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You're listening to episode 282 
of the Marathon Running Podcast.

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In this episode, we're going to 
share our interview with Clark 

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Gardner, CEO and race Director 
of the Cape Town Marathon. 

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This is the Marathon Running 
Podcast with Letty and Ryan. 

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Join us for weekly content on 
all things running and let us 

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take you from the starting line 
to the finish line and beyond. 

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Hey runners, and welcome to my 
channel. 

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My name is Letty and I do 
running content and I keep my 

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fingers really close to the 
pulse of the World major 

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marathons because so much has 
been going on. 

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So subscribe if you're 
interested in more of those 

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videos. 
And today we're going to talk 

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about Cape Town because the Cape
Town Marathon is maybe about to 

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become the 8th world major 
marathon in 2026. 

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And I just sat down with their 
CEO Slash Race Director, Clark 

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Gardner, and we chatted about 
everything that it took to pass 

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stage #1 They're currently in 
stage #2 and if everything goes 

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in the next marathon, which is 
October 18th, then you will 

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maybe see Cape Town become the 
next star announcement to follow

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in November, which is all very 
exciting, especially if you're 

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looking to run the Cape Town 
Marathon. 

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So let's hop into my chat with 
Clark Gardner. 

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All right, so I'm on here with 
Clark Gardner, CEO and race 

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director of the Cape Town 
Marathon. 

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Clark, thank you so much for 
joining me today. 

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No, I have let you. 
It's a pleasure and it's our 

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honor to be on here and and 
welcome to all your listeners. 

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Yes. 
And and I guess with that we can

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get started because we have 
heard and are familiar with most

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race directors. 
So I want to maybe talk about 

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you a little bit, how you got 
into the space of running and 

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how you ultimately ended up 
becoming CEO of Cape Town 

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Marathon and some other ones. 
No, it's thanks for that. 

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It's a great question. 
And my journey is, is is really 

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exciting in that I've had two 
passions. 

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The one is business and the 
other is participation events 

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and business, particularly in 
high impact areas. 

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When you live in Africa and and 
particularly South Africa where 

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there are 13 million people 
unemployed and and involved in 

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some way the informal sector. 
It really is special to be able 

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to grow an industry, to grow a 
business, to grow education, all

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these things that have a high 
impact and provide one of the 

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high sense of value in society. 
So that was how I aligned my 

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entrepreneurship journey. 
And and then the other thing was

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just participating with people 
from all backgrounds. 

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The great equalizer is eventing 
where you've got one objective, 

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you all got a shared objective. 
You all go through a shared 

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journey with many shared pain 
points and that's there to 

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support each other regardless of
your political affiliation or 

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all your other prejudices. 
And it becomes 1 great community

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of happy and fulfilled people 
helping each other out no matter

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what. 
And I think it's such a a great 

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story for our politicians out 
there of what can be done when 

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we've got a shared goal. 
And that's why I love mass 

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participation events so much. 
So when I sold the payments 

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business in 2017, I focused on 
on eventing and, and now we have

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9 big brands, all number one in 
their class or on their 

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location. 
It amounts to about 30 events a 

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year. 
But our number one prize 

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position is definitely the 
Sunlamp Cape Town Marathon. 

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And then we decided after 
purchase an investment that, you

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know, Africa deserves its own 
world marathon major. 85% of the

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top 50 elite marathon runners 
are from this continent. 

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And they don't get to perform in
front of their home crowds, in 

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front of their communities, in 
front of their future runners 

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and be that role model that we 
all need them to be. 

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And so I started lobbing about 
this marathon to be on this 

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continent, and I've loved the 
journey every single step of the

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way. 
I love this and this was going 

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to be, well, it's going to be a 
question further down the line 

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here, but I was just thinking 
about that. 

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You know, we're watching people 
getting visas denied coming into

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the United States, etcetera. 
Your race is probably going to 

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have a crazy fast field, right? 
Well, I hope so. 

