Was the Cape Town Marathon called off prematurely?
The cancellation of the Cape Town Marathon due to severe winds highlighted inadequate weather preparedness and infrastructure at the venue, sparking discussions on future event safety and location options. Picture: Armand Hough
Image: Armand Hough
As social media was flooded with hordes of athletes wearing their race kit running in the Mother City after the Cape Town Marathon was cancelled on Sunday, the obvious question was: Were organisers too quick to cancel the race?
Just over an hour before the 6.15 am start, runners were informed via test messages and social media of the decision to cancel the race at short notice due to severe winds.
The main reason the race could not go ahead was that “winds overnight wreaked havoc in the race venue in Green Point, with marquee tents damaged and branding being ripped off fences and scaffolding, prompting emergency meetings of the race organising team.”
Even though Sanlam later offered to sponsor athletes’ entries for a May 2026 or 2027 staging of the race, that seemed to be of little consolation for many.
Race cancellation exposes poor weather preparedness and infrastructure flaws at Cape Town event venue
The fact is, the race venue should have been prepared for all weather conditions and if it wasn’t, another more suitable location should have been used.
Colonel Christo Engelbrecht of the SAPS, speaking on behalf of the Joint Operations Committee (JOC), said: “The route is unsafe, as the wind is constantly gusting in Woodstock, and the infrastructure at the start and finish venue has been compromised. It’s unsafe for runners and pedestrians in that whole area, and that’s why the race has had to be cancelled. It was a collective decision made by the whole team in the Joint Operations Committee.”
It’s clear though, the main issue was the race venue and saying the winds on route were unsafe was probably a bit of a stretch.
Perhaps from next year, wherever the race finish is held, infrastructure will be in place that won’t be affected by extreme winds or perhaps the venue can be switched to the Cape Town Stadium, which would solve a lot of the problems.
That may not be the solution, but one hopes that someone will look into the feasibility of hosting a race that is so susceptible to poor weather conditions for future editions of the race.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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