Cape Town Marathon: 'Devastated' race organisers thank runners, sponsors for understanding
Celeste Martin
20 October 2025 | 7:20Organisers say the cancellation of Sunday’s race was unavoidable.
The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was called off early Sunday morning due to extreme winds that made the route and race village unsafe, affecting 24,000 registered runners.
Marathon CEO Clark Gardner says organisers were 'devastated' after months of preparation, especially with international assessors from the Abbott World Marathon Majors in attendance.
"We are still really down, but I think we are also amazed at the amount of understanding and support we are getting from the participants, our sponsors, the City and from each other. So, there is definitely some beauty that lies within this hardship and us being at our levels of lows."
Gardner explains that the decision to cancel the marathon was made by the City of Cape Town's Joint Operations Committee, which included SAPS and Disaster Risk Management officials stationed along the route.
He adds that gale-force winds had torn tents, ripped fencing, and made setup along key roads impossible.
"What people don't understand is that the organisers don't have too much input in the final decision."
Gardner says delaying the race was not feasible due to ongoing safety hazards, traffic disruptions, and the risk of midday heat.
"Starting a race at half past eight, nine o'clock in Cape Town, with the unpredictability of the weather; there is a heat issue that comes later on. Do we want people running through the middle of the day? Heat actually is our biggest enemy when it comes to the middle of the day."
Following the cancellation, some runners voiced frustration about refund policies.
Gardner notes that the event costs remained unchanged but praised title sponsor Sanlam for stepping in to allow 2025 entrants to defer their entries to 2026 or 2027.
"We'll also make sure they have preferred entries so that they do get those and get to run the marathon again."
To listen to Gardner in conversation with CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit, use the audio player below:
Get the whole picture 💡
Take a look at the topic timeline for all related articles.
Trending News
More in Sport
20 October 2025 07:20
Sanlam Cape Town Marathon runner reacts to event cancellation: 'I'm disappointed still'
20 October 2025 07:19
‘Sanlam Cape Town marathon made difficult call that was about safety’ – meteorologist
20 October 2025 04:55
Japanese runner disappointed Cape Town Marathon cancelled, looking forward to next event