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Cape Town, South Africa

Sanlam Cape Town Marathon

How to get into the Cape Town Marathon 2027

Race day · in 7 months

Part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors

Official site(opens in a new tab)

6 official routes into the Cape Town Marathon 2027; 1 open now.

Cape Town was confirmed as Africa's first Abbott World Marathon Major on 10 June 2026 and joins the series at its 23 May 2027 edition, after moving from October to May. The organiser commits to keeping two-thirds of race entries available to African participants, and its FAQ sorts runners into South African entrants (anyone with a South African ID number) and African entrants (residents elsewhere in Africa with a valid passport). The general ballot costs a non-refundable R5.00 processing fee to enter, which is donated to a race-linked charity, and once the draw is done the tour operator and charity places open on a first-come, first-served basis. Every 2027 entry is non-transferable with no substitutions.

Africa's first Abbott World Marathon Major, confirmed as the eighth Major on 10 June 2026. It joins the series at its 2027 edition on Sunday 23 May 2027, the marathon day of a 22–23 May race weekend. The organiser commits to keeping two-thirds of race entries available to African participants.

Route summary

Open now
1
Opens next
0
Closed
2

3 routes unconfirmed

Cape Town Marathon 2027 general ballot

Who can apply
Aged 18 or over on 23 May 2027.
Entry fee
Not yet published by the organiser
Opened
Closed
Best for
Runners aged 18 or over on race day who want a Cape Town place at the standard entry price and can wait for a draw.
How competitive
Not published by the organiser
Tips
The Cape Town ballot runs on the organiser's Howler page and charges R5.00 (about USD 0.30) per application, which is not refunded. In 2026 the window ran for two weeks in June and successful entries were charged on results day with retries a few days later, so keep a valid card on file. The marathon entry fee itself is not published.

Run by Abbott World Marathon Majors

Who can apply
Current AbbottWMM Gold Club members (paid annual membership, capped numbers); race draws are subject to their individual terms.
Entry fee
Not yet published by the organiser
Opens
Not yet published by the organiser
Closes
Not yet published by the organiser
Best for
Committed Majors runners willing to pay a yearly membership for an additional, members-only draw at every Major.
How competitive
Not published by the organiser
Tips
Membership is capped and sold for the following year from December, so join the waitlist early if you want to be in the next intake. It renews automatically each year and is for one person only; treat it as an extra ticket in a small draw of 50 places per race rather than a guaranteed entry.

Run by Abbott World Marathon Majors

Who can apply
Runners with an AbbottWMM profile showing 3, 4, 5 or 6 stars by the draw date who have not already completed this race.
Entry fee
Not yet published by the organiser
Opens
Not yet published by the organiser
Closes
Not yet published by the organiser
Best for
Runners who already hold three or more Majors stars (four for Tokyo and Boston) and want a separate shot at a Major they have not yet run.
How competitive
Not published by the organiser
Tips
Nothing is automatic: log in to the Runner Portal and opt in to each draw you qualify for, and make sure any older or unmatched results have been claimed so your star count is right by the draw date. The prize is the right to enter, not a free place, so budget for the race fee; a winner who misses the acceptance deadline loses the place. Road to the Majors challenges in the Global Run Club can add extra draw entries.

Cape Town Marathon charity places

Who can apply
Aged 18 or over on 23 May 2027.
Residency
Open to runners who are not South African residents.
Entry fee
Not yet published by the organiser
Fundraising minimum
Not yet published by the organiser
Opened
Closes
Not yet published by the organiser
Best for
Runners from outside South Africa who want a guaranteed Cape Town start in exchange for a charity fundraising target.
How competitive
Not published by the organiser
Tips
Apply through the Destination Sport Charity listing linked from the organiser's international charity page; the chosen charity sets the fundraising target. Runners who already won a ballot place can instead support one of these charities with their own entry and raise whatever they can.
Who can apply
Aged 18 or over on 23 May 2027.
Residency
Residents of South Africa only (runners with a South African ID number).
Entry fee
Not yet published by the organiser
Fundraising minimum
Not yet published by the organiser
Opened
Closes
Not yet published by the organiser
Best for
Holders of a South African ID number who missed the ballot and will commit to a local charity's fundraising target.
How competitive
Not published by the organiser
Tips
Only South African residents may apply for the local charity programme, and its places went first come, first served from the day ITO and charity entries opened; the 2027 allocation is already marked SOLD OUT. Fundraising targets are set by each local charity partner, not by the organiser.

Cape Town Marathon International Travel Program

Who can apply
Not yet published by the organiser
Residency
For international participants; operators are listed by country.
Package price
Not yet published by the organiser
Opened
Closes
Not yet published by the organiser
Best for
Overseas runners who want marathon entry packaged with flights, accommodation and race-weekend logistics.
How competitive
Not published by the organiser
Tips
Start with the official tour partners, Sports Tours International (UK, Ireland, France, USA) and Marathon Tours & Travel (UK, USA, Australia, China), or find the operator listed for your country in the directory; Faces Travel is the African-based partner. Packages, prices and remaining stock are on each operator's own site.

Which Cape Town Marathon route suits you?

Anyone can apply
  • General ballotRunners aged 18 or over on race day who want a Cape Town place at the standard entry price and can wait for a draw.
  • Gold Club member draws: 2027Committed Majors runners willing to pay a yearly membership for an additional, members-only draw at every Major.
  • Six Star draw: Cape Town 2027Runners who already hold three or more Majors stars (four for Tokyo and Boston) and want a separate shot at a Major they have not yet run.
Runners from overseas
Local residents and members
Runners happy to fundraise
Runners who want a guaranteed place

Entering the Cape Town Marathon from overseas

For runners outside Africa the organiser's main routes are its International Travel Program, with official tour partners Sports Tours International and Marathon Tours & Travel plus a country-by-country directory of more than 100 operators, and the international charity programme run with Destination Sport Charity, which is open to anyone without South African residency. Both opened on 26 June 2026, two days after the ballot closed, and are sold first come, first served, so they reward booking as soon as they open.

Cape Town Marathon 2028 general ballot: dates coming soon

The organiser has not announced the Cape Town Marathon 2028 entry dates yet. We don't guess them: here is what is known so far.

  • The 2027 General ballot ran 10 Jun 2026 – 24 Jun 2026.
  • The 2027 International charity places opened 26 Jun 2026.
  • The 2027 Local charity places (South African runners) opened 26 Jun 2026.
  • The 2027 International travel programme (official tour operators) opened 26 Jun 2026.

Cape Town Marathon FAQ

How do I get into the Cape Town Marathon 2027?

There are 6 official routes into the Cape Town Marathon 2027: general ballot, charity places and International Travel Program. Open now: International charity places.

When does the Cape Town Marathon 2027 general ballot open and close?

The 2027 General ballot ran 10 Jun 2026 – 24 Jun 2026. The dates of the 2027 Gold Club member draws: 2027 are not yet published by the organiser. The dates of the 2027 Six Star draw: Cape Town 2027 are not yet published by the organiser.

How much does a Cape Town Marathon charity place cost?

International charity places: the fundraising minimum is not yet published by the organiser. Local charity places (South African runners): the fundraising minimum is not yet published by the organiser.

Can overseas runners enter the Cape Town Marathon?

International charity places: Open to runners who are not South African residents. Local charity places (South African runners): Residents of South Africa only (runners with a South African ID number). International travel programme (official tour operators): For international participants; operators are listed by country. Official tour operators sell travel packages that include an entry (International travel programme (official tour operators)).

Who counts as a South African entrant for the Cape Town Marathon?

The FAQ classifies South African participants as all runners who have a South African ID number. African entrants are athletes residing elsewhere in Africa with a valid passport.

Can I defer my 2027 Cape Town Marathon entry?

A deferral window will open closer to race day for participants who can no longer take part, letting eligible entries move to 2028. Sponsored 2027 marathon entries cannot be deferred.

How old must I be to run the Cape Town Marathon in 2027?

You must be 18 or older by the date of the event, 23 May 2027, to run the 42.2km road marathon.

Other editions

No entry routes are listed for this edition. Get alerts to hear when any route opens.

Get into the Cape Town Marathon

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