from DION HENRICK in Cape Town
CAPE TOWN, (CAJ News) – ORGANISERS of the Sanlam Cape Town Virtual Marathon have launched a virtual half marathon to cushion runners whose dreams were dashed by the cancellation of the annual event owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Sanlam Cape Town Virtual Half Marathon will take place on October 18 following its postponement in May.
“Having the advanced technology to host the Sanlam Cape Town Virtual Marathon makes it easy to add a virtual half marathon to our virtual events offering,” said the marathon chairman, Francois Pienaar.
He added, “We are excited that this will make the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon race experience accessible to an even greater number of runners.”
The Sanlam Cape Town Virtual Half Marathon will be powered through an integrated digital platform that is currently being developed.
Headline sponsor, Sanlam, believes the addition of a virtual half marathon will open the race up to a wider audience of running enthusiasts.
“We are so proud to celebrate our sixth year of sponsorship with an event that continues to raise the bar while keeping the best interests of the athletes they serve at the heart of everything they do,” said Sydney Mbhele, Chief Executive of Brand at Sanlam.
The theme for the virtual races is, “Run for Something.”
Organisers have thus pledged that the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) will continue to benefit from the race this year irrespective of the form it takes.
Virtual races continue to dominate the running scene in 2020 following the COVID-19 impact.
The virtual version of the Comrades Marathon will be held on Sunday.
The Olympic Games, where athletics is always the main attraction, were postponed.
They were scheduled for Tokyo Japan.
COVID-19 has claimed the lives of over 400 000 people from over 7 million cases.
– CAJ News