Table Mountain and V and A Waterfront
The Cape Town Marathon 2012 on Sunday 23 September forms part of the City of Cape Town’s Heritage Day festivities and is an ideal opportunity to experience and celebrate the city’s rich natural and cultural heritage.
The race was established to provide South African runners with a flat course for running faster times and to showcase Cape Town. The city is internationally recognsied for Table Mountain sitting beside the ocean, and this influenced the course design with the mountain and the sea providing a scenic backdrop for a route celebrating the city’s beauty and history.
The run starts in Adderley Street at 6.30am and passes many attractions and sites of significance before finishing on the Green Point Common Fields. Capetonians are encouraged to line the pavements to support the runners and soak up the lively Cape Town Marathon atmosphere.
Heritage highlights en-route include:
• The Adderley Street flower sellers
• Table Mountain – named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World
• The Castle of Good Hope completed in 1679
• Groote Schuur Hospital – site of the world’s first human heart transplant
• The University of Cape Town – South Africa’s oldest university
• Rondebosch Common
• The Red Cross Children’s Hospital
• The South African Astronomical Observatory founded in 1820
• The Salt River Market
• The V&A Waterfront
• The Green Point Lighthouse – South Africa’s oldest dating back to 1824.
• The majestic Cape Town Stadium which hosted eight matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup
• The Green Point Urban Park – a multipurpose 10.5 hectare “people’s recreation park” with cycling, outdoor training and gym facilities
Registration and number collection is at the Sea Point Civic Centre on Friday 21 September between 10am and 7pm and on Saturday 22 September between 10am and 5pm. Pre-entries close on September 17 and can be done online or by downloading the entry form from www.ctmarathon.co.za.
The marathon festival weekend also includes a 10km race, a 5km Fun Run and a 5-x 4.2km relay for clubs, companies and schools. The events, supported by the City of Cape Town, Cape Town Tourism, Western Cape Government: Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, and Peninsula Beverages, provide a wonderful opportunity for competitors to get involved in a big city event while promoting a healthy, active, outdoor lifestyle.
