The history of the Cape Town Marathon: from a 1994 club race to Africa's first Major

When the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was confirmed as the eighth Abbott World Marathon Major on 10 June 2026, the headlines made it sound sudden. It was not. Cape Town has been quietly building toward this for more than three decades, through three different homes, a name change or two, an Olympic champion, and a stubborn green streak that set it apart from almost every big-city marathon in the world. Here is the long version.

A February club race in Pinelands (1994)

The first Cape Town Marathon was run in 1994, organised by the Celtic Harriers running club and starting from Mutual Park in Pinelands. It was a February race in those days, a club affair more than a spectacle. The first winners were Julian Paul, in 2:26:45, and Evelina Tshabalala, in 2:55:49. Nobody travelled across the world for it. It was simply a good local marathon in a beautiful city.

Two years in, it had its first brush with history. In 1996 the race hosted the South African Marathon Championships, and the field included Josiah Thugwane, who went on to win Olympic marathon gold in Atlanta that same year, the first Black South African to win an Olympic gold medal. The little race in Pinelands already had champions running through it.

The September years (2005 to 2013)

For its second era, the marathon moved to September and came under the curatorship of Athletics South Africa and Western Province Athletics. The start and finish drifted around the city in these years, from the Grand Parade to Green Point, as the event searched for the home it would eventually keep. It was a respected national marathon, but still a regional one. The global ambition came later.

The Sanlam era, and a bigger idea (2014 onward)

2014 is the year everything changed. The race was taken over by ASEM Running and Faces, settled into Green Point and the Cape Town Stadium precinct, and Sanlam came on board as title sponsor, giving the event the name it carries today: the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.

That same year it added the 10 km Peace Run and a pair of trail races, turning a single marathon into a weekend of running for every level. And it started collecting the credentials that a world-class marathon needs. It earned IAAF Silver Label status in 2014, then in 2017 became the first African marathon to reach IAAF Gold Label status. The course got fast, too: in 2024, Abdisa Tola ran 2:08:16 and Glenrose Xaba set a South African record of 2:22:22.

Sustainability as a signature

Here is the part that makes Cape Town different. While most marathons measured themselves on field size and finishing times, Cape Town built its identity around being a sustainable, all-inclusive city marathon. It pushed hard on carbon-neutral initiatives, to the point where the 2022 medals were made from recycled materials, and it kept widening the door, adding a wheelchair marathon division in 2022. The green reputation was not a marketing line bolted on at the end. It was the thing the race chose to be known for.

The long road to Major status (2021 to 2026)

The Major didn't arrive overnight. In 2021, Cape Town became the first marathon in Africa to be nominated for Abbott World Marathon Majors candidacy. In 2024 it passed stage one of that process, meeting all 104 criteria the series demands. Then came the gut punch: the 2025 race was cancelled due to severe winds, and Sanlam offered the roughly 24,000 entrants free entry to the 2026 and 2027 events.

The 2026 edition, run on 24 May, was the one that mattered. It served as the second and final stage of the AbbottWMM assessment, and on 10 June 2026 the series confirmed what Cape Town had chased for years: it is now the eighth Abbott World Marathon Major, and the first ever on African soil. It formally joins the series at its next edition on 23 May 2027.

The route, for the record

The modern course starts near Cape Town Stadium in Green Point and loops out through the city centre, Woodstock, Salt River, Mowbray and the southern suburbs before turning back through the central city to finish in Green Point, all of it run under the gaze of Table Mountain. It is flat, fast and almost unfairly scenic, which is a big part of why the majors came calling.

Collect the stamp

Thirty-two years from a club race in Pinelands to Africa's first Major is a story worth keeping. Here is the marathon city stamp we made for your Stampie passport:

Build your marathon-city set

Every marathon city is a trip and a memory, not just a medal. Stampie's Marathons collection lets you keep the whole set on your phone: a stamp for each marathon city you have run, a map that fills in as you travel, and a note for the trip so the story stays attached to the race.

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Join Stampie to start tracking your marathon cities. Wherever you are in your own collection, your marathon cities live in one passport you actually keep.

A friendly note: Stampie is a small indie project made by people who love travel and collecting stamps. We are not affiliated with the Abbott World Marathon Majors, Sanlam, or any race organiser. Our marathon stamps are our own designs, curated by our editorial team, not official race logos or marks. We just love that running a marathon in a new city is one of the best stamps you can earn. 🏃

FAQ

When was the Cape Town Marathon founded? 1994. The first race was held in February that year, organised by the Celtic Harriers club and starting from Mutual Park in Pinelands.

Why is the Cape Town Marathon famous? It is Africa's first Abbott World Marathon Major, was the first African marathon to earn IAAF Gold Label status (2017), and is known as a leader in sustainable, carbon-neutral marathon organisation.

What is the Cape Town Marathon route? The modern course starts and finishes in Green Point near Cape Town Stadium, looping through the city centre, Woodstock, Salt River, Mowbray and the southern suburbs, with Table Mountain as the backdrop.

Is the Cape Town Marathon a World Marathon Major? Yes. It was confirmed as the eighth Abbott World Marathon Major on 10 June 2026 and formally joins the series at its 23 May 2027 edition.

Sources

• History of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon (official)
• Cape Town Marathon (Wikipedia)
• Sanlam Cape Town Marathon becomes a Major (Abbott World Marathon Majors)