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We certainly are looking for 
different things, I suppose. 

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We don't want to be the fastest,
we don't want a time trial with 

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Pacers lined up and trying to 
get the fastest. 

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We're all about Africa and 
Africans, so how are we giving 

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the next talent the opportunity 
to race with the greats? 

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How does 20 year old who's got 
all the talent in the world that

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hasn't been discovered in COPS a
bit get to run next to Eliot 

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Kipchogi and have his role model
and race against him? 

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And how do we build the lady 
that lives in the SUTU and 

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doesn't have access to coaching 
but is running two hour 20 

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eights and with a bit of 
coaching could probably do a sub

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220? 
So I think we're looking for a 

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lot more than just the fastest 
or the biggest race. 

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We're going to stay away from 
that. 

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We're looking at being authentic
to our responsibility in having 

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the privilege of being a big 
race and the biggest race in 

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marathon in the on the continent
and to honor those elite 

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athletes past performances by 
developing the new and the next 

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bench. 
And so we take that quite 

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seriously. 
And then secondly to the 

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participants experience, how do 
we make sure that we bring all 

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the African spirits and the 
beauty that comes with that 

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whilst being first world in 
organizations so that everyone 

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has a a really great experience.
Love it, love it. 

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Yet I still think you're 
inevitably you're going to have 

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a very, very fast field. 
But let's talk about what's 

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going to happen with Cape Town, 
right? 

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Because we know that you guys 
have been for two years now at 

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candidacy race, meaning that 
normally this is the last year 

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that you're a candidate. 
I know you're hosting the World 

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Championships at your race next 
year. 

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What can you tell us without 
telling us what the announcement

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is going to be in November about
what's going to happen with Cape

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Town? 
Yes. 

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And look, we've actually been a 
candidate for three years. 

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It's been the first year and 2nd
year. 

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We're learning years and and 
last year we got a a pass. 

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So you've got to pass 2 
consecutive years and be three 

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years in the candidacy. 
So in that way you are right now

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on the 19th of October, we run 
hopefully our third and final 

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candidacy year. 
But it's because we've had two 

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passes, consecutive passes. 
If we pass this year, what I can

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tell you is that we have really 
gone to significant lengths to 

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make sure that we have all the 
check boxes ticked. 

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The 104 criteria that is 
required to get a pass has been 

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double checked and triple 
checked. 

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We've built up the team, we've 
we've laid out scenarios. 

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It really we're going to give it
our best effort. 

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And because we had an 
unconditional pass this year, I 

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can't see why we shouldn't pass 
this year. 

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But again, you know, sport is 
unscripted. 

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It's why we love it and anything
can happen on the day. 

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You know, some of the key 
aspects, for instance, is no 

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park cars on route, no cars on 
route. 

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And that's something that 
anything can go wrong. 

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But we really have left no stone
unturned in order to protect 

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ourselves and make sure that we 
pass all that criteria. 

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If we pass stage two this year, 
that means we will qualify to be

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announced as an Abbott World 
Marathon major. 

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It's a big if and hopefully that
means that we'll have some good 

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news sometime after the race 
once the assessors and the 

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Abbott World Marathon Majors 
gives up gives us the thumbs up.

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Perfect. 
Thank you for that. 

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And I guess you kind of alluded 
to the 104 point checklist, 

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which is huge, but obviously 
necessary. 

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We saw Sydney bloom from a small
race into a very large, super 

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well managed race that I 
participated. 

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And then honestly it's my 
favorite just because you know, 

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you see different running 
community in a completely 

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different part of the world come
together in in that sense, it 

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was pretty awesome. 
Maybe you can tell a little bit 

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about what the most difficult 
criteria is, and then also 

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perhaps you can hop into some 
numbers of how much growth is 

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behind your race. 
Yes, I must compliment Sydney 

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and Wayne and his team. 
I also ran it this year just to 

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get the feel what it's like to 
be, you know, the first major in

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a city and, and how that feels 
and, and what could go wrong or 

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what goes right. 
And I was so pleasantly 

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surprised. 
This major magic works. 

