

CAPE TOWN JOINS
Following two successful evaluations by the AbbottWMM team, the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has now joined the series as the eighth member of the family! Cape Town’s first race as a Major will take place on May 23, 2027.
CAPE TOWN stars NOW
available
Runners who finished the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon were awarded a provisional star which, following the positive assessment result, will be upgraded to a full star. For almost 2,000 runners, the Cape Town Star was their eighth.


How can I celebrate my CAPE TOWN star?
Our collectible range features a new Cape Town coin and a display for eight coins for runners who complete all eight Majors.
FAQs
As long as your finish time appears in the official results, your star will be awarded.
No! Take as long as you like to complete all the Majors—there’s no time limit!
Unfortunately not, as this event was not a Major. However participants who took part in the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon were awarded a provisional star which has been upgraded to a full star.
If the remaining candidate, Shanghai, is successful, the first Nine Star medals will be awarded in Shanghai in 2027. The plan is for this to be awarded at the end of the marathons in the same way the Six Star medal is awarded.
The Abbott World Marathon Majors is excited to embark on the new era of the Majors series, with Cape Town and Sydney taking the number of races to eight. Now that Cape Town will be joining the series in 2027, and if Shanghai is successful in joining the series in 2027, the Nine star medal will be introduced.
Not quite!
The next big milestone will be the Nine Star Medal, which will be launched when Cape Town is joined by an additional candidate race after they achieve two consecutive passes on their evaluation. Shanghai will join the series if they undergo a positive assessment in December 2026.
We understand how important it is to keep the integrity of the original Six Star medal. Therefore, the Six Star program will remain unchanged. Runners who complete the original six Majors - Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City – will continue to earn the Six Star Medal. Both the Six Star and Nine Star medals will represent key milestones in your journey!
Absolutely! We understand some of our events can be highly popular. The collectible range of coins and displays enables you to create your own unique memento of your journey from two to seven, whichever combination of races you run.
To celebrate every runner’s journey, Abbott World Marathon Majors offer a commemorative coin for each race, including Cape Town! You can display these in a custom frame to showcase anywhere from two to eight of your race coins. The Cape Town coin and eight-coin display will be available shortly. Check out the full range here. As more races join the Majors, additional coins and displays will be available to showcase your incredible achievements!
Yes! Completing the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will earn you a star, just like any other of the other Abbott World Marathon Majors.