With just 50 days to go before the start, the Cape Town Virtual Marathon 2020 has announced that ‘the best of the best among SA’s top athletes’ will take on the 42.2 kilometer race. This year’s Cape Town Marathon was confirmed as a virtual marathon 100 days ago. Now, with just 50 days to go before the start, the Cape Town Virtual Marathon 2020 has announced that “the best of the best among SA’s top athletes” will take on the 42.2 kilometer race. These athletes will compete simultaneously in three different cities; Cape Town, Potchefstroom and Pretoria on the 18th of October.

The field will include 20 elite invitational entries alongside 21 wildcard entries. Race ambassador, Elana Meyer says “never before has a South African elite field been so strong, and for the first time ever the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will see Olympians competing against the best ultra-marathon, half marathon and cross country runners.” “The men’s field includes legends like Stephen Mokoka, Elroy Gelant, Bongmusa Mthembu and Edward Mothibi, while the Phalula twins, Cornelia Joubert, Tanith Maxwell, Jenna Challenor, Charne Bosman, Sanelisiwe Mbanjwa and Ann Ashworth will be among the star-studded women’s field. “We are also thrilled to welcome SA’s highest-ranked trail runner, Meg Mackenzie, who will make her running debut in Cape Town,” Meyer said.

The challenge, albeit already a marathon, is the attempt at making sure the three different routes meet the same standards of elevation and distance – taking into account the differences in altitude across the three locations. It has been confirmed, therefore, that exercise physiologist Dr Ross Tucker will be analysing each route prior to the 18 October start. CT Marathon have also confirmed that the race will be broadcast by the SABC. SABC Sport General Manager, Gary Rathbone said: “With the challenges brought along by COVID-19 pandemic, this presented a perfect opportunity for SABC Sport to use its production experience of many decades, combined with the new-age technology, to enable our viewers to be part of the race from the comfort of their homes. “The race will also be available on the SABC Sport portal, allowing the runners themselves to follow live the race which they are running in, providing total viewing satisfaction.”