Cape Town Marathon is an opportunity for South African runners to get a feel of what international races are like

Road runners disappointed with their results at the weekend’s Comrades Marathon can take heart in the fact that a great qualifying race is but just a 100 days away.

Africa’s only IAAF Gold Label Status race, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, takes place on September 15.

A truly world-class event that attracts runners from all over the world, the Cape Town Marathon is according to Elana Van Zyl-Meyer an opportunity for South African runners to get a feel of what international races are like.

“You get a taste of what it may be like to run the London Marathon or the Tokyo Marathon. Many of us in this country can’t afford to travel to such far-off destinations, so we’re focused on bringing home that quality of sport,” Van Zyl-Meyer said.

This year’s weekend-long running event begins on September 14 with two Peace Trail Runs (22km and 12km) and a 5km Peace Run, followed by Sunday’s marathon and a 10km Peace Run.

Nadia Fetta, chief executive of Sanlam Pan-Africa: General Insurance, said: “The best marathon runners of the world are from Africa and always had to travel the world to compete against the best. Having a world-class marathon on African soil allows runners from across the world to visit our continent and ultimately have a positive impact on our economy and the people of Africa.

posted Tuesday June 11th