Cape Town race goes gold

South Africa’s most decorated long-distance runner said yesterday she was proud to have played a key role in the development of one of our most popular road races, after the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon announced it had become the first African event to receive Gold Label international status.

Race ambassador Elana Meyer, who helped promote the annual 42.2km race after it was relaunched three years ago, said the organisers had achieved one of their biggest long-term goals in an ongoing attempt to become one of the most prestigious road races on the international circuit.

“I am over the moon with our status. We’ve always been inspired to get gold,” said Meyer, a former Olympic 10 000m silver medallist and world half-marathon champion.

“I have always been inspired and motivated by achieving excellence, and today I feel privileged and honoured to be an ambassador of this race.”

A number of requirements had to be met in order to gain the elevated recognition, and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had monitored various aspects of the race over the last few years. These included the handling of various technical issues and the event’s ability to showcase the coastal city.

After being relaunched with a new sponsor in 2014, the race had received second-tier Silver Label status in its first season.

Last year, Ethiopian Asefa Negewo won the men’s contest in 2:08:42, clocking the fastest time ever run on a standard course in South Africa.

The race’s new status was set to open the door even further for a larger field of international runners, and was expected to attract a world-class line-up, elevating the event among the top 42.2km contests in the world, with around 30 standard marathons earning Gold Label status each season.