Cape Town: Runners have until Wednesday to enter the general ballot for the 2027 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, which will become Africa’s first Abbott World Marathon Major when the 42.2 km race is staged on Sunday, 23rd May next year, with all applicants due to receive their results on Friday and successful entrants expected to have sufficient funds available for immediate payment.
The ballot deadline marks the first major public-entry milestone since Cape Town was confirmed as the eighth member of Abbott World Marathon Majors. The race will join Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York in the international series, giving Africa a permanent place on one of distance running’s most recognised global calendars.
Interest is expected to be high because the next edition will be the first Cape Town Marathon staged with full Major status. Entry through the general ballot does not guarantee a place, and organisers have urged applicants to check their personal and payment details before the process closes.
Ballot Results Due On Friday
The 2027 general ballot opened on 10th June and will close on Wednesday, 24th June. Organisers have confirmed that the process is not first-come, first-served, which means applicants who enter before the deadline will be considered through the same ballot rather than being given priority according to the time of their application.
All applicants will be notified on Friday, 26th June, whether their entry has been successful. The outcome will be sent electronically, and runners have been advised to monitor their inboxes and spam folders so that they do not miss the notification.
For successful applicants, Friday will also be the first payment-processing day. Organisers will attempt to charge the account linked to the application, making it important for runners to ensure that sufficient funds are available and that their banking details are correct.
Where the first payment attempt fails, organisers will make two further attempts on Tuesday, 30th June, and Friday, 3rd July. An applicant who still cannot complete payment after the final attempt will lose the allocated place.
The payment requirement means a successful ballot result should not be treated as a confirmed entry until the transaction has been completed. Applicants who experience banking problems will have a short period in which to correct them before the place is forfeited.
Africa Enters The Major Marathon Calendar
Abbott World Marathon Majors confirmed Cape Town’s admission after the race completed its final assessment. The city will become the eighth member of the series and the first African host to secure full Major status.
Cape Town’s inclusion changes the international geography of the series. African athletes have long played a dominant role in the world’s leading marathons, but no race on the continent had previously held a permanent place in the Abbott World Marathon Majors calendar.
The decision means international runners pursuing all the Major stars will now have to travel to Africa, while African runners will have an event on their own continent. It also gives Cape Town a permanent place alongside cities that attract some of the strongest elite fields and largest groups of recreational marathon runners in the world.
Abbott World Marathon Majors chief executive Dawna Stone welcomed Cape Town to the series and said the city’s culture, setting and public support would bring a distinct character to the international calendar.
“It gives me huge pleasure to welcome Cape Town to the family,” Stone said when the announcement was made.
She added that the city’s atmosphere and the welcome offered by Capetonians would help create a memorable experience for runners from Africa and abroad.
“The unique culture, the welcome from the people of the city and the wonderful setting Cape Town provides will bring a whole new dimension to our series,” Stone said. “I know runners in Africa and across the world will have a phenomenal experience at this race.”
Years Of Planning Behind Major Status
Cape Town’s promotion followed several years of preparation, investment and formal assessment. Candidate races are evaluated across a broad range of areas, including route management, runner safety, medical services, elite-athlete standards, timing systems, transport, crowd control, hydration points and the overall experience delivered to participants.
The process does not focus only on the front of the field. Organisers must show that they can manage the full event, from the registration expo and start areas to the finish, baggage collection and medical response.
Cape Town completed its second successful evaluation at this year’s marathon, clearing the final requirement for admission. The decision recognised the work of race organisers, sponsors, the City of Cape Town, volunteers, athletics officials and local running clubs that supported the candidacy.
The achievement also followed the difficult cancellation of the 2025 race after dangerous winds damaged infrastructure along the route and at event sites. Thousands of runners were affected, and organisers faced a major operational and reputational challenge.
The event returned this year and completed the assessment necessary to secure Major status. Abbott World Marathon Majors later referred to the resilience shown by the organising team as part of the wider story behind Cape Town’s successful campaign.
