News

Why Sanlam Cape Town Marathon route is ‘unsafe’ for thousands of runners

Staff Reporter|Updated

HIGH winds caused significant damage to infrastructure at the start, finish, and along several sections of the Cape Town Marathon route, making conditions unsafe for runners, officials, and spectators, says the City.  

“The Venue Operations Centre, in consultation with event organisers, made the difficult decision to call off the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon this morning (Sunday). The decision was made with safety as the top priority,” said Smith.

Speaking on behalf of the Joint Operations Committee (JOC), consisting  of the City’s  Disaster Risk Management and Safety and Security portfolios, SAPS, Colonel Christo Engelbrecht of the SAPS said: “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 runners and pedestrians in that whole area, and that’s why the race has had to be cancelled. It was a collective decision made by the whole team in the Joint Operations Committee.”

About 24,000 runners were due to start the race at 6:15am, and many were already at the venue or on their way into the city when the cancellation was announced.

“The decision to cancel was made at 4:45am, and communications to all runners went out at 5am in the form of direct WhatsApp messages to all participants and a dedicated running club captains’ group, as well as statements on social media platforms and statements sent to local radio stations, event media partners and key stakeholders,” said race organisers.

Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Chief Executive  Clark Gardner said:  “The Sanlam 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. We wish to thank our participants, sponsors and stakeholders for their ongoing support and understanding.”

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said: “I’m grateful to the event organisers for taking a decision with runners’ safety in mind after heavy winds blew down some race infrastructure this morning. The City is committed to hosting events of the highest global standards, and that includes sometimes managing difficult calls like this one.”