The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will now proceed to the second stage of the candidacy process in its attempt to join the Abbott World Marathon Majors.
The marathon was assessed for the third time in October 2024 and met all the criteria set by the Abbott World Marathon Majors in order to pass stage one.
Cape Town will now be required to meet the criteria for a second consecutive year when it stages its next marathon on October 19, 2025.
If it is successful, the race would join the Majors in 2026, following the addition of the TCS Sydney Marathon, which was announced as the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major on November 3 and will take place as a Major on August 31, 2025.
“Cape Town has continued its impressive progress since joining the candidacy process and we are thrilled that it has now met all of our criteria for the first time,” said AbbottWMM CEO, Dawna Stone.
“We know how much the city, the country and the whole continent want the race to become Africa’s first Major, and they have taken a great step in the right direction.”
Clark Gardner, the Cape Town Marathon CEO, stated: “We are obviously delighted to pass to the next stage and to enjoy the progress after a significant effort this year. I believe the key to passing this stage one was the collective effort from our team, the city, sponsors, service providers, participants and residents who have all bought into the benefits that an AbbottWMM would deliver to the city, country and continent.”
AbbottWMM recently announced a new Nine Star medal will be introduced as the next milestone when two more races are added to the series.
AbbottWMM has also committed to keeping the Six Star medal in place for runners who complete the original six AbbottWMM races of Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
To help commemorate every runner’s journey and race achievements, AbbottWMM also introduced a commemorative coin for each race. Custom displays can be purchased to showcase the runner’s achievements from two races to all seven.
If Cape Town is successful in its second stage of evaluation, the collectible range would expand to recognize its race. The full range is available here.
FAQs
What will happen to the Six Star Medal?
The Six Star program remains unchanged. The Six Star medal will continue to be awarded to runners who complete the original six Majors.
How will the Nine Star Medal be awarded?
If the remaining two races in the candidacy process are successful, the earliest the Nine Star medal will begin is 2027. The plan is for this to be awarded at the end of the marathons in the same way the Six Star medal is awarded.
What is the collectible range?
To help commemorate every runner’s journey and race achievements, AbbottWMM introduced a commemorative coin for each race. Custom displays can be purchased to showcase the runner’s achievements from two races to all seven. The full range is available here.
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