Sanlam Cape Town Marathon takes shape in form of virtual race
The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon race organisers are adding a virtual version of the iconic city marathon to its existing bouquet of events.
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The virtual marathon will offer an interactive and immersive race experience for athletes across the globe by superimposing the race
route on top of streets, open spaces and gardens, complete with live tracking, distance markers, and push messages with information
about key landmarks as they are passed.
The creation of this virtual race will allow athletes to compete in the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on October 18 from anywhere in the
world, starting at 6.30am local time, wherever they are.
The race will be available through the Sanlam Cape Town Virtual Marathon app, an integrated digital platform that will launch in
the coming weeks.
“We are excited to introduce this digital offering. The app will track participants as if they are running the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon
route, whether they find themselves in New York, Naples or Knysna, making this a virtual race like no other. I am certain that having a race on the
horizon will give athletes a tangible goal to work towards, and the extra motivation needed to maintain their training within the parameters
of the lockdown levels they may find themselves in,” Francois Pienaar (marathon chairperson) said.
As it is still too early to predict whether the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will be staged in its original format on October 18,
the race organisers remain in close contact with Athletics South Africa and all relevant roleplayers as the months progress.
Western Province Athletics president Jakes Jacobs has called the introduction of the virtual marathon an example of how race organisers
can find creative solutions to the challenges they may face.
The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was recently awarded World Athletics Gold Label Status for the fourth consecutive year, the only marathon on the African
continent and one of only a select group of marathons in the world to have this status.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic that continues to sweep across the globe and the postponement of the Olympic Games, all Gold Label Status races will
retain their status for 2020 and 2021.