- The Cape Town Marathon is finally here as the Mother City gears up for festivities set to get under way on 15-16 October.
- 13 000 athletes are expected to run in the 42.2km elite race on Sunday as it makes its debut as an Abbott World Marathon Majors candidate.
- News24 Sport looks at the contending male and female athletes to watch out for this weekend.
This year's iconic Cape Town Marathon is expected to see 13 000 runners from across the country and the world participate in the 42.2km race set for Sunday.
The Cape Town Marathon sees a new route designed in order to accommodate wheelchair athletes. Former SA Paralympic champion Ernst van Dyk will finally have the opportunity to race in front of a home crowd as he takes part in the inaugural wheelchair event.
It's also the first year as part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors alongside six of the world's largest and most renowned marathons.
For the Cape Town Marathon to achieve its Major status and join the likes of the Boston Marathon, it needs to have 15 000 runners finish the 42.2km race.
However, organisers are expecting 13 000 runners to complete this year and are hoping that it grows in its three-year candidacy race.
In 2022, five percent of marathon runners reside outside of South Africa, coming from 70 countries, with 80 athletes coming from the United States of America.
News24 Sport takes a look at some of the elite runners to look out for in this weekend's Cape Town Marathon:
Men
Stephen Mokoka
Mokoka will be defending his title and flying the South African flag as one of the favourites heading into this weekend's festivities.
The three-Olympian set a Cape Town Marathon record of 2:08.31 in 2018, and it's yet to be replicated.
In March this year, Mokoka broke the 50km men's world record at the Nedbank Runified Breaking Barriers Ultra Marathon in Gqeberha, setting a time of 2:40:13, which World Athletics recognised.
The 37-year-old will be eyeing his third Cape Town Marathon in the revised route on Sunday.
Gebretsadik Abraha
Abraha hails from Ethiopia, a country known for producing race-winning long-distance runners, and will be one of the international favourites for the Cape Town Marathon.
The 30-year-old is a three-time marathon, capturing the Marrakech Marathon, Prague Marathon and Guangzhou Marathon titles.
In his 2022 season so far, Abraha secured third place at the Dhaka Marathon and won the La Route du Louvre in France in May.
Sibusiso Nzima
Nzima makes his much-anticipated return at this weekend's Cape Town Marathon.
The 35-year-old Olympian has had a breakthrough year, including winning the Peninsula Half and setting a Half Marathon personal best (PB) in June.
Women
Jenet Mbhele
Mbhele is one of the local favourites on Sunday and will be making her Cape Town Marathon debut.
In May, Mbhele was crowned the South African National Marathon Championships winner after crossing the finish line in a time of 2:43.07 in Durban.
Meseret Dinke
Dinke hails from Ethiopia and is one of the favourite international runners and will be hoping for a podium-finish in Cape Town.
In December last year, Dinke set the mark by running a marathon personal best of 2:25:12 at the Valencia Marathon in Spain.
Dinke will also pose a challenge after winning the Geneva Marathon in May this year.
Aynalem Teferi
Teferi will be another Ethiopian to keep an eye on as she looks to improve her result in the Mother City.
The long-distance runner secured a podium finish at last year's Cape Town Marathon, finishing third and will hope to prove something this weekend.