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All the people from all over the
world, plus the locals cheering 

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us on on the sidelines. 
It really was special experience

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that we hope to do it our way, 
you know, in in May 2026 if 

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should we pass this year. 
The most difficult criteria 

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certainly lies in, in, in the 
logistics around the logistics. 

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No park cars, as I mentioned on 
route, no cars on route. 

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And then getting to the start is
a is a significant challenge in 

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our world. 
And we've really worked hard on 

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that with lots of options to 
make sure there's no queues and 

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no traffic issues and no one 
arrives late. 

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And then because we're in 
October, quite a challenge is 

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the quality of the elite field. 
There's certain criteria you've 

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got to meet around who's on your
start line and what happened. 

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What happens there is that you 
haven't got the revenue of a 

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major, but you've got the cost 
because you've got to get those 

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elites to the start line. 
And October or the second-half 

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of the calendar year is 
certainly, umm got most of the 

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majors at the moment. 
Plus you've got Shanghai and 

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other candidacy, plus you've got
Valencia, which has got big 

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budgets and and likes. 
It's a fast course, attracts a 

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lot of fast runners. 
So to compete against them in 

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getting a quality feel to your 
start line is a challenge. 

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But we've got a really great 
team that works on that. 

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And I'm, I'm pleased to say 
we've met that criteria, whether

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we've got already, we've got all
the contracts that meet the 

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requirement of those elites and 
they will be on our start line 

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along with the, the wheelchair 
athletes that we've attracted 

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this year. 
Adams Fundaca, South African 

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great wheelchair elite has, has 
been our greatest supporter and 

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ally in attracting those 
wheelchair athletes as well. 

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So that's already a big tick. 
But that was a quite a 

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challenge. 
And I think a lot of us aged 

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during the process. 
And then it's got to do with 

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crowd flow. 
Yeah, you're really got to 

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manage the crowds. 
People don't need to queue, they

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don't like to queue. 
And if it's excessive, we would 

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fail in in terms of crowd flow. 
So we have some real brilliant 

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minds working on what the batch 
thoughts should look like, what 

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the pinch points should look 
like in order to get over the 

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start line so that along this 
course and along this route, no 

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one has to stop or get out of 
their stride. 

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And then attracting the 
spectators on the course is also

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an important one. 
Fortunately, in Africa, running 

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is in our blood. 
People have been running from 

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from their Norton thousands and 
thousands a year years ago. 

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And so everyone loves running. 
And so once we make them aware 

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and and educate everyone that 
the greats will be on our start 

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line, they do come out, they do 
cheer, even though we start at 

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6:15 in the morning. 6:15 OK, 
that's early, but that's good. 

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We saw it in Sydney. 
Sydney started super early and 

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it was beautiful because you 
still had half of the day to 

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hang out and soak it all in. 
So I'm I'm a big proponent of 

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that. 
Let's talk about numbers. 

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Can you tell us the numbers of 
participants for your race over 

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the past few years? 
And then where do you think if 

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everything goes well and they 
will be you guys will be a 

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major, what would be the number 
of applicants that you guys 

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accept? 
Yes. 

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So to start off with, during the
candidacy, we've always been at 

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a 10,000 finisher race around 
about 10,000. 

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And as soon as we entered the 
candidacy and and improved our 

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prestige and our coverage, we 
very soon got to over 15,000. 

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And last year we were just short
of 17,000 finishers and we had 

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21,000 entrants. 
This year we've accepted 24,000,

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just over 24,000 entries. 
We were sold out a month before 

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we thought we would be sold out.
So I think we will get about 

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21,000 finishers in May next 
year. 

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Should we become a major. 
We are still we will sell out on

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27,000 entries. 
We don't want too much more than

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that. 
We're not as courageous as 

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Sydney who can go from 24,000 to
35,000 finishes. 

