The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will become Africa's first Abbott World Marathon Major in 2027 after organisers of the prestigious global series officially approved the race's inclusion on Wednesday.
The race, scheduled for May 23, 2027, will join an elite group of marathons that includes the Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York City and Sydney marathons.
The decision marks a significant milestone for long-distance running on the continent, which has produced some of the world's most successful marathon athletes, but until now had no race represented in the World Marathon Majors series.
Cape Town secured its place after completing a two-stage candidacy process introduced by Abbott World Marathon Majors as part of the series' expansion strategy. Candidate races are assessed on a range of criteria, including race organisation, safety and medical standards, the quality of elite athlete fields and the overall experience provided to runners.
According to Abbott World Marathon Majors CEO Dawna Stone, Cape Town had demonstrated its readiness during the lengthy evaluation process.
“It gives me huge pleasure to welcome Cape Town to the family. After watching the race grow in size and stature during its candidacy and also seeing the resilience and dedication of the team led so wonderfully by Clark Gardner, Africa’s first Major has finally arrived," Stone said in a statement.
On his part, Cape Town Marathon CEO Clark Gardner described the announcement as a landmark moment for African runners.
“This is a moment generations of African runners have waited for, and it belongs to everyone who carried us here,” he said.
The addition of Cape Town expands the World Marathon Majors series to eight races. It follows the admission of Sydney last year and forms part of a broader effort by organisers to grow the series beyond its traditional base in North America, Europe and Asia.
Attention will now turn to the Shanghai Marathon, which remains under evaluation and could become the ninth member of the series if it successfully meets Abbott World Marathon Majors' requirements when it is assessed later this year.
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