Cape Town Marathon gets Silver Label

Left to right: Francois Pienaar, Marathon brand ambassador; George Grieve, CEO of Vital Health Foods & The Vital Foundation; Elana Meyer, Marathon brand ambassador; Carl Roothman, Chief Executive: Retail, Sanlam Investments

The IAAF made the decision to award the Silver Label status just six months after financial services group Sanlam became the official headline sponsor, in partnership with Western Province Athletics (WPA), ASEM Running and the City of Cape Town.

"The bar has certainly been raised quite high and as we launch this year's event, the organisers have set yet another challenge - the IAAF's Gold Label status for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. We are confident that this will also be achieved in no time," said Carl Roothman, Chief Executive: Retail of Sanlam Investments.

Going for Gold

A significant milestone has already been reached towards the achievement of the Gold Label status. The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is one of the first sporting events in South Africa to be declared carbon neutral. Sanlam has played a pivotal role in this process through the purchase of carbon credits traded on a JSE platform using existing commercial and financial infrastructure. The platform and the carbon offset trading were showcased for market readiness at the JSE in January.

Additionally, Vital Health Foods has been appointed developmental partner for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon to help assist with the development of the sport in South Africa. Technical partner Asics, along with Sanlam, will sponsor a trip for two people to take part in the 2016 Paris Marathon, as a prized reward for a lucky entrant wanting to experience what the essence of a world-class Gold Label status marathon is.

Marathon brand ambassador Elana Meyer added: "The Silver Label status puts the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on the race calendar for the top tier international runners in 2015. We are excited to be planning a spectator orientated event over the Heritage Day weekend."

Last year's event drew over 12,500 athletes, 5000 more runners than the previous year. It was won by Kenyan Willy Kibor Koitile in a time of 2:10:45.