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So we're a little bit more 
conservative. 

226
00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:16,640
Yeah. 
And, and perhaps our public 

227
00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,640
transport isn't as efficient or 
as accessible. 

228
00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:24,840
So we'll go to 27,000 in 2026 
and then in 2027 should all go 

229
00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,520
well and we can predict the 
consequences of growth. 

230
00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:31,120
We won't exceed too much more 
than 30 to 32,000. 

231
00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,360
And perhaps that will give us 
the confidence to end on a on a 

232
00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:37,760
35,000 grand as 35,000 entry 
race. 

233
00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:40,800
And as mentioned before, we 
don't believe we should aim to 

234
00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:45,000
be the biggest, but rather aim 
to be an African experience that

235
00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,000
we're really, really proud of. 
Yeah, that's awesome. 

236
00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:51,000
I'm sure that's going to do 
hugely, a ton for tourism just 

237
00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:53,920
because of its location. 
People are not just going to pop

238
00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:57,080
over like it's Chicago and and 
not travel around. 

239
00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,480
That's going to be amazing for 
everything tourism. 

240
00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:04,680
But OK, so you mentioned the 
influx and it's huge, but how 

241
00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:08,280
many applicants do you think 
you'll expect just to guess once

242
00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:12,120
it's announced to be a major? 
So we hope, yeah, we hope to 

243
00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:16,000
know if we're a major or not by 
the 5th of November, let's say 

244
00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:19,280
the 6th of November. 
So we will open up our ballot on

245
00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:23,200
the 6th of November. 
We also have a candidacy club 

246
00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:27,960
where those that have run, those
international runners that have 

247
00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:31,640
run during our candidacy years 
get access to an entrance as a 

248
00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:35,840
major. 
We think we will be slightly 

249
00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:39,200
higher than Sydney in the first 
year as being a major just 

250
00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:41,800
because of our location. 
It's an overnight flight on the 

251
00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:45,320
same timelines as Europe which 
are big travelling marathon 

252
00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:48,280
runners. 
Also East Coast US is easy to 

253
00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:50,840
get to. 
Also overnight direct flight 

254
00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:56,000
from Newark or from Atlanta, 
whether it's United or Delta 

255
00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:57,720
Airlines. 
So that's a direct flight. 

256
00:13:58,120 --> 00:14:00,920
So it's quite easy to get to. 
So we think we would get around 

257
00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:07,480
about 130,000 applications in 
our ballad or May 2026 should we

258
00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:11,280
be fortunate and past Stage 2 
and become an Abbott World 

259
00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:12,760
Marathon Majors. 
Love it. 

260
00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:18,280
Can you tell us a little bit 
about the change of the race, 

261
00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:21,160
Right, It's October, November 
race and now you're going to 

262
00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:23,400
change it to May. 
Obviously that's because of 

263
00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:26,720
logistics, because of all the 
fall marathons to go with the 

264
00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,400
other majors. 
But how is the weather down 

265
00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:31,720
there in May? 
So, I mean, you talk about full 

266
00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:35,400
marathons, May is our fall. 
We've got to get the world of 

267
00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:38,400
running into Southern Hemisphere
linger as well. 

268
00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,480
So the reason for the change is,
is you 100% right. 

269
00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:44,280
It's mainly the global calendar.
You know, the back half of the 

270
00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:46,760
year is filled with all our 
current majors. 

271
00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:50,360
Flash Shanghai, the Canada Sea 
like Sydney, New York, Chicago, 

272
00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:54,000
Berlin, it's all happening in 
that side of of the of the of 

273
00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,160
the latter year. 
We only had Tokyo, London and 

274
00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:57,960
Boston in the first half of the 
year. 

275
00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:02,160
But also May is the perfect 
weather conditions. 

276
00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,080
If you look at our calendar in 
Cape Town. 

277
00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:10,120
So May has got the lowest amount
of wind and we entering into 

278
00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,920
autumn, we still get some 
beautiful days, but not too hot.

