The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will have a revised route this year as it hopes to be selected as part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, alongside six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world.
This year is the 15th edition of the marathon and it is expected that about 18 000 runners from Cape Town, the rest of the country, and from around the globe will take part.
The 42.2km marathon takes place on Sunday, October 16, and will be the first year of the race evaluation for the Abbott World Marathon Majors.
The evaluation process will continue over the next three years and, if successful, Cape Town will become part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors in 2025, joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
The race, through some of the city’s iconic landmarks and most scenic landscape, will have a modified route from this year, with the start moved from Fritz Sonneberg Road (in front of DHL Stadium) to Helen Suzman Boulevard.
For the first time ever, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon athletes will be running on the elevated freeway and the N2, to join the Southern Suburbs.
As a result of the revised route, the outbound lanes on Buitengracht Street between Helen Suzman Boulevard and Dock Road will be closed to traffic between 05h30 and 07h30.
There will also be comprehensive road closures on Long Street from 06h30 until 13h00. Parking will not be allowed on Long Street.
Additionally, the outbound lanes on Nelson Mandela Boulevard between Dock Road and Searle Street will be closed from 04h30 until 09h00.
“The City’s Events Coordinating Committee has been working with the marathon organisers for months on the plans for this event, putting in place mitigating measures to ensure minimal disruption to people’s lives during the race. Our traffic officials will be deployed in the critical intersections and will be working with race marshals along the routes to ensure motorists, as well as residents, can move through various detours,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
The marathon will be preceded by 10km and 5km peace runs as well as the two trail runs on Saturday, with temporary and rolling road closures in the Green Point and Sea Point areas.
The complete list of road closures is available here: https://bit.ly/3SHQZe9
You can also view the live road closures map on race day here: https://cpt-marathon.herokuapp.com/
