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THIS IS HOW WE DO IT
The main event This is how we do it
Cape Town is en route to becoming host of the 7th Abbott World Marathon Majors event
When the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon sets off on 17 October, all those thousands of pairs of legs hotfooting it through and across one of the world’s most beguiling cities will be striding towards a new destiny for the event – and for the Mother City. Extra eyes will be on the race as it has been selected to join the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM) family – it’s the first marathon in Africa to be nominated as a candidate for this prestigious accolade.
According to Francois Pienaar, chairman of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, becoming a candidate is a tremendous honour. ‘Considering that we don’t have any major international sporting events in any discipline in Africa, achieving this status would be a tremendous boost for the city, country and continent. Africa is home to the best marathon runners in the world and we hope they will get the
opportunity to run a Major on home turf in the coming years.’
Sanlam, the race’s main sponsor, is attached to the event for the eighth year; it views accession to the Majors as a chance to boost the continent and its athletes. ‘Our purpose is to help people across Africa live with confidence and this race is the perfect way to foster the growth of Africa’s economy, and to showcase our people’s unparalleled potential,’ says Sanlam brand executive, Sydney Mbhele.
Although race entries closed in September, excitement is already growing for next year’s race, and runners who are staying at home in 2021 are encouraged to start preparing for what is set to be a huge year for the event – according to Cape Town mayor, Dan Plato, the marathon’s evaluation years will see an annual influx of around 10 000 international runners and supporters to the city.
What’s significant, too, is that this is to be the first large-scale participating event since the start of the pandemic in South Africa. The emotions are set to be high. And there’s much at stake. Organisers are taking no chances, and the health and safety of everyone involved is a priority. A thorough plan to reduce the chances of transmission has been implemented, and the race is likely to be a key indicator of the way forward for events of this nature.
Pienaar noted that the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon already meets the majority of requirements set by the AbbottWMM, and that enhancements continue to be made to the race. ‘We are pulling out all the stops to achieve these goals, and are excited to receive the support from our runners, spectators, sponsors and the city to make this dream a reality.’ capetownmarathon.com
Run safe
Of course, being doublevaccinated well ahead of race day is the ultimate precaution, but there are further measures to provide additional peace of mind for all participants.
Everyone involved – crew and runners – will undertake a compulsory COVID-19 antigen test 48 hours prior to the start. Testing is free of charge. Runners will be contacted to pre-book a testing time slot. Testing happens at Cape Town Stadium before entering the expo space for race number collection. Antigen test results will be available within 15 minutes.
Organisers have also implemented a staggered start so that runners will set off in batches of 300 and start in oneminute intervals (seeding will be based on previous results), and cutting edge timing technology will calculate mat-to-mat finishing times – not gun-to-mat – and results will be calculated accordingly, so don’t fret. Staggered starts begin at 6:15am.
And, since not everyone is yet ready for mass gatherings, there is also a 21km virtual race – in addition to the 5km and 10km virtual races.
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