JOHANNESBURG – Road runners disappointed with their results at the weekend’s Comrades Marathon can take heart in the fact that a great qualifying race is but just a 100 days away.
Africa’s only IAAF Gold Label Status race, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, takes place on 15 September and registration is already open at www.capetownmarathon.com
A truly world-class event that attracts runners from all over the world, the Cape Town Marathon is - according to Elana Van Zyl-Meyer - an opportunity for South African runners to get a feel of what international races are like.
“You get a taste of what it may be like to run the London Marathon or the Tokyo Marathon. Many of us in this country can’t afford to travel to such far-off destinations, so we’re focused on bringing home that quality of sport,” Van Zyl-Meyer said.
This year’s weekend-long running event begins on 14 September with two Peace Trail Runs (22km and 12km) and a 5km Peace Run, followed by Sunday’s 42.2km marathon and a 10km Peace Run.
Having had 82 countries represented at last year’s race, the organisers are looking to up that number by 12.5%.
We hope the @comrades runners are smashing it out there! #ChallengeYourself! #Half2Full #ChallengeAccepted
Sign up: https://t.co/9k4arzsBg7
Date: 15th September 2019 pic.twitter.com/y2oEdlLqLo
— Cape Town Marathon (@CTMarathon) June 9, 2019
Nadia Fetta, chief executive of Sanlam Pan-Africa: General Insurance, said: “The best marathon runners of the world are from Africa and always had to travel the world to compete against the best. Having a world-class marathon on African soil allows runners from across the world to visit our continent and ultimately have a positive impact on our economy and the people of Africa.
“As Africa’s biggest insurer, Sanlam believes in the potential of this continent. It’s this belief that drives our pan-African expansion and decision to remain the proud naming-rights sponsor of Africa’s major marathon.”
As part of the race weekend activities, there will be an IAAF Label workshop to be held for coaches and athletes highlighting the benefits of becoming a Label Status runner.
Alongside this, ongoing support of the marathon’s official development partner, Endurocad, will be crucial in helping up-and-coming endurance athletes to compete on the international stage.
The marathon has announced that it hopes to, through its Run4Change legacy programme, achieve R3million in total fundraising, with UCT’s medical students’ Scrub Run, the Childhood Cancer Foundation of South Africa’s Herd of Cows, and the testicular-cancer awareness project Love Your Nuts making a comeback.
And just like that we have 100 days to go! We are so excited - are you? #ChallengeYourself! #Half2Full #ChallengeAccepted
Sign up: https://t.co/9k4arzsBg7
Date: 15th September 2019 Africa is our home - this is our race!
It's Cape Town - must run it! pic.twitter.com/uupr5gV8ho
— Cape Town Marathon (@CTMarathon) June 6, 2019
Cape Times Editor Aneez Salie said: “We are proud to be once again media partners with the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon and want to encourage runners to enter in their numbers.”