A Milestone For African Runners
Sanlam Cape Town Marathon chief executive Clark Gardner described the announcement as a moment that belonged to generations of runners across the continent.
“To join the Abbott World Marathon Majors as Africa’s first is a profound honour,” Gardner said. “This is a moment generations of African runners have waited for, and it belongs to everyone who carried us here.”
Gardner said the organising team was proud to join the world’s leading city marathons and looked forward to welcoming runners from around the globe to Cape Town.
His comments reflected the wider significance of the decision. African runners have won many of the sport’s leading races and shaped the history of international distance running, but competitors seeking to complete the Major series previously had to race entirely outside the continent.
Cape Town’s admission provides an African stage for that achievement and gives local runners a chance to experience a Major without travelling overseas.
What A Successful Entry Includes
A successful ballot application secures a place in the 42.2 km marathon on Sunday, 23rd May next year. The event will again use two starting areas, with one located on Fritz Sonnenberg Road near Cape Town Stadium and the other on Beach Road in Mouille Point.
Each runner’s seeding information will indicate which starting area must be used. All marathon participants will finish on Vlei Road, while the final starting times will be confirmed closer to race weekend.
The marathon will have a cut-off time of six-and-a-half hours. Runners will need to complete the full distance within that period to be recorded as official finishers.
Organisers have confirmed that no temporary or permanent athletics licence will be required because the event uses a standard entry model. South African Athletics rules require marathon participants to be at least 18 years old on race day.
Every runner whose finish appears in the official results will earn the Cape Town Major star. The star recognises completion of the race as part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors series.
Entries Cannot Be Sold Or Transferred
Successful marathon entries are non-transferable, and substitutions will not be allowed. A runner who secures a ballot place cannot sell it, give it to another person or permit someone else to compete under the same race number.
The rule protects the integrity of the timing and medical systems. Organisers need the person wearing each number to match the emergency, identification and seeding information stored in the official entry database.
Anyone found running under another participant’s number could be disqualified. It could also create serious complications if medical assistance is required and emergency personnel are given information belonging to someone else.
A deferral process is expected to open closer to race day for runners who can no longer participate. Subject to the final rules, eligible entrants may be able to move their place to the 2028 race rather than transferring it to another runner.
The full deferral conditions will be published later.
Other Entry Routes Still Available
The general ballot is not the only route into the 2027 marathon. Official international tour-operator and charity entries are due to open on Friday, 26th June, and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
These options may provide another opportunity for runners who are unsuccessful in the general ballot, although they can carry separate conditions, fundraising requirements or travel-package costs.
Entries for the Peace Run and trail races will open on Friday, 3rd July. Those events will be staged on Saturday, 22nd May, one day before the marathon.
The weekend programme will allow runners who do not want to complete 42.2 km to participate in shorter road or trail distances. Organisers have set the minimum age at 14 for the 10 km Peace Run and nine for the 5 km event, while trail-race age requirements will depend on the distance selected.
The broader programme is expected to turn the Major into a full weekend of running rather than a single Sunday race.
Cape Town’s New Major Star
Cape Town’s admission creates an eighth Major star. Runners who completed this year’s Cape Town Marathon were initially awarded provisional stars while the race awaited its final assessment.
Those stars will now be converted into full Abbott World Marathon Majors recognition. Almost 2,000 runners who completed this year’s event earned what became their eighth star.
Cape Town Marathon finishes recorded before this year will not count because the event had not yet reached the required Major status.
The original Six Star programme will continue for runners who complete Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Cape Town and Sydney expand the wider series to eight races, while Shanghai remains a candidate for future inclusion.
Abbott World Marathon Majors has indicated that a Nine Star medal may be introduced if Shanghai passes its final assessment. No separate Eight Star medal is planned, although runners can collect individual race coins and displays reflecting their progress.
Economic Opportunity For Cape Town
Major marathons attract far more than the athletes who line up at the start. International runners often travel with family members, friends and running groups, while many extend their visits before or after race weekend.
