Cape Town Marathon reveals timeline of events that led to race cancellation
Cape Town Marathon cancelled: more than 24 000 runners from around the world were left stunned on Sunday when the 2025 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was cancelled just hours before its start due to severe overnight winds.
Image: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers
While the Cape Town Marathon for some heavy criticism for its ‘last-minute’ decision to cancel the 42.2km event on Sunday, race organisers have revealed a detailed account of everything that led to that move.
Just over an hour before the 6.15 am start, runners were informed via test messages and social media of the decision to cancel the race at short notice due to severe winds.
The main reason the race could not go ahead was that “winds overnight wreaked havoc in the race venue in Green Point, with marquee tents damaged and branding being ripped off fences and scaffolding, prompting emergency meetings of the race organising team.”
Even though Sanlam later offered to sponsor athletes’ entries for a May 2026 or 2027 staging of the race, that seemed to be of little consolation for many.
Cape Town Marathon Cancelled Due to Unsafe Conditions: SAPS and JOC Decision
Colonel Christo Engelbrecht of the SAPS, speaking on behalf of the Joint Operations Committee (JOC), 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.”
It’s clear though, the main issue was the race venue and saying the winds on route were unsafe was questioned.
Summary of Events – Cape Town Marathon
Compiled from notes by Safety Officer Phil Prinsloo (Eyethu Events)
00:15 – Initial reports of high winds at the Race Village (including both start lines and the finish area in Green Point), as well as along sections of the route.
02:00 – Continued reports of strong winds at Race Village and along the route.
02:15 – Safety inspection finds damage at the Start (Fritz Sonnenberg Road), Finish, and Hospitality Area. Fencing, gazebos, and furniture blown over; wind gusts reach 48 km/h.
02:20 – Race team begins removing branding, repairing damaged infrastructure, and clearing the venue despite persistent winds.
02:30 – Further damage reported: stretch tent torn away and medical tent brace dislodged. Race Village officially closed by safety officials; no staff, volunteers, or vendors allowed access to infrastructure or equipment.
03:00–04:30 – Route Safety Teams report escalating conditions:
• Sea Point: Start-line fencing and structures blown into the road (03:00–06:30).
• Woodstock: Very high winds; signage and traffic cones displaced by 04:30.
• Observatory & Rondebosch: Gusts exceeding 60 km/h between 03:30–04:30 affecting fencing and signage.
04:15 – Reports from Start of continued infrastructure movement and unsafe conditions.
04:40 – Winds persist (up to 46 km/h). Structural engineer unable to certify key structures as safe, including start towers, scaffold bridge, pedestrian bridge, medical tents, hospitality marquee, and stretch tents.
04:45 – Safety Committee, with JOC approval, decides to cancel the event due to unsafe conditions.
05:00 – Cancellation communicated to runners via WhatsApp and social media; local radio stations informed.
05:10 – Further gusts of 46 km/h recorded at Race Village and Observatory.
05:15 – VMS boards on inbound city routes display cancellation notices.
06:30 – First official press release issued by the race office to all media and partners.
*Summary of events first published on thesouthafrican.com