Gold for Mother City marathon
The Cape Town Marathon has been awarded the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF’s) Gold Label status‚ putting it on par with races in London‚ New York and Boston‚ and providing a spur‚ organisers hope‚ for greater international participation in 2017.
It is the first marathon in Africa to be awarded the status. The city will make its debut on the list with the running of the race on September 17.
The marathon had previously been listed as a Silver Label event‚ but has taken a step up due to Cape Town’s attractiveness as a destination city and the line-up of athletes competing‚ in terms of numbers and also the quality of the field.
“Gold Label status is the highest and most stringent standard awarded by the IAAF‚ the international governing body of running‚” said Sue Forge‚ general manager of Western Province Athletics. “We are exceptionally proud that this accolade has been bestowed on the Cape Town Marathon.
“It solidifies and elevates this event’s status to one of the very best in the world‚ and is a true testament to the meticulous organisation and passion of the entire team‚ its partners and sponsors,” she said.
Organisers are also hoping to increase the number of entries to 25,000 across all race distances and disciplines.
The event will host a 10km Peace Run‚ 22km and 12km Peace Trail Runs and a Fun Run‚ in addition to the flagship 42.2km standard marathon.
“National and international growth remains a key objective.
“In this regard‚ the aim is to grow international support of the event from 8.5% to 10%‚ and attract more foreign runners after 67 countries were represented in the Mother City last year [2016]‚” race director Janet Welham said.
Former Olympic long-distance runner Elana Meyer and 1995 World Cup-winning Springbok captain Francois Pienaar have again been named as ambassadors of the event.
Pienaar has challenged former SA cricket captain Graeme Smith and Zanele Mdodana‚ exSA netball skipper‚ to run the 42.2km race in 2017.
Both have accepted the challenge.