Cape Town race joins prestigious World Marathon Majors series

Ethiopian athlete Mohamed Esa winning the Cape Town Marathon last month in 2:04:55, achieving the fastest 42km time ever run on African soil. Picture: Fahwaaz Cornelius Twelve years after it was relaunched, with a vision of becoming the first race in Africa to receive World Marathon Majors (WMM) status, the Cape Town Marathon has been given the green light. While organisers were hoping to receive top-flight status last year, which was supposed to be the second successive compulsory year of assessment, the 2025 event wascancelled due to inclement weather.

Agreeing to allow the second assessment year to be postponed, the World Marathon Majors organisation attendedlast month’s racein the Mother City, and it was confirmed on Wednesday that the annual event had been given the nod. “It gives me huge pleasure to welcome Cape Town to the family,” said WMM chief executive Dawna Stone. “After watching the race grow in size and stature during its candidacy and also seeing the resilience and dedication of the team lead so wonderfully by Clark Gardner (Cape Town Marathon CEO), Africa’s first Major has finally arrived.

“The unique culture, the welcome from the people of the city and the wonderful setting Cape Town provides will bring a whole new dimension to our series. I know runners in Africa and across the world will have a phenomenal experience at this race.” The 2027 edition of the annual race, to be held on 27 May, will be the first to be run under the WMM banner, cementing the event’s status as the most prestigious marathon race on African soil.