279
00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,240
And when it comes to eventing, 
heat is your biggest enemy. 

280
00:15:16,560 --> 00:15:19,080
And October, it can be hot from 
time to time. 

281
00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:22,080
So it really does suit us. 
We we also, because we're 

282
00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:25,120
entering close to winter, the 
sun comes up a bit later. 

283
00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:29,320
So we can make the event start a
bit later to allow for good TV 

284
00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:32,080
and broadcasting around the 
globe. 

285
00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:37,040
But it also means the spectators
will come out and and fold these

286
00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,040
streets to give the cheering 
that these great athletes 

287
00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:42,720
deserve. 
So we really believe that May is

288
00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:46,040
suitable and a better date and 
we better for it. 

289
00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:48,240
Perfect. 
Music to our ears, right? 

290
00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:50,960
We deal with a lot of hot races,
but who knows what's going on. 

291
00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:53,160
All these races lately have been
very, very hot. 

292
00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,400
And perhaps you can tell us a 
little bit also about the course

293
00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:58,920
during the candidacy. 
Did you guys have to change the 

294
00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:02,600
course around a little bit? 
And what can we expect as to you

295
00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:05,120
know, you know, there's these 
charts out there where you see 

296
00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:09,360
which race is the most difficult
and which one is the fastest. 

297
00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:11,120
Maybe you can tell us a little 
bit about your course. 

298
00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:13,600
Yeah, the, the, the good thing 
is we didn't have to change our 

299
00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:18,360
course. 
Yeah, the assessors enjoyed it. 

300
00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:20,600
They liked what we did and what 
we were trying to achieve. 

301
00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:25,520
We did change one or two things 
on our own accord just to get to

302
00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:31,120
the best landmarks and manage 
the course the best we could, 

303
00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:35,120
with the participants experience
being the top priority. 

304
00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,720
First of all, what's important 
to note, it's a start and finish

305
00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:40,640
in the same precinct as well as 
the Expo. 

306
00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,720
Everything is in one precinct 
next to the the waterfront. 

307
00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:46,040
The BNA waterfront is right next
door, so most of the 

308
00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:49,040
accommodation is there for the 
internationals and there's a 

309
00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,600
stadium that hosts our Expo and 
the start and finish is just 

310
00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:54,440
outside it with a big, big race 
village. 

311
00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,760
So or finish. 
A lot of our runners stay on the

312
00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,160
in the race village, enjoy, soak
up the atmosphere. 

313
00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:04,319
Secondly, the route is in 
between your fast and your slow 

314
00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:06,720
routes in the majors. 
So it's about 200 meters of 

315
00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:10,800
elevation just under. 
We try to make sure and we 

316
00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:14,319
succeeded that along that route.
You always have a visual of 

317
00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:16,680
Table Mountain. 
So we try to maximize those 

318
00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:18,680
views. 
That's our iconic landmark. 

319
00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,839
You know, the richest floral 
Kingdom exists on Table Mountain

320
00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:25,640
being our fame boss, one of the 
six floral kingdoms in the in 

321
00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,319
the in the world and and that's 
what we play on a lot. 

322
00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:32,880
So the whole course goes through
some beautiful areas, some 

323
00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:37,120
industrial areas, some some real
elements of beauty along the 

324
00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:40,560
coast, because we're very 
fortunate that we live and have 

325
00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:45,000
a marathon in a city that has 
city, sea and mountain all in 

326
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,200
the same place. 
And we've tried to utilize those

327
00:17:47,200 --> 00:17:51,240
elements as much as possible. 
So it's a very unique course. 

328
00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:54,240
It is quite fast. 
I think that we're going to see 

329
00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:59,720
some times of around about 2:05 
and maybe 220 for the woman this

330
00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:02,240
year. 
Our records though are 222 and 

331
00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,920
208, but we've really got some 
superstars on the on the start 

332
00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:08,080
line. 
So let's see what happens there.

