon course covers the standard 42.195 kilometers with a relatively flat profile that produces fast times. The race starts and finishes near the V&A Waterfront and runs along the Atlantic Seaboard with views of Table Mountain, Lion's Head, and the Atlantic Ocean. The course is internationally certified and holds World Athletics Gold Label status.

The race date sits in late May for 2026, after years of running in September. The schedule shift was announced as part of operational changes around the AbbottWMM candidacy process, allowing the race to align better with the global elite calendar and avoid conflicts with other major fall marathons.

Place in the Sport

The Cape Town Marathon's modern history is short by global marathon standards. The race has gone from a 1994 club event to potentially becoming Africa's first Major in roughly three decades. The trajectory has been deliberate, with each milestone building on the previous: the 2007 restart, the 2014 Sanlam partnership, the 2017 Gold Label, the 2021 AbbottWMM candidacy.

The 2026 edition represents the next checkpoint in that progression. South African and African distance running has produced generations of world-class athletes, but the continent has lacked a Major-tier marathon to host the global elite at home. Cape Town's path through the candidacy process is being watched closely by the African running community as a marker of what an African Major could look like operationally and competitively.