Ambassador. Paralympic Gold Medalist. 12 Time Abbott World Marathon Majors Champion. Order of Ikhamanga recipient for exceptional achievement. 2006 Prestigious Laureus Sports Award. We’d like to introduce you to Ernst Van Dyk.

Along with the long list of accolades, Ernst has received over his career in sports and adaptive athlete advocacy, we are excited to share that Ernst is also the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon’s Elite athlete wheelchair race Ambassador.

The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has now included the wheelchair marathon to our list of events, with the aim of becoming Africa’s 1st Major. Ernst says that the wheelchair marathon’s inclusion is a major win for people in wheelchairs. The professional wheelchair marathon is now a central part of the traditional marathon, something that would have been virtually unheard of 25 years ago.

Listen to Ernst giving insight on what running enthusiasts can expect from the wheelchair marathon, and what it means to adaptive athletes to have this event included.