333
00:18:09,120 --> 00:18:13,040
I think it's it's a course that 
will be enjoyed by everyone just

334
00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:15,640
because of the variety, seeing 
the mountains, seeing the 

335
00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:19,840
harbour being elevated, running 
through the suburbs, having the 

336
00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:22,320
school kids cheer at you and 
then running along the coast to 

337
00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:26,440
finish off. 
So I really think it it will be 

338
00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:30,560
quite a surprise in terms of its
variety and beauty from our 

339
00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:32,720
runners all over the world. 
It sounds very exciting. 

340
00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:36,240
I'm very excited to see, you 
know, it's, it's a different 

341
00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:38,480
part of the world and a lot of 
us are not familiar with it. 

342
00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:40,760
Lot of us have never travelled 
to South Africa. 

343
00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:42,920
Can you tell us a little bit 
about that part? 

344
00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:46,320
You know, let's talk about 
safety first a little bit and 

345
00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:48,880
then we can hop into more things
about tourism. 

346
00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:51,360
Yes. 
And I think first to acknowledge

347
00:18:51,360 --> 00:18:54,400
that there are always some 
reservations about Africa and 

348
00:18:54,400 --> 00:18:57,480
what it's like in Africa are 
often asked, are they asked, are

349
00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,880
they lions still in the street 
and quite bizarre questions? 

350
00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,600
No, there's not. 
We have parks and national parks

351
00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:05,720
for that that are really well 
managed and controlled. 

352
00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:10,120
Cape Town is a place that has 
been has been voted the and 

353
00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:13,520
allocated the award of the most 
beautiful city in the world on a

354
00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:16,600
number of times by Time Out 
magazine and a few others. 

355
00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:22,080
It really is exquisite. 
It's, it's, it's a safe city. 

356
00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:25,360
You land close by to the start 
and finish. 

357
00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:32,160
Obviously if you if you stick to
all the usual tourist areas, it 

358
00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:35,760
is is as safe as any other city.
There are areas where if you go 

359
00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:38,880
into, there's a bit higher risk,
especially after the sun is set,

360
00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,600
but you really have to go out of
your way to get lost in those 

361
00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:47,400
places. 
We have emphasized the and 

362
00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:50,400
increased the number of entries 
to international travel 

363
00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:52,440
operators. 
We've got sports tours, 

364
00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:55,320
international and marathon tours
on board as partners and they 

365
00:19:55,320 --> 00:20:01,200
have all of 170 Itos that are 
allocated entries to our events 

366
00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:04,360
so that you are escorted and do 
feel safe, especially from the 

367
00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,320
US you will definitely feel safe
in those hands. 

368
00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:12,760
We have 38 of them coming just 
to come and confirm the venues 

369
00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:13,840
and experiences. 
Yeah. 

370
00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:17,760
This year, so that in May when 
we are major or hopefully when 

371
00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:20,200
we were major, they're coming 
here with their clients. 

372
00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:21,840
And they know exactly where to 
go. 

373
00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:26,840
We've got winelands, we've got 
mountains, we've got safari and 

374
00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,200
all of that accessible and very 
safe to get into. 

375
00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:33,800
So that is one of our strategies
is to overcome that fear is to 

376
00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,840
use ITO so that you know you are
being guided every step of the 

377
00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:38,760
way. 
And then over time we'll allow 

378
00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:42,000
more and more people to come on 
their own and have more and more

379
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,600
entries so that they can be 
self-guided because they'll then

380
00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:47,200
realize that this place is very 
special. 

381
00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:50,800
It's definitely feels like first
world, but it will bring a very 

382
00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:55,760
unique African spirit and 
atmosphere, an exposure for our 

383
00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:57,360
American tourists. 
I love it. 

384
00:20:57,800 --> 00:20:58,640
Yeah. 
OK, perfect. 

385
00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:00,920
So then I guess you kind of 
already went into it a little 

386
00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:02,920
bit. 
But say, if you're coming on a 

387
00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:05,080
tight schedule, say you you only
have a week. 

