Cape Town Marathon

The Cape Town Marathon was on track to become the first Abbott World Marathon Major on African soil, joining the prestigious series in 2026 — contingent on a second consecutive successful assessment in 2025. Unfortunately, weather had other plans, and the 2025 edition was cancelled overnight. In November 2025, AbbottWMM announced that all 2026 Cape Town finishers would receive a provisional star — a silver lining of sorts. I needed a goal race for 2026 and another AbbottWMM check mark, so I reluctantly threw my name into the Cape Town ballot. Given my track record with AbbottWMM ballots, I wasn't holding my breath. And then, against the odds, I got in.

Training

The 13-week training block kicked off on February 23, and it got off to a rough start — the first week was a complete washout with no running or strength training. The 12 weeks of base-building before that weren't anything to write home about either. This was nothing like the lead-up to recent Sydney or Boston marathon. Given work and family constraints, I deliberately dialled things back — fewer running days per week, reduced strength training volume, and no speed intervals. I did manage enough 20+ mile long runs to keep my endurance from falling off a cliff, so there was that.

Race Week

Flight options from Bengaluru to Cape Town are, to put it kindly, not great. Gautham and I flew Tuesday morning to Singapore, sat through a six-hour layover, used the time to visit Gautham's SIL and family in Singapore for dinner, and then took a redeye to Cape Town with a technical stop in Johannesburg. We landed Wednesday morning to find Raghuram waiting for us — he'd flown in the previous evening from Rhode Island. Raghuram wasn't there to race; he came purely to hang out with us, and he showed up fully prepared. He'd done exhaustive research, put together a detailed itinerary, pre-booked everything, and even built in enough rest around the race. We genuinely can't thank him enough.

Wednesday kicked off with lunch at Mojo Market — an absolute must if you ever find yourself in Cape Town. We then headed to the Zeitz MOCAA Contemporary Art Museum (worth it if you love art; we'll admit we got bored fairly quickly) and wrapped up the evening with a stroll around the V&A Waterfront, some grocery shopping, and dinner at Nando's. I'd always assumed Nando's was British — turns out it's proudly South African. Our apartment was in Mouille Point / Green Point, an affluent suburb with gorgeous views of the Atlantic Seaboard and, crucially, walking distance from the race start. If you're visiting Cape Town — whether for the marathon or just sightseeing — I'd strongly recommend staying in this area.

Green Point Light House

Clock Tower, V&A Waterfront

V&A Waterfront (Table Mountain in the backdrop)

Zeitz MOCCA

Mojo Market - Amazing food court

Thursday started with a 30-minute shakeout run for Gautham, Raghuram and me to test gear and get a feel for the conditions. We then drove out to Boulders Beach to see the penguins, continued to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, and looped back via Chapman's Peak Drive. The entire route is breathtaking — towering coastal cliffs, sweeping ocean views — the kind of scenery that photos simply can't do justice. Post-lunch at Mojo Market (yes, again — no regrets), we headed to the Expo at DHL Stadium. It was brilliantly organized and genuinely world-class. We picked up our race numbers and grabbed some merchandise for ourselves and family. We'd planned to visit Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in the evening, but the Expo ran long and fatigue caught up with us — that one's earmarked for the next trip.

St James Beach

Trio at Cape Point

Chapman Peak Drive

Cape of Good Hope

Wild life in Table Mountain National Park 

Penguin watching at Boulders Beach

At the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Expo, picking the running number

Friday started at Bo-Kaap, followed by nearly two hours in the Table Mountain Cable Car queue. The weather had turned — cold, rainy, and heavily overcast — so going up was a bit of a wasted effort. In the afternoon, we took a ferry to Robben Island — the infamous prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years behind bars. Walking through the cells and hearing the guided tour brought history to life in a way that was quietly sobering; it's one of those places you feel everyone should visit at least once. We returned late in the evening, which meant we missed the concert Cape Town Marathon had organized. A small regret.

Robben Island on the horizon from the cruiseliner

Robben Island, the unique symbol of 'the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, suffering and injustice' 

V&A Waterfront

at Bo-Kaap

Panaromic View or the lack of it from Table Mountain Top

Bo-Kaap aka Malay Quarter - Racially segregated area, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill in Cape Town

Saturday was all about rest. A quick 20-minute run to stay loose, then feet up in the Airbnb all day — music on, something on Netflix, and absolutely nothing strenuous. Saving everything for Sunday.

Race Day

Up at 5:00 am. Showered, had a banana, two slices of toast with jam, and black coffee, and left the apartment at 7:10 am for the holding area. My corral was set to go off at 8:10 am. The atmosphere was electric — runners from across the world, a few familiar faces, and mercifully decent weather. 

My plan was simple: run the first half in 1:55–1:56, bank four to five minutes, and come home in around 4:00:00. I executed the first half well, crossing in 1:55:19 and maintaining steady pacing through miles 18–19. The course is no pushover — rolling hills throughout, with some genuinely steep climbs around miles 19–20. The combination of humidity and sun started to get to me, and with the faintest hint of cramp creeping in, I made the calculated decision to ease off rather than risk blowing up in the final miles. I couldn't quite hold the 9:00/mile pace needed for a sub-4 and crossed the line in 4:01:35 — just 1:35 over target.

For nutrition: 5 Huma gels and 2 salt tablets. In hindsight, a third salt tablet around mile 20 might have made the difference.

Overall, a solid race given the preparation that went into it. No complaints.

During the race

During the race

Glad it's over. With our finisher medal and the India Flag

Wrapping Up

Raghuram travelled all the way from the US just to be with Gautham and me — that's the kind of friendship you don't take for granted. We had an absolute whale of a time in Cape Town. Gautham and Raghuram also took it upon themselves to cook a few meals in the Airbnb (I helped, for the record). Here's hoping the three of us find another race to converge on — maybe somewhere else in South Africa, or perhaps China. We'll see. As always, a huge thank you to Rashmi and the kids for putting up with marathon training season at home. You make all of this possible. 

Thank you, Cape Town. What a city.