{"id":230421,"date":"2025-10-20T08:31:05","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T08:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/?p=230421"},"modified":"2025-10-20T08:31:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T08:31:05","slug":"cancelled-cape-town-marathon-2025-participants-offered-entry-in-2026-or-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/cancelled-cape-town-marathon-2025-participants-offered-entry-in-2026-or-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"Cancelled Cape Town Marathon 2025: Participants Offered Entry in 2026 or 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cancelled Cape Town Marathon 2025: Participants Offered Entry in 2026 or 2027<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon 2025 was cancelled shortly before the start due to severe weather conditions. Initially, organizers upheld a no-refund policy, but title sponsor Sanlam has announced that all registered participants will be offered entry into either the 2026 or 2027 edition. Here\u2019s a summary of the key facts and decisions.<\/p>\n

Marathon Cancelled 90 Minutes Before Start<\/strong><\/h4>\n

On Sunday, October 19, 2025, at 4:45 AM, the organizers of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon made the decision to cancel the race. The announcement came just one hour and thirty minutes before the scheduled start at 6:15 AM. For the thousands of runners gathered at the venue, the news was a major disappointment.<\/p>\n

Official Reason: Safety-Threatening Conditions<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The decision followed consultations between the organizing team and the Joint Operations Committee (JOC), which included representatives from Disaster Risk Management, security services, medical teams, and the South African Police Service (SAPS). A joint assessment concluded that due to dangerously strong winds and infrastructure damage, both the course and the start\/finish area were unsafe for participants and spectators. Ensuring the safety of everyone involved was deemed the top priority.<\/p>\n

Organizer\u2019s Position on Entry Fees<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In the published statement, the organizers reiterated the existing No Refund Policy<\/strong>, under which entry fees are non-refundable and registrations from 2025 will not be automatically transferred to future editions. It was emphasized that this policy applies regardless of the reasons for the event\u2019s cancellation and is in line with the official race regulations.<\/p>\n

This information was communicated to participants on race day, sparking strong reactions among runners present at the venue.<\/p>\n

Change in Entry Fee Policy<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In a new statement, Sanlam announced that all registered participants of the 2025 marathon would be offered entry into either the May 2026 edition or the 2027 edition. It was emphasized that this offer is independent of the marathon\u2019s ongoing efforts to join the Abbott World Marathon Majors series.<\/p>\n

Comments from the Organizer and Sponsor<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Paul Hanratty, CEO of the Sanlam Group, commented: \u201cWhen faced with adversity, Africans unite. We find ways to turn challenges into new opportunities, despite all obstacles. […] After the disappointment experienced by runners today, we feel compelled to support everyone who couldn\u2019t take part in the race.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Clark Gardner, CEO of the marathon, responded to the sponsor\u2019s offer: \u201cWe are humbled by the support and understanding shown by our participants, sponsors, and community following this very difficult decision. Sanlam\u2019s offer is a testament to their commitment to our event. We will now do everything we can to ensure that 2025 participants return to our start line.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next for Participants and the Event?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Organizers announced they will contact all registered runners soon with details on how to register for the 2026 or 2027 editions. They asked for patience as procedures are finalized. It was also confirmed that the next edition of the marathon will take place on May 24, 2026<\/strong>. The sponsor\u2019s swift response and the proposed solution are seen as an example of effective crisis management\u2014an important factor in the marathon\u2019s bid to join the World Marathon Majors.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to learn more about the marathon\u2019s efforts to join the elite, check out my article on the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Candidacy Club<\/a><\/strong>. You can also read the original analysis of the race cancellation in my earlier post: Cape Town Marathon 2025 Cancelled \u2013 Official Reasons Explained<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Source: Cape Town Marathon<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf8 Cape Times\/Armand Hough<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon 2025 was cancelled just 90 minutes before the start due to severe weather conditions. The race sponsor, Sanlam, is offering all registered participants the chance to run in 2026 or 2027. Check out the full details and official statements from the organizers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":230427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-230421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-marathon-majors-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldmarathoner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}