388
00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:07,560
And I'm saying that because 60% 
of my audience is from the 

389
00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:09,520
United States and there's 
limited vacation time, 

390
00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:12,680
unfortunately. 
What are some must do if you 

391
00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:16,000
were to tell somebody, OK, 
you're here for the race, but do

392
00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,920
not leave without doing this? 
Great question. 

393
00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:22,240
First of all, I love, I live on 
Table Mountain, on the on the 

394
00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:24,880
foothills of Table Mountain. 
I climb but at least once a 

395
00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:27,840
week. 
So first thing would be if you 

396
00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:32,200
can risk it after the marathon. 
And if you have come up with me,

397
00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:35,680
even Ted Metallus from New York 
Marathon has founded with me. 

398
00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:39,000
Michael Meesey from Chicago has 
climbed it with me. 

399
00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:43,080
Dorner Stone, the Abbott Wolf 
Marathon major CEO has founded 

400
00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,680
with me on the Monday morning. 
Allison Hamlet from London has 

401
00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,360
founded with me, even though she
ran the marathon the day before.

402
00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:52,320
So definitely to climb the 
mountain and then take the cable

403
00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:54,800
card down. 
I think that's very experience. 

404
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,080
Enjoy the city. 
Cape Town is an incredibly 

405
00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,800
beautiful city and just to spend
time, whether it's at the 

406
00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:04,760
waterfront or Kent Bay or in the
winelands, we've got amazing 

407
00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:07,320
wines and vineyards here. 
Whether it's in Constantial, 

408
00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:10,080
Stellenbosch or Franchuk. 
I wouldn't leave without 

409
00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:13,760
visiting those. 
We've got an amazing partner in 

410
00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:17,360
Herbos where they have a whole 
famous reserve and a whole 

411
00:22:17,360 --> 00:22:20,840
famous experience explaining our
floral Kingdom and what we have 

412
00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,240
and what is contained in that 
floral Kingdom. 

413
00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:26,120
It really is a must experience 
and so different and unique. 

414
00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:29,160
And then I would I wouldn't 
hesitate but to do some sort of 

415
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:32,160
safari, but go for the full 
experience. 

416
00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,480
If you're in Cape Town, there's 
a direct flight into the Kruger 

417
00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:39,280
International Airport or into 
Skokuza or into Hood Spread. 

418
00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:43,360
Those are all 2 1/2 hour flights
and they roll within the 

419
00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:46,120
reserves. 
That really authentic and 

420
00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:47,840
massive, an incredible 
experience. 

421
00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:49,920
So go there for two nights. 
You don't need more than two 

422
00:22:49,920 --> 00:22:51,760
nights. 
If you're on a tight schedule, 

423
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,680
fly back to Cape Town. 
Then you can fly out directly to

424
00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:57,400
the US, directly to the UK, 
directly to Europe. 

425
00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:01,280
But if you have, you can also 
fly from Joburg. 

426
00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:03,680
You can fly from Joburg. 
It's quite close to to some of 

427
00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:05,800
those areas. 
But that's what I would do. 

428
00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:07,840
I would fly in a little bit 
earlier. 

429
00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:10,800
Enjoy the winelands, enjoy the 
waterfront, enjoy the city 

430
00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:12,880
before your race. 
After the race, climb the 

431
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:15,120
mountain, maybe go to Robben 
Island and see some of our 

432
00:23:15,120 --> 00:23:20,480
history of our great Liberator, 
Nelson Madiba Mandela, who was 

433
00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:24,360
in prison there for 27 years. 
And then I'll take a 2 1/2 hour 

434
00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:27,400
flight to Skokuza or to Krugen 
International Airport. 

435
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:30,440
I'll spend 2 nights at a game 
reserve and then I would head 

436
00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:36,640
back back home with your soulful
and with these unique African 

437
00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:38,640
experiences. 
Those are some really, really 

438
00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:40,160
amazing tips. 
Thank you for that. 

