ATHLETICS NEWS - The four-day programme for the 2025 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon kicks off on Thursday 16 October with the opening of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Expo at the DHL Stadium in Green Point. 

The Expo will include race pack collection for all athletes participating in the Marathon as well as the 10km and 5km Peace Runs, and the three Trails Runs (43km, 22km and 11km) that form part of this annual festival of running.

Some 41,000 runners will be making their way through the Expo, as well as family members and spectators, and they can look forward to three days of experiencing the unique African identity of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, and the magnitude of this event for the African continent. 

The event is now in phase two of the candidacy process to become an Abbott World Marathon Majors race, which will put it on the same level as the likes of the New York, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, Tokyo, Sydney and London Marathons. 

The race, and its Expo, will therefore offer all visitors the same experience as the world’s most iconic marathons.

Title sponsor Sanlam will have a strong presence at the Expo. “As runners enter our space, they’ll be reminded of our shared vision and rallying call, African Champions Unite, as we continue our journey toward becoming Africa’s first Major,” says Shadi Chauke, Group Executive: Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Sanlam. “Beyond that, Expo visitors will experience a dynamic expression of our Journey to Confidence, brought to life through four interactive Confidence Stations that demonstrate that confidence is built step by step, whether it’s through nurturing your physical or financial wellbeing, strengthening emotional resilience, or supporting causes that uplift our communities. 

"The Expo reflects our purpose as a brand, to help people live with confidence, and celebrate the everyday champions who remind us that true confidence lies in the courage to keep moving forward.”

Something for everybody

The Expo, which is also uniquely held in a stadium right next to the start and finish lines of the race, will offer visitors a fantastic variety of both international and local products and services. 

The Expo will also feature a Fynbos installation by Leon Kluge and Tristan Woudberg, the gold medal winners of the Chelsea Flower Show in London, and their display is sponsored by the Grootbos Foundation, one of the event’s associated charities. 

“We have placed a big focus on local vendors and brands, as one of our core goals is to redistribute money back into the South African economy, and there really will be something for everybody at this Expo,” says Clark Gardner, Chief Executive Officer of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.

The Cape Town Marathon Shop will thus include a number of local vendors specially invited to be part of the event, including Sexy Socks, which is on a mission to provide every child in South Africa with a pair of socks to wear to school, by donating a pair of school socks for every pair of Sexy Socks sold, and Lalela Scarf, which was created to financially support Lalela, a nonprofit that provides after-school arts education to children from under-resourced communities across South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Also look out for Malvern Shekede Wire Work, Ntsete Family Beaders and Thungelimpilo Embroiders, all of which have similarly inspirational stories behind their offerings.

As the official apparel partner of the event Tom Brown, Senior Brand Director at adidas, says, “We are incredibly excited to be part of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Expo, which offers runners a truly world class registration and shopping experience. The adidas area will provide a comprehensive offering of footwear, apparel and accessories, and highlights include the custom Cape Town Marathon Boston 13 shoe, featuring the route map on the insole, as well as a striking array of official event merchandise from technical to lifestyle products. There will also be a customisation area for runners to personalise their purchases, as well as a number of unique photo opportunities.”

Photo: Johann Minnaar

Registration requirements

The Expo will open at 09:00 on Thursday 16 October and run until 17:00 on Saturday 18 October, and runners should note that no late collections will be permitted, i.e. on race day of their event, so they need to get to the Expo in time to register for their chosen event. 

As such, no Peace or Trail run entries can be collected on the Saturday, as these events take place on the Saturday morning, and the final day of race pack collection will be solely reserved for the marathon.

The exact Expo times are as follows:

• Thursday 16 October: 09:00 to 19:00
• Friday 17 October: 09:00 to 19:00
• Saturday 18 October: 09:00 to 17:00

In terms of collection requirements, runners will need to present the official race confirmation that they have been sent via email or WhatsApp, which includes their race number. 

Similarly, if collecting on behalf of somebody else, you will need to present this confirmation for the other runner. Note that if you are collecting multiple packs, you must present each confirmation individually. 

The registration staff will not accept lists of names or race numbers.

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