Nick Bester raises concerns over Cape Town Marathon date shift

Organisers confirmed the event will take place on 8 May next year, instead of the traditional slot, in which the 2025 edition will still take place on 19 October.

Bester believes moving the race to May places it uncomfortably close to the Two Oceans Marathon in April and Comrades Marathon in June, making it difficult for elite athletes to properly prepare and adequately compete in all three major races.

"It has the perfect spot on the South African running calendar – October, there's nothing major happening, except the Soweto Marathon in November," remarked Bester.

"But now it's competing with the Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons in the space of a couple of weeks."

The 1991 Comrades champion also voiced concerns about the ongoing uncertainty surrounding other major road races such as the Soweto Marathon and the City-to-City Marathon. 

"It's 50-50, we don't know if the City-to-City Marathon is going to take place – I've got so many athletes that want to run that, and we don't know if Soweto is going to take place," he added.

"So there's definitely, luckily, the Cape Town Marathon that's going to take place, but it looks like they limit their elite field, so that also is a problem and we can't get all our elite guys into the CT Marathon field.

"Because there are very strict guidelines, and it's difficult to speak to them – their elite manager was difficult, and then we've still got a lot of fast athletes that want to run a Cape Town Marathon, but they won't be allowed elite status so they're not coming.

"That is one problem with the Cape Town Marathon – I would say, don't worry about the 10 guys in the front group, let's make it 50 guys, and make it so much more exciting like the Comrades – your front group is 50 guys big, and it's a spectacle worth watching."

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