Breaking 3:00 at the Cape Town Marathon
Even splits would be 4:16/km (6:52/mi). But Cape Town Marathon isn't flat-even — the plan below redistributes the same finish time across the course the way experienced runners actually race it.
How to pace this course
0–20 km
Rolling city-bowl kilometres
4:16/km (6:53/mi)
20–35 km
More rollers along the seaboard
4:17/km (6:54/mi)
35–42.2 km
Gentle descent to the finish
4:13/km (6:46/mi)
Split table
| Checkpoint | Split | Elapsed | Pace at this point |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 km | 21:22 | 21:22 | 4:16/km |
| 10 km | 21:22 | 42:43 | 4:16/km |
| 15 km | 21:22 | 1:04:05 | 4:16/km |
| 20 km | 21:22 | 1:25:27 | 4:16/km |
| Half | 4:42 | 1:30:09 | 4:17/km |
| 25 km | 16:43 | 1:46:52 | 4:17/km |
| 30 km | 21:26 | 2:08:18 | 4:17/km |
| 35 km | 21:26 | 2:29:43 | 4:17/km |
| 40 km | 21:03 | 2:50:46 | 4:13/km |
| Finish | 9:14 | 3:00:00 | 4:13/km |
Print this table or write the elapsed times on your arm — GPS pace is least reliable exactly when you need it most.