Watch: Safety fears lead to last-minute Cape Town Marathon cancellation
Strong winds forced organisers to cancel the Cape Town Marathon, with safety concerns cited after infrastructure was damaged overnight.
The Cape Town Marathon, one of South Africa’s biggest road running events, was cancelled this morning due to safety concerns.
According to The Citizen, just over 24 000 runners were expected to take part in one of the country’s most popular races, but strong winds forced organisers to cancel the race. The event was due to start at 06:15 in the Green Point area of the city.
The decision was taken early this morning after structures at the start and finish areas were blown over during the night.
The 10km street race as well as the three trail runs — 43km, 22km and 11km — took place yesterday without incident, though conditions were windy and hot.
Mayor reacts
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said on X this morning: “The Sanlam Cape Town marathon was cancelled this morning due to high winds at the race start and along the route. I’m disappointed of course, and gutted for the runners who have prepared so well.
“But I’m grateful for the event organisers and authorities for taking a decision with runners’ safety in mind.
“The City of Cape Town is committed to hosting events of the highest global standards, and that includes sometimes managing difficult calls like this one.”
The decision to cancel the race was taken at 04:45 and all runners were informed by 05:00.
Organisers express disappointment
Clark Gardner, the CEO of the Cape Town Marathon, said: “The Cape Town Marathon is devastated at the cancellation of our very special event. 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.”
Watch the video sent to participants:
Safety concerns
Colonel Christo Engelbrecht of the Joint Operations Committee added: “The route is unsafe, as the wind is constantly gusting in Woodstock and the infrastructure at the start and finish venue has been compromised.
“It’s unsafe for the runners and pedestrians in that whole area and that’s why the race has had to be cancelled.”
Runners react:
Several would-be participants took to X to voice their feelings over the decision.
While others reacted in true South African fashion:
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