The Cape Town Marathon was cancelled just 90 minutes before it was scheduled to start on Sunday due to damage caused by high winds.
Race organizers warned of the high winds and their concerns in advance. However, they made the announcement shortly before the race was to start.
MARATHON ENTRIES ARE SOLD OUT! ✨
— Cape Town Marathon (@CTMarathon) July 9, 2025
All 24,000 spots for the 2025 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon distance are officially taken, marking our third sell-out in a row and our biggest yet. pic.twitter.com/I6GzTrgCVF
Damaged structures at the start in Green Point were concerning enough; therefore, organizers cancelled the race and offered the 24,000 runners to race one of the following two years, 2026 or 2027, instead.
Emergency meetings were held between the race organizing team and the city’s risk management and safety team. The decision was made at 4:45 am. The announcement was made at 5:00 a.m. Organizers used WhatsApp messaging just over an hour before the start.
“The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is devastated at the cancellation of our very special event,” Cape Town Marathon CEO Clark Gardner said in a statement. “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.”
The Cape Town Marathon is in the process of being assessed to enter the World Marathon Majors WMM. Currently, there are seven races in the WMM. They are Boston, Chicago, Tokyo, New York, London, Berlin and Sydney, Australia was added in 2025. The WMM is a two-year series, where champions who gain points are crowned based on their wins in the events. For non-elite runners, taking in all of seven events is a bucket-list goal. A special medal is given out to those who run all seven.
