Sanlam Cape Town Marathon road closures and race weekend guide

Sanlam Cape Town Marathon 2026 returns on the weekend of 23 to 24 May 2026, bringing thousands of runners and spectators to the Mother City.

As an Abbott World Marathon Majors candidate race, this year’s event introduces a revamped two-start, five-wave system aimed at reducing congestion and improving the overall race experience.

But with the excitement comes widespread road closures, parking restrictions and traffic disruptions across large parts of Cape Town.

When is the Cape Town Marathon?

The race weekend schedule includes:

Saturday, 23 May

• Peace Runs:
  • 5km
  • 10km
• Trail Runs

Sunday, 24 May

• Main 42.2km Sanlam Cape Town Marathon

Where does the race start and finish?

The marathon will feature two alternating start lines in Green Point:

• Beach Road
• Fritz Sonnenberg Road outside DHL Stadium

The finish line will be located on:

• Vlei Road, Green Point

The event will also use five staggered start waves to accommodate larger runner numbers and meet international marathon standards.

Major road closures across Cape Town

Road closures will be in effect from:

• 08:00 on Friday, 22 May
• until 15:30 on Sunday, 24 May 2026

The City of Cape Town is enforcing a strict car-free route policy. Any vehicles parked along the marathon route risk being towed.

Areas expected to face major disruptions include:

Green Point and Mouille Point

• Beach Road
• Portswood Road
• Helen Suzman Boulevard
• Granger Bay Boulevard

Sea Point

• Beach Road between Three Anchor Bay Road and Queens Road Circle

Cape Town CBD

• Long Street
• Riebeek Street
• Adderley Street
• Buitengracht Street
• Darling Street

Woodstock and Salt River

• Searle Street
• Albert Road
• Victoria Road
• Main Road

Observatory and Mowbray

• Liesbeek Parkway
• Observatory Main Road inbound lanes

Where to watch the marathon

Several spectator activation zones will be set up along the route.

Key spectator points include:

• 0km: Start line at Beach Road
• 15km to 17km: Palmyra and Rondebosch Park
• 20km to 22km: Rondebosch Common
• 30km: Darling Street
• 32km to 33km: Long Street
• 34km: Green Point Main Road
• 36km to 41km: Sea Point Promenade
• 42.2km: Finish line at Vlei Road

Parking and transport advice

Public parking around Green Point and Sea Point will be extremely limited during race weekend.

Organisers are encouraging runners and spectators to use Park & Ride shuttle services operating from:

• Century City
• UCT
• Civic Centre
• CTICC

Residents are also urged to move vehicles off affected roads before Friday morning to avoid towing.

Where to get official updates

Street-by-street road closure schedules, parking restrictions and marathon information are available through:

• Sanlam Cape Town Marathon

International entries and travel packages are also available through the event’s official website.

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