08 Mar Cape Town Marathon First come, first run
Last year’s race was transformed into the inaugural Sanlam Cape Town Virtual Marathon, which proved phenomenally successful. It introduced 15,000 runners around the world to some of Cape Town’s best-loved landmarks via an interactive race app.
In 2021, the marathon will revert to the well-known physical event with some great additions to the race and with Covid-19 precautions in place. There will be a ‘first entry, first run’ policy. Numbers allowed at events will be confirmed by local government and Athletics South Africa in the coming months, and those who enter but are unable to race due to the limits will be fully refunded. In the unlikely event that the race is cancelled due to COVID restrictions, entrants will receive full refunds. This makes the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon the only running event in the country with a full refund policy.
Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Race Director Renee Jordan says, “With seven months to go until the 2021 edition of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, we are thrilled to officially open entries and continue planning for the event. This time frame allows us to organise a world-class, prestigious event, while runners can use this time to fully prepare for the marathon. As we continue to navigate a pandemic, we want to assure all runners that they will receive a full refund if the event is not permitted to take place due to COVID restrictions”.
The organisers anticipate the races will sell out and urge individuals to enter soon to secure a spot. Jordaan says “we urge runners to secure their entry as quickly as possible. In the event that we need to stage the race with reduced numbers due to restrictions, spots will be allocated on a ‘first entry, first run’ basis”.
For the eighth year, Sanlam is the headline sponsor. Sydney Mbhele, Chief Executive of Brand at Sanlam, says, “As a business, Sanlam has always been driven by its purpose of enabling financial resilience and prosperity for all. Partnering with Africa’s one and only Gold Label
Status marathon is, therefore, something we are extremely proud of. It aligns with our values as an organisation because the marathon provides us with numerous opportunities to affect positive change. The race demonstrates the difference that can be made when we come together under one unified purpose. When we run determinedly towards our goals, we become unstoppable. Against the backdrop of the pandemic, now is the moment to look confidently ahead and start to rebuild. Events like this are an integral part of the process.”
Sanlam Cape Town Marathon race ambassador Elana Meyer adds that this has been a challenging time for many elite athletes who lost their income earning potential in 2020, and that the prospect of these athletes returning to racing fills her with great excitement and joy.
“The 2021 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is also home to the SA Marathon Championships, so we expect a strong local field lining up at the start in October. And, of course, if COVID restrictions allow, we might even be able to welcome an international field back to the Mother City!”
“The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon takes place two months after the Tokyo Olympic Games, so it will be interesting to see what marathon times will be produced” added Meyer.
This year, there is an exciting development for trail runners which will be revealed soon. Trail race entries will open at a slightly later date.
Professional runner, after-work runner or fun runner, there’s a Cape Town Marathon event for everyone. Don’t miss your chance to run beautiful Cape Town |
| Entries are now open! |
| Ready, set, go |
| The year 2020 has taught us to appreciate the simple pleasures in life; being outdoors, connecting with our communities, and physical and mental health – the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is a celebration of all these things. On 16 – 17 October 2021 you can explore the city and communities of Cape Town on foot; from the scenic sea-views at Mouille Point, to the historic District Six, to the lush suburbs of Newlands and the eclectic Woodstock. |
| Join us for the distance and route that works for you: |
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| Trail runners, we also have something special in the pipeline for you! Entries will be open a bit later, so keep a lookout for some exciting announcements coming your way. |
 Importantly, at this stage we are not sure what restrictions will be placed on our event but we will apply a principle on any limitations placed on the number of participants for all events. COVID-19 We will do everything in our power to make sure that this festival of running goes smoothly, but if COVID-19 regulations become stricter, we’ve got the following precautions in place:If any regulations restrict our number of participants, we will select runners on a FIRST COME, FIRST RUN. In other words, those who entered first will stand a better chance to run, come race day. We are one of a handful events that offer a 100% refund on events cancelled due to COVID We also offer 100% refunds on events or entries cancelled due to COVID-19 regulations. So the sooner you enter, the better chance you have of running! |
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| Join the community, join the city and run for something. Africa is our home, this is our race. Enter today at www.capetownmarathon.com |
