Cancelled Cape Town Marathon offers provisional prize to participants
All participants who were supposed to run the cancelled 2025 race will get an entry to 2026 and a "provisional" Abbott World Marathon Major star
Sanlam Cape Town Marathon/Facebook
Last week, thousands of runners were left frustrated after spending time and money to take part in the 2025 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon—only for the race to be cancelled just 75 minutes before the start due to dangerous winds.
In response to the cancellation, race organizers said all registered participants will receive a complimentary entry to either the 2026 or 2027 edition, funded by title sponsor Sanlam. In addition, those who run the 2026 race will receive a provisional Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) star, should the Cape Town Marathon officially join the series as its eighth event.
“The title sponsor, Sanlam, is offering to fund entry fees for 2026 or 2027 to those affected by this year’s cancellation,” organizers said in a social media post. “Participants in the 2026 race will also receive credit for a World Marathon Major star if the event is officially added to the series after its next evaluation.”
So, if you run the race in 2026, and it is later accepted into the AbbottWMM series, you’ll retroactively receive a star for it. Currently, the seven official World Marathon Majors are New York, Boston, Chicago, London, Berlin, Tokyo, and Sydney (recently). The Cape Town Marathon has been under evaluation by AWMM since 2022.
The decision to cancel the 2025 race was made after wind gusts between 48 and 60 km/h made the course unsafe. “The weather wasn’t just bad, it was dangerous,” organizers wrote on social media. “Fences and tents were lifted, and key structures couldn’t be certified safe. The safety of our participants comes first. Always.”
At the time of the cancellation, many of the 24,000 registered runners were already at the start line or en route to it when the emergency notification came through at 4:45 a.m.
Organizers have also announced a major scheduling change coming in 2026 to prevent this from happening again. The Cape Town Marathon will officially shift from October to May to avoid the seasonal winds and reduce congestion with other major races.
Runners shattered after last-minute marathon cancellation in South Africa
