The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon became the first marathon in Africa to be nominated as a candidate for the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM).
However, to become a Major, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will be required to meet certain criteria for three years and if successful, it will join an elite group of races like the Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon, Virgin Money London Marathon, BMW-BERLIN Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon in 2025.
From 2022 the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon with become a candidate
Of the Abbot world marathon majors !Wow! This is huge for SA and for our continent. ?????♀️
Watch here ?? https://t.co/vfjPyplGBG#SCTMAnnouncement #SanlamCapeTownMarathon @sanlam @CTMarathon
— Poppy Ntshongwana (@PoppyIsMyName) August 24, 2021
According to Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Chairman, Francois Pienaar, there was always a belief that the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon could be Africa’s first AbbottWMM, so becoming a candidate race is a tremendous honour.
“It acknowledges the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon as a global event that has consistently delivered a top-quality world-class race, and one that continuously innovates and creates world-first initiatives like the immersive audio experience during the 2020 virtual race,” Pienaar said at an event at Cape Town Stadium.
Pienaar who captained South Africa to win the Rugby World Cup in 1995, indicated that becoming an AbbottWMM would be like hosting a world championship event every single year, and 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 an AbbottWMM on home turf in the coming years,” Pienaar mentioned.
He further said that the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon already meets many of the requirements set by the AbbottWMM, and that continued enhancements will 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.”
Meanwhile, City of Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato added that this candidacy means a lot for the city, South Africa and Africa, and it will further solidify the Mother City’s reputation as a sports capital.
“We are proud to be the host of SA and Africa’s first AbbottWMM candidate and wholeheartedly support the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in the coming years,” Plato added.
The 2021 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is scheduled to take place on October 17 2021. Entries are open at www.capetownmarathon.com.
Picture: Cape{town}etc gallery