Cape Town Marathon makes surprise DATE change

The 2026 Cape Town Marathon will take place in late May instead of its ‘usual’ October date.

This year’s race is scheduled for Sunday, 19 October.

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Race organisers dropped something of a bombshell on Friday afternoon when they confirmed on social media that next year’s race will take place on Sunday, 24 May.

They claimed that ‘this strategic shift is designed to offer runners an even better race-day experience with cooler autumn temperatures, reduced wind conditions, and the benefit of a later start time to ease race-day logistics’.

Ballot entries will open on 6 November 2025.

Runners will no doubt be wondering whether they’ll have enough time to recover from the Two Oceans Marathon the month prior.

In addition, although the Comrades Marathon date for next year is still be confirmed, this year’s race is scheduled for early June, making for what a very tight turnaround between races.

Are you planning on running this year’s Cape Town Marathon?

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