Thousands of runners were left disappointed when the Sanlam Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was cancelled in the early hours of the morning on Sunday 19 October 2025 – the same day the race was meant to kick off.

A statement put out on Sunday explained the decision:  “The winds overnight wreaked havoc in the race venue in Green Point, with marquee tents damaged and branding being ripped off fences and scaffolding, prompting emergency meetings of the race organising team in conjunction with the Joint Operations Committee (JOC), which consists of representatives from the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management and Safety and Security portfolios, as well as medical services and the South African Police Services (SAPS).”

Winds of about 50km/h were expected for the day, and even if wind had settled during the day, the route, race structures and village were deemed unsafe by the JOC.

The decision to cancel was made at 4:45am, and communications to all runners went out at 5am in the form of direct WhatsApp messages to all participants and a dedicated running club captains’ group, as well as statements on social media platforms and statements sent to local radio stations, event media partners and key stakeholders.

“All the runners must be disappointed, as are we all,” Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said. “But I’m grateful to the event organisers for taking a decision with runners’ safety in mind after heavy winds blew down some race infrastructure this morning. The City is committed to hosting events of the highest global standards, and that includes sometimes managing difficult calls like this one.”

The Cape Town Marathon is one of South Africa’s premier running events, a fixture of the athletics calendar (in its present form anyway) since 2007, and Sanlam has been attached as sponsor (alongside the City of Cape Town) since 2013. One of the recognised World Athletics City Marathons, the Marathon was on track to join the seven Abbott World Marathon Majors next year, alongside such famous races as the London, Tokyo and New York Marathons.

Assessors from the Abbot World Marathon Majors were on hand for the decision, and it remains to be seen how this will affect the Marathon’s chances of consideration

“I think this year was just kind of a final tick box kind of effort from the World Majors,” said editor of Runner’s World, Mike Finch. “They came to have a look here, but this has been going on for five years. They’ve been checking the race out; the last three years has been a concerted effort to make sure the standards are up to what the World Majors require.”

Opportunity Out Of Adversity – The South African (Runner’s) Way

Of course, that was a minor consideration to the 24,000 athletes who’d signed up, got dressed in their runner’s best and arrived carbo-loaded and ready for action – especially those who’d travelled from outside the city, the province, or even the country, and saw their hopes of a good run dashed less than two hours before launch

So being all dressed up and with nothing else to do, thousands decided to run anyway – with no tents, no officials or timers, and no road closures…braving not only the wind, but the hazards of Cape Town cyclists and motorists as well.

Some ran the full distance, some ran a shorter route – but they did it for the love of the game.

And it’s not just the runners who made the most of a bad situation.

As official food sponsor of the Marathon, Woolworths had prepared to feed 24,000 marathon runners at a number of points during the marathon. To ensure all that food didn’t go to waste, all available food (approximately 26,000 bananas, 20,000 Clemengolds, 280kg of potatoes, 10kg of dried fruit, 5,000 apples, 4,800 dates, 1,800 sandwiches and 600 hot cross buns) was collected by 18 charities to be distributed to those who needed it most.

“When faced with adversity, Africans unite. We find a way to create opportunity out of adversity, in spite of all obstacles and challenges,” said Sanlam Group CEO, Paul Hanratty. “We remain confident that the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is on course to become an Abbott World Marathon Majors race.”

Race sponsor Sanlam has announced that it will be offering every 2025 marathon entrant a sponsored entry for either 2026 or 2027 – in May this time, to avoid the windy season.

Can’t be too careful, after all.