Behind the Scenes: The Unsung Heroes of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon

As the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon draws closer, the athletes are not the only ones gearing up for race day. Our vast team of over 1,800 on the ground is also preparing to support this iconic race, providing support and filling vital service roles to allow athletes the best chance of success on the day. 

It is safe to say the smooth execution of this race demands a lot from our service providers, so let’s break it down.  To ensure the safety and protection of everyone involved, 160 security guards will collectively dedicate 24,000 hours, from the start of race & route preparations, till the very end. Over 16 kilometers of fencing will be erected along the route, as well as 940 ‘No Parking’ signs and 4,000 cones placed by our diligent service providers.

90 pre-event staff will clock an impressive 5,376 hours in the days before the races, to ensure the seamless execution of the Expo at DHL Stadium, opening Thursday 17th October. On the race days, 812 service providers will work as route marshalls, registration staff, and general query assistants, to provide all athletes with crucial administrative support. Further ensuring athlete success, 664 staff will man the 15 hydration stations and the 8 elite hydration stations scattered along the route, to ensure every athlete remains adequately hydrated.

When asked about his role in the marathon, Ronald Arlow of Frontier Events, the man responsible for all of the fencing required for the event, told us that the event is “painstaking, back- breaking work. Vehicles break, people get tired.” Despite this, Ronald told us that everybody in his company is always excited to work on the event, and on behalf of his team, said “the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is without a doubt one of our favourite events”.

Mediclinic and ER24 have been the official medical partners of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon since its inception. As the event aims to become a Major, the medical team is committed to providing world-class support to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants. The medical team consists of a group of trained nurses, doctors, and medics who are passionate about both emergency and sports medicine, bringing niche expertise in the field of eventing medicine to race day.

The Cape Town Marathon Expo is another massive undertaking, transforming a stadium parking garage into a world-class exhibition space. Liezle Bothma, who heads up the Expo team, notes that working around curbs, pillars, and firefighting equipment presents unique challenges, but by Expo week the space is transformed with strategic lighting and branding into an energetic, vibrant environment that is able to engage the diverse audience of around 35 000 athletes it will welcome through its doors.  

The service providers who will carry out these crucial tasks on the ground are the team behind our team and the backbone of this event. This group of over 1,800 staff will work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the smooth and safe running of this legendary marathon. The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon’s status as an Abbott World Marathon Majors Candidate further emphasizes the necessity for quality service providing, as we strive to become Africa’s first Major – a historic milestone that rests on the shoulders of our dedicated community here in the Mother City.