Cape Town Marathon 2025 cancelled just 90 minutes before the start

It was meant to be one of the biggest events of the autumn, the most competitive marathon ever held on African soil and the final step before officially joining the exclusive Abbott World Marathon Majors club. But on Sunday, October 19, Cape Town Marathon 2025 was cancelled just 90 minutes before the start. The wind was howling, taking with it the hopes of 24,000 runners from around the world. It was a devastating blow for everyone involved and a major setback for a marathon on the rise, now facing uncertainty over its future among the Majors.

A race dreaming of becoming Africa’s first Major

For several years, Cape Town has been chasing a dream: becoming Africa’s first Major, joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, Sydney and New York. After passing its first evaluation in 2024, the organisers had ticked every box: a World Athletics-certified course, a deep elite field with eight “Platinum Label” and ten “Gold Label” athletes, prize money, finely tuned logistics and a successful event on every front.

The 2025 edition was meant to be the final assessment before official recognition in 2026. But in Cape Town, the wind decided to write a different story.

4:45 a.m.: the wind sweeps away every hope of racing

The night had already set the tone. Gusts above 60 km/h, tents ripped apart, finish arches at risk of collapsing and infrastructure damaged at several points along the course, from Green Point Stadium to Woodstock. At 4:45 a.m., after hours of inspections, officials deemed the structures too unstable to guarantee participant safety. Fifteen minutes later, the verdict came: the damaged infrastructure could no longer accommodate 24,000 people, and the race was cancelled. At 5 a.m., runners received a WhatsApp notification: “For safety reasons, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has been cancelled. Please do not make your way to the start line ”. By then, some runners were already there, warmed up, race number pinned to their vest, ready to run their marathon after months of commitment. The dream vanished before sunrise.

Runners react with disappointment and resilience

The reactions came quickly. Some runners initially thought it was a bad joke, while others vented their frustration on social media after months of training and, in some cases, journeys of more than 10,000 km to get there. But true to the spirit of running, part of the field decided to run anyway. Alone or in small groups, many improvised their own marathon on the city’s pavements, following the coastline or winding through the streets of the centre. An unofficial race, with no timing or medal, but full of meaning: a celebration of community and resilience.

An exceptional elite field had been assembled

The Cape Town Marathon is no ordinary race. Its course, one of the most beautiful in the world, crosses the city with the sea on one side and South Africa’s history on the other. On the performance front, this year’s elite field promised a high-class spectacle, featuring Ronald Korir (2:04:22), Bethwell Chumba Kibet (2:04:37), and Winfridah Moraa Moseti (2:16:56). Last year, the race delivered a particularly memorable edition, with two course records: 2:08:15 for the men, set by Ethiopia’s Abdisa Tola, and 2:22:22 for the women, set by South Africa’s Glenrose Xaba. This year, the favourites were hoping to lower those marks. But the weather had other ideas, and the symbolism was hard to miss: on the land around the Cape, nature still has the final say.

A difficult decision, but a necessary one

Some criticised the timing of the announcement, just 75 minutes before the start, but the circumstances left organisers with no alternative: collapsed structures, facilities that could not be made safe and too great a risk for volunteers and runners. Organisers even considered a delayed start or a modified course, but the situation no longer allowed them to guarantee the minimum safety standards required. And in a cruel twist, the wind around the start area died down at 6:15 a.m., exactly when the race should have got underway. Too late, the damage was done. Gusts of more than 50 km/h were still shaking parts of the course.

What happens now?

Organisers have confirmed that there will be no refunds, but all 2025 entries will be transferred free of charge to 2026 or 2027, thanks to the support of the race’s title sponsor, Sanlam. The next edition is already scheduled for May 24, 2026, with hopes of more favourable conditions and a chance to finally celebrate this major event on the African running calendar.

As for the World Marathon Majors bid, nothing appears to be lost for now: the committee praised the team’s professionalism in handling the crisis. But the uncertainty is real. Could this episode delay Cape Town’s entry into the exclusive Majors club? Dawna Stone, CEO of Abbott World Marathon Majors, offered her full support to the organisers and runners: “We were looking forward to seeing all the progress made by the Cape Town Marathon team this year after successfully completing its evaluation in 2024. Our thoughts are with the organisers, volunteers and participants who had hoped to make this a historic day. We understand how difficult this decision must have been to make.”

While some reactions have been alarmist, this setback should not affect the Majors integration process, only delay it. Relations between the organisers and the Majors organisation are strong, and this cancellation is further evidence of the organiser’s professionalism. What’s more, the next edition in May 2026 will host the 2026 AbbottWMM Marathon Tours & Travel Age Group World Championships (AGWC), a powerful symbol of the bond between the two organisations.

Cape Town Marathon 2025 cancelled 90 minutes before the start as violent winds leave 24,000 runners stranded.

The wind battered Cape Town, sweeping away an edition that had promised to be historic and crushing the hopes of thousands of runners. But beyond the disappointment, the organiser took responsibility by making an extremely difficult decision and reaffirmed that the safety of participants and volunteers came first. The dream of an African Major has been postponed, not abandoned. In May, Cape Town will have another chance to prove that it deserves its place at the top of the global running scene.

✔ Find all the event information on the official Cape Town Marathon website