News24 | Cape Town Marathon cancelled for safety reasons after ‘winds overnight wreaked havoc’

Runners seen along the scenic 42.4km route as they compete in the 2024 Cape Town Marathon.

• The Cape Town Marathon was cancelled around 04:45 on Sunday.
• A statement released by the organisers said overnight winds were to blame.
• They said winds “wreaked havoc” at the race venue in Green Point, with marquee tents damaged and branding being ripped off fences and scaffolding.

The 32nd edition of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has been cancelled “due to safety reasons”.

FOLLOW LIVE | Cape Town Marathon cancelled due to ‘severe’ overnight winds, route unsafe: ‘We’re sorry’

The event was sold out and expecting a record 24 000 runners on Sunday. Last year’s marathon attracted 21 000 entrants.

“Please do not report to the start. The event will not go ahead. Further updates will be communicated,” a Facebook post from the Sanlam sponsored Cape Town Marathon said early on Sunday morning.

Marathon organisers said they communicated the cancellation around 05:00 to runners in the form of WhatsApp messages after a decision to cancel the event was taken at 04:45.

“Due to severe winds overnight that carried on into the early hours of the morning, the 2025 edition of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon unfortunately had to be cancelled at short notice this morning.”

Around 24 000 runners were due to start the race at 06:15, and many were already at the venue or on their way into the city when the cancellation was announced.

Some runners took to social media saying that it could have been heavy winds that brought the hugely popular event to a halt.

“The 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 in conjunction with the Joint Operations Committee (JOC),” the communication continued.

The JOC includes representatives from the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management and Safety and Security portfolios, as well as medical services and the police.

Clark Gardner, Chief Executive Officer of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, 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.”

He thanked participants, sponsors and stakeholders for their “ongoing support and understanding”.

Speaking on behalf of the JOC shortly after the decision to cancel, Colonel Christo Engelbrecht from 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.”

City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said that while runners were disappointed, he was 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.”