That spending can benefit hotels, restaurants, transport providers, tour operators, retailers and small businesses across the city. It can also create demand for local training services, sports events and race-related travel packages.
Cape Town’s inclusion in the series places the city permanently on the calendar followed by runners seeking to complete every Major. The first ballot will offer an early indication of international demand, although organisers have not yet released final entry numbers.
The full economic value of the 2027 event should be measured after the race rather than assumed in advance. No complete independently verified forecast has yet been published for the spending generated specifically by Cape Town’s first year as a Major.
What is already clear is that the event will draw a larger international audience and increase pressure on accommodation, transport, public services and route management.
Major Status Brings Higher Expectations
The upgrade brings prestige, but it also places greater responsibility on race organisers and the City of Cape Town.
International runners will compare Cape Town with established events in Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. They will expect clear communication, reliable transport, safe starting areas, efficient baggage systems, adequate hydration, strong medical support and accurate timing.
Road closures will also need to be communicated properly to Capetonians living, working or travelling along the route. Large marathons depend on cooperation from neighbourhoods, businesses, commuters and volunteers as much as they rely on the runners themselves.
The event’s two-start system will remain important as the field expands. Organisers will need to manage movement around Green Point, Mouille Point and the wider route while ensuring that participants reach the correct starting area on time.
Public support will form part of Cape Town’s international image. Stone’s praise for the city’s welcome places spectators, volunteers and Capetonians at the centre of the experience the race promises to deliver.
Final Hours Before Ballot Closure
Runners who still intend to apply have until Wednesday to complete the general ballot through the official Sanlam Cape Town Marathon platform.
Applicants should check that their names, contact details and payment information are correct before submitting the entry. They should also understand that entering the ballot does not guarantee a place.
All applicants will receive an outcome on Friday. Successful runners must be ready for payment to be processed, while unsuccessful applicants may still investigate official charity and international tour-operator options.
For Cape Town, the closing ballot represents another step towards a race weekend that will place the city and the African continent inside a new chapter of global marathon running.
Q&A
When does the Cape Town Marathon ballot close?
The general ballot closes on Wednesday, 24th June.
When will applicants receive their results?
Successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified on Friday, 26th June.
When will successful applicants be charged?
The first payment attempt will take place on Friday. Further attempts are scheduled for Tuesday, 30th June, and Friday, 3rd July if the first payment fails.
When will the 2027 marathon take place?
The 42.2 km marathon will take place on Sunday, 23rd May next year.
When are the Peace Run and trail events?
They will take place on Saturday, 22nd May.
Is Cape Town officially a World Marathon Major?
Yes. Cape Town will join the series next year as its eighth member and the first Abbott World Marathon Major on African soil.
Does entering the ballot guarantee a place?
No. Applicants must wait for the official ballot outcome on Friday.
Can a successful entry be transferred?
No. Marathon entries are non-transferable, and substitutions are prohibited.
Can runners defer their entry?
Organisers say a deferral window will open closer to race day, allowing eligible runners to move their entry to 2028.
What is the marathon cut-off time?
The 42.2 km race has a cut-off time of six-and-a-half hours.
Will finishers earn a Cape Town Major star?
Yes. Runners whose finish appears in the official results will earn the Cape Town star.
Are other entry options available?
International tour-operator and charity entries open on Friday, while Peace Run and trail entries open on Friday, 3rd July.
SAI Search Summary
The general ballot for the 2027 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon closes on Wednesday, with all applicants due to receive their results on Friday. Successful entrants will be charged immediately and must ensure sufficient funds are available. The 42.2 km race takes place on Sunday, 23rd May next year and will be Cape Town’s first event as the eighth member of Abbott World Marathon Majors. Cape Town is the first African race to join the international series. Marathon entries are non-transferable, while official charity and international tour-operator places open on Friday.
Source: Sanlam Cape Town Marathon – official race information and frequently asked questions; Abbott World Marathon Majors – Chief Executive Dawna Stone and official Cape Town Major announcement; Sanlam Cape Town Marathon – Chief Executive Clark Gardner.
