🇿🇦Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town Marathon
Oct 18, 2026
Distance
42.2 km
Elevation gain
290 m
Terrain
Road
Entry type
Open entry
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
Generate a free elevation-adjusted pace band for Cape Town Marathon. Print it, wear it, hit your splits.
Build my pace band →More races
You might also like
Athens, Greece
Athens Classic Marathon
Nov 8, 2026 · Road · ↑ 375 m
Registration openThe original — run the exact route Pheidippides ran from Marathon to Athens in 490 BC, finishing inside the iconic Panathenaic Stadium.
Big Sur, USA
Big Sur International Marathon
Apr 26, 2027 · Road · ↑ 2100 m
Sold outThe most breathtaking marathon in America — a point-to-point run along the legendary Pacific Coast Highway with 2,100m of brutal elevation change and views that will stop you mid-stride.
Sydney, Australia
TCS Sydney Marathon
Sep 20, 2026 · Road · ↑ 195 m
Registration openCross the Sydney Harbour Bridge, run past the Opera House, and finish in the Royal Botanic Gardens — one of the world's most scenic marathons in Southern Hemisphere spring.
Explore the region
More Africa marathons
Marrakech, Morocco
Marrakech International Marathon
Jan 25, 2027 · Road · ↑ 40 m
Registration openRun through the ancient medina, past royal palaces and through the red-walled city's bustling streets in the shadow of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains.
Casablanca, Morocco
Marathon International de Casablanca
Oct 18, 2026 · Road · ↑ 95 m
OpenMorocco's biggest city marathon along the Atlantic coast — past the Hassan II Mosque (the world's third-largest), through the Art Deco Corniche, and along the Côte d'Azur Atlantique.
Cairo, Egypt
Cairo International Marathon
Jan 18, 2027 · Road · ↑ 65 m
OpenAfrica's most iconic marathon destination — past the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx at dawn, along the Nile Corniche, and through Cairo's extraordinary historic Islamic and Coptic quarters.