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On Sunday 19 October 2025, thousands of runners were ready to take on the Cape Town Marathon. Hours before the start, strong winds forced organisers to cancel the event.
For runners, it was devastating. For organisers and sponsors, it was reputationally risky. And for marketers, it became a live case study in how one decision can dominate the national conversation.
Because while the race never ran, the conversation did.
The Conversation Surge
Mentions of the Cape Town Marathon jumped from just 127 the week before to 7,543 during the cancellation period. That is a 5,839% increase.
On the day of cancellation, conversation peaked at more than 6,000 mentions, driven by over 4,000 unique voices. Compared to 2024, where the event barely made a digital ripple, this was a seismic shift.
For brands, this is the first lesson. Events can change course in an instant, and the conversation does not wait for your press release.
Sentiment Split: Not All Negative
The most striking insight was not the spike itself, but the balance of emotion.
- 45% negative: complaints about wasted money, travel, and preparation.
- 43% joy: relief and even gratitude that organisers put safety first.
- 13% anger: frustration at communication gaps and accountability concerns.
This mix is uniquely South African. Consumers here can be outspoken and critical, but they are also pragmatic and quick to respect difficult decisions when they are made for the right reasons.
Who Was Talking
The conversation was not limited to athletes.
- Journalists amplified the news with quick reporting.
- Executives and professionals discussed accountability and business impact.
- Artists, athletes, and communities shared personal stories.
- Interests spanned sport, fitness, family, parenting, and business.
The Cape Town Marathon was no longer a sporting story. It became a national talking point that stretched across industries and households.
The Sponsor in the Spotlight
One of the most telling insights was that the two most mentioned words were “Cancelled” and “Sanlam.”
Although weather was the root cause, the sponsor was inevitably drawn into the conversