Cape Town Marathon: course, Majors status and 2027 date

Cape Town Marathon 2027: date, venue, entry

Date: the 42.2 km marathon is on Sunday 23 May 2027. The Peace Runs and trail runs are on Saturday 22 May 2027.

Venue: the marathon has two starts, the Stadium start on Fritz Sonnenberg Road next to the DHL Stadium in Green Point and the Beach Road start in Mouille Point; your seeding decides which you use. All events finish on Vlei Road.

Races: the 42.2 km marathon (minimum age 18, cut-off 6.5 hours), 10 km and 5 km Peace Runs, and Cape Town Trail Marathon races over 43, 22 and 11 km. The 2026 edition also had a wheelchair race.

Marathon entry: places for 2027 were allocated by ballot. The general ballot ran from 10 to 24 June 2026, with a R5 ($0.30) application fee, and results on 26 June. Charity and tour operator entries opened on 26 June 2026. The marathon entry fee itself is not shown on the official pages we checked.

Peace Run fees: 5 km R225 for South Africans, R320 (about $19) for other African runners and R600 (about $36) for international runners; 10 km R350, R660 (about $40) and R1,010 (about $61). Kenyans and other runners living in Africa outside South Africa with a valid passport count as African entrants.

Trail fees: 11 km R585 (South African), R800 (African) and R1,060 (international); 22 km R1,330, R2,000 and R2,600. Peace Run and trail entries opened on 3 July 2026.

Race pack: a T-shirt is included with the marathon and the 22 km and 11 km trail entries, but not with the Peace Runs.

Official website: capetownmarathon.com

Checked on 8 November 2026 against the official race website; confirm details there before you enter.

The course

The course starts beside the DHL Stadium in Green Point and runs along Beach Road at Mouille Point before heading into the city on Nelson Mandela Boulevard. It goes out through Woodstock and Salt River, then follows Main Road south through Observatory, Mowbray, Rondebosch and Newlands to Claremont.

The route turns back through the southern suburbs and along Liesbeek Parkway into the city centre, passes through the Company's Garden on Government Avenue and heads to Green Point. A final out-and-back along the Sea Point beachfront leads to the finish on Vlei Road by the stadium.

On our map the course covers about 42.6 km with roughly 230 m of climbing.

What the race is known for

Table Mountain is in view for much of the day, and the route shows off both the Atlantic seafront and the older suburbs of the city. Becoming a Major makes it the only race in the series held in Africa, and the organisers have said they will keep two-thirds of race entries for African runners.

Running it

Worth knowing before you go:

• Check your seeding: it decides whether you start at the Stadium or on Beach Road.
• There are 15 hydration stations about 3 km apart, and hydration packs are allowed.
• No earphones or headphones of any kind are allowed on the course.

Frame your race

We print the Cape Town Marathon on the real terrain, so Table Mountain and Signal Hill rise beside your route. Add your name, date and finish time and we work out your pace.