Cape Town Marathon 2027 training plan

The race

The course runs through central Cape Town and along the Atlantic seaboard, and it is one of the faster marathons in South Africa. The variable is the wind, which can turn an even-paced plan into a lesson in patience. Late May usually brings cooler autumn conditions than the old October date.

The general ballot for 2027 has closed. If you don't have an entry yet, check capetownmarathon.com for any remaining routes in, such as charity places.

The training phases

From mid-October you have about 31 weeks, enough for a full base before a focused marathon block.

Goal pace

The pace you need to hold, per kilometre, to finish under each time:

Pick a goal your recent training supports. A half marathon run hard in the build is a good reality check. Most of your running should still be slower than this; marathon pace is a specific session, not every session.

Long runs and fuelling

• Long runs build to 30 to 35 km. Beyond that, the extra recovery usually costs more than it gives.
• Put goal-pace blocks into the second half of some long runs, so you practise holding pace when tired.
• Practise fuelling: roughly 30 to 60 g of carbohydrate an hour, using what you will race with. The nutrition tracking guide covers the training around it.
• Carb-load in the last 36 to 48 hours before the race.

Running it in a Comrades year

The Cape Town Marathon is three weeks before the 100th Comrades on 13 June. If Comrades is your goal, treat Cape Town as an easy long run or skip it; racing a marathon at the start of your taper puts your Comrades at risk. Two Oceans on 4 April is seven weeks earlier, so plan recovery if you run both.

How SportMentor builds your marathon plan

Tell your mentor your goal time for 23 May and how many days a week you can run. It builds the plan from your own training, whether that comes from Garmin, COROS, Polar, Suunto, Intervals.icu, Strava or Fitbit, or from sessions you log yourself, sets your paces from what you are actually running, and adjusts the plan each week.

• If the goal turns out to be too ambitious or too soft, the plan says so and adapts.
• Guided home strength sessions are built in to help you stay injury-free through the build.
• Race-week fuelling follows the calendar: taper, carb-load, race day and recovery.

Build my Cape Town Marathon plan →

This guide is general training information, not medical advice. Check with your doctor before starting a marathon build, especially if you have a heart condition, an injury or another health concern.