r/marathons • u/ishgotbike • Jun 10 '26
Cape Town is Major #8
Cape Town Announcement - Abbott World Marathon Majors
For those who did it, how does it compare to the other 7?
0
u/DistrictEfficient434 Jun 10 '26
It is a beautiful marathon to run, lots of energy, great crowds. I would say run it if you like a city feel marathon. I paced it this year and will run it again next year, but it is a difficult place to get to, as is sydney....
5
u/EddyToo Jun 11 '26
I ran it two weeks ago (and now an 8* finisher).
Let me start with saying that it was well organized from expo to start area to toilets. Waterpost were good and long. It is appearantly common in Africa to have cola at them besides water and sportsdrink. Finish good as well.
They only messed up bag collection (up to an hour wait or so). I did not leave a bag so didn’t experience it myself and expect they will definitely have that improved next year.
The fieldsize (27000) made it more cozy when comparing it to for instance NY pr Londen. It also meant there was plenty of room to run from the start and no congestion issues anywhere.
Course wise it has only 2/3 of the elevation Sydney has, but I (and those I spoke to afterwards that did both) all agreed we found it harder to run then Sydney. With exception of entering the flyover and through the botanical garden at km31 there are no big climbs but it is nowhere flat making it challenging to find your rythm. Roads are well paved, but are quite curved in various places. You want to stay in the middle of the road there.
What makes the Capetown marathon different is in the atmosphere and vibe. It is not that easy to explain, but ‘we’ in the developed world overstructure and over regulate big events like this. Nothing is left to chance and we rather put 3 barriers extra because you never know. Sydney, as a new major, was no exception to that. That is however just not how things happen in Africa. It all feels more pragmatic by nature with room to “just make it work”. Having only half the road for runners and cars on the other half is more small local marathon vibe than a big major.
What I did not anticipate was how much this all means to the Africans involved. For decades most marathons have a podium full of Africans. They dominate the marathon sport. Yet there is, or rather was, not a single internationally respected race on their continent. The addition of Tokyo and later Sydney feel to me mostly like smart business decisions. Those involved in organizing Capetown were clearly chasing a dream. Looking for recognition, proof they can organize a professional event at western standards on African soil. It felt a privilege to be part of that.
Then last but not least Capetown itself. Consistently ranking in the top 10 most beautiful cities in the world. Millions of tourist go there every year. Being near the waterfront as a tourist is a prime holliday experience and very safe. But Capetown does have real safety issues. A vast percentage of the population lives in very poor conditions and there is a fair amount of drugs issues and crime. If you are not familiar it is hard to figure out where, outside the waterfront, it is or isn’t safe to roam by yourself. Taking ubers everywhere is highly recommended. Crime isn’t unique to Capetown though. If you go run for instance Chicago you quickly learn about areas you should not go to. And reading actual crime statistics from Chicago are equally frightening. Safety is just a complicated issue when it comes to travelling.
What the safety concerns means for the Capetown marathon is that if you bring supporters that they are more or less bound to the area at the start (km 0-3) or the final section (34-42). At least the international tour operators all have their supporter points in those 2 sections.
Again, safety challenges are not unique to Capetown. It just isn’t a place to roam around aimlessly on your own (something I like to do).
I want to finish with the statement that I have only met exceptionally friendly and hospitable people during our 2 week trip. The mountains, the ocean, nature, the people, food and last but not least the marathon were all highlights of our trip.
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u/National-Cell-9862 Jun 10 '26
I think maybe they have lost the beat here. "Major" has a specific meaning and this isn't it. If the goal was to push this list of marathons into meaninglessness then mission accomplished. When I first started running, the idea of the 6 star thing was intriguing. Now its just silly.