🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town Marathon
Oct 18, 2026
Race facts
Next edition · 2026
Oct 18, 2026
ScheduledCourse
290 melevation gain
- Distance · surface
- 42.2 km · Road
Entry
Open entry
- Status · last recorded
- Registration open
Dates and entry details change. Confirm with the organiser before you book.
PB potential
Technical or hilly — come for the experience, not the time
Beginner friendly
Suitable for beginners with solid training
About this race
The Cape Town Marathon earns its growing international reputation through a combination of jaw-dropping scenery and a course that genuinely challenges. Table Mountain looms over the entire route, which starts in Dorp Street in the CBD and takes runners through the Bo-Kaap's colourful hillside houses, along the V&A Waterfront, through Green Point and Sea Point along the Atlantic coast, and back through De Waal Park. The October timing coincides with Cape Town's spring — Southern Hemisphere October brings reliable sunshine, mild temperatures (18–24°C), and occasionally strong Cape southerly winds (the famous South-Easter). 290m of elevation gain comes from the Sea Point coastal undulations and the early city hills. The event has applied for World Athletics Gold Label status and attracts growing elite fields.
Typical race-day weather
Temperature
18–24°C
Humidity
45–60%
Conditions
Sunny with possible SE wind (the Cape Doctor)
Wind
15–30 km/h S (variable and strong)
Pace Band
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