439
00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:43,440
And I'm sure in the future when 
I talk to you again, I'll kind 

440
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:45,560
of pick your brain about it 
more. 

441
00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:48,880
But I think that was kind of 
also the thing about Sydney, 

442
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:51,520
that when you traveled there, 
you had so much information 

443
00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:53,440
already about all these things 
that you could do. 

444
00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:56,800
The tourism board really got 
involved there and so is a great

445
00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,800
experience, a great trip. 
Last but not least, I want to 

446
00:23:59,800 --> 00:24:02,040
talk to you about the running 
community. 

447
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:05,120
What can we expect? 
Again, just came back from 

448
00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:07,440
Sydney. 
I was absolutely amazed by the 

449
00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:10,440
amount of different running 
clubs and the support. 

450
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:15,760
How is the running community in?
It's rich, it's eccentric, it 

451
00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:20,320
is, it is massive in Cape Town 
and South Africa, actually, 

452
00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:24,240
running clubs were established 
around our great ultra marathons

453
00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:27,840
like Comrades and Two Oceans, 
where you needed to train many, 

454
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:29,800
many, many kilometres with each 
other. 

455
00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:34,920
So what you're going to find 
from these communities is a lot 

456
00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:38,960
of high spirits. 
They dance on the start line, 

457
00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:42,440
they sing, they chant, they will
pass your water at water tables.

458
00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,680
They're not there to compete and
fiddle over you. 

459
00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,360
It's filled with this beauty 
that you know the African spirit

460
00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:51,160
brings to the world. 
They're there next to you to 

461
00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:53,360
support and make your experience
really, really special. 

462
00:24:53,360 --> 00:24:57,560
And we committed to accentuate 
that experience in that we will 

463
00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:03,400
never allow less than 60% of our
field to be from Africa so that 

464
00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:08,720
we're not just an African race 
or a European race on African 

465
00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:12,040
soil or or vice versa. 
This is an African race where 

466
00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:15,040
you will experience Africans on 
route and you'll experience the 

467
00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:19,720
beauty and magic of their 
community, feel the high spirits

468
00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,680
of the camaraderie and that's 
all made-up because of these 

469
00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:24,880
clubs. 
And after the race, we've got a 

470
00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,080
whole club gazebo area where 
you'll have thousands of the 

471
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:32,680
club runners that all go and 
party on our shared fields while

472
00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:35,920
into the late evening, even 
though they have just run 42 

473
00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:39,440
kilometers. 
So you're really experienced the

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00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:43,120
magic that this city, this 
country and this continent can 

475
00:25:43,120 --> 00:25:46,320
bring in terms of just human 
connection and the human spirit.

476
00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:50,120
I love this, and if this is not 
a perfect invitation for 

477
00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:53,640
everyone that is listening to 
sign up or try to sign up, play 

478
00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:55,520
the lottery, then there's 
nothing else. 

479
00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,960
Clark, thank you so much. 
We really appreciate this. 

480
00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:00,960
That's my pleasure and thank you
for having me. 

481
00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:03,600
I enjoyed it thoroughly. 
All right, so there you have it 

482
00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,320
straight from the source. 
Cape Town is on the final path 

483
00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,880
to becoming the next World major
marathon. 

484
00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:11,720
And if you want to become one of
the first people to earn the 

485
00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:14,840
Cape Town Star, then smash that 
subscribe button right now 

486
00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:17,480
because you don't want to miss 
any of my next videos that will 

487
00:26:17,480 --> 00:26:20,520
break down the Cape Town 
Marathon and everything involved

488
00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:23,400
in the process even further. 
Thank you so much for tuning in 

489
00:26:23,520 --> 00:26:28,800
and until next time, thanks for 
tuning in. 

490
00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:33,760
For more information, go to 
www.marathonrunningpodcast.com 

491
00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:36,080
or check us out on all channels.