New route, bigger prize money for Cape Town Marathon

A new, faster route and significantly more prize money will serve as two major incentives for participation in this year’s Cape Town Marathon.The route for this year’s race has undergone several modifications with the omission of the steep District Six hill which will make for a flatter route and potentially faster times. In addition, Sanlam extended its contract as main sponsor by another three years.Eighty days before the 2023 race, Clark Gardner, chief executive of the Cape Town Marathon, on Thursday launched a series of initiatives with which the organizers hope to make this race Africa’s first major international marathon by 2025.“Elite athletes are still measured by their times and positions on rankings. So, if you want to attract the best by 2025, you need a very fast route.”The new route added 2 km to the start by jumping off on Fritz Sonnenberg Street. From there it is run down to Strand Street, from where it is moved back to Helen Suzman Drive.“That extra two kilometers allows us, when you reach Darling Street, to keep going straight and not run uphill to District Six. This cuts out 90 m of slope and can mean that an elite male athlete runs about two minutes faster, a woman about two minutes and 30 seconds faster and athletes in wheelchairs even more,” reckons Gardner.At the end of Strand Street, near Sea Point, there is no longer running around the circle, but a slip road is taken just before the marine research aquarium.Furthermore, the finish line is back in Vlei Street, where organizers hope that more spectators than last year will turn up after the road was widened and speed humps removed in preparation for the Cape Town Formula E race, which was held in February.“We are very proud of this route and hope to keep it the same for many years to come.”In collaboration with Sanlam, the organizers also gave away 2,000 free entries.“All we expected from the participants was to state that they could not afford the entry fee and to motivate why they should get a free entry.”Gardner says his team was overwhelmed by the response they received with this initiative. The prize money will now be stated in US dollars and no longer rand, to make it easier for foreigners to know how much prize money is at stake. The total prize money this year is twice as much as last year.The winners of the men’s and women’s divisions will now receive US$25 000 (almost R440 000) each and the winner of the wheelchair division will get US$3 750 (R65 000).Adidas, another of the sponsors, will launch a campaign according to which athletes who complete the race in Adidas shoes will each receive a gift voucher worth R2 000.“We know it’s an expensive opportunity and this might just help them buy the next pair of running shoes,” said Kate Woods, Adidas’ brand director.The Cape Town Marathon takes place this year on the weekend of 14 and 15 October. – Netwerk24

New route, bigger prize money for Cape Town Marathon

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Republikein 2025-09-19

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New route, bigger prize money for Cape Town Marathon

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