How elite athletes are coping with the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon cancellation
Gerda Steyn, had been looking forward to returning to the race for the first time since 2021.
Image: Henk Kruger / Independent Media
South Africa’s most renowned road runners, Gerda Steyn and Stephen Mokoka, have taken the cancellation of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on the chin like the true champions they are.
Mokoka’s quest for a fourth title was blown away by the Mother City wind on Sunday morning when adverse weather conditions forced the cancellation of the race.
The South African running legend was out to extend his record wins at the popular race, which is bidding to become the seventh race on the Abbott World Marathon Majors, following his victories in 2018, 2021, and 2022.
Early in the morning, as he was preparing to go to the start, Mokoka received a WhatsApp message from the organisers informing him—and the other 24,000 runners who were excitedly looking forward to pounding the streets of the city for 42.195km—that the race was cancelled.
Though disappointed, the Hollywood Athletics Club ace took the cancellation in stride.
“I am still digesting this individually. But all I can say is that it is still a shock,” the multiple Olympian told the Independent Media Group. “I’ve not really dealt with it.”
Shocked as he was, the former South African marathon champion knows the cancellation was for the best.
Stephen Mokoka’s quest for a fourth title was blown away by the Mother City wind on Sunday morning when adverse weather conditions forced the cancellation of the race.
Image: Nic Bothma/EPA
“It was the city that took the decision,” he said. “I am sure it was not easy for the race directors and the volunteers, but if disaster management feels that it is not safe for us to be on the road, we cannot question that. So all I can say for now is that it is a shock. It is a decision that affects not just myself but everyone involved—from the LOC, the directors, volunteers, and even us runners, the people who have sacrificed so much to get to today. It is not easy.”
Mokoka’s teammate at Hollywood Athletics Club, local road running darling Gerda Steyn, had been looking forward to returning to the race for the first time since 2021 and was understandably disappointed.
“Of course I am really disappointed with the news of our favourite South African marathon being cancelled; it’s the last thing myself and the other 24,000 runners expected when we set our alarms for 2:30am to wake up and make our way to the start line,” she told Independent Media. “As runners, we have to accept and respect the decision by the organisers even though we feel disappointed.”
She’s always been the glass-half-full kind of athlete, though.
“We are resilient and able to make lemonade out of these kinds of situations. We will go back home, refocus, and try to find something else because we have all trained very hard and put in lots of work and dedication into this. For me, on a professional level, this is my job and I trained hard to be in the best shape to line up against the top runners in the field. But I recognise it is not about an individual, so I feel sad for all the social runners who have trained hard to be ready for this.”
Already, many runners had turned the situation into lemonade, as Steyn said.
Over 24,000 runners from around the world were left stunned on Sunday morning when the 2025 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was cancelled just hours before its start due to severe overnight winds.
Image: Armand Hough
Thousands of the runners who clearly received the cancellation message, already en route to the start line, still converged there and, typical of South Africans, voiced their frustrations through song, dance, and a bit of a jog.
Steyn herself went out for a run too.
“I went out for a run, and the atmosphere was lively. Everyone was running in their race numbers—and so did I—cheering each other on and sharing positive vibes. The cancellation of the race won’t kill our spirit, and it won’t make us lose focus. We will get ready for the next start line.”
Octavia de Sa, the daughter of renowned football coach Roger de Sa, was meant to run her maiden full marathon and was not going to let the cancellation stop her.
A teacher at Rondebosch Boys’ Primary, she sent her father a message saying, ‘Dad, I’m full of carbs. I need to run it off,’ and then, when she was at the halfway mark, she sent another: “I’m doing the full thing.”
De Sa’s daughter then completed the standard marathon in a commendable time of four hours and 14 minutes as a novice. It might not be official, but it is the kind of time that will inspire her to go for more.
Renowned politician Makashule Gana, the Rize Mzansi parliamentarian, told Independent Media he was looking forward to earning his Comrades qualifiers prior to the end of the year as he always does, but was disappointed that he now has to find yet another race.
“I was on my way to the start when the message came in, and at first I did not believe it and kept going. But then I met other runners who confirmed that indeed the race was cancelled. It is a bit of a blow, but there’s nothing we can do—we just have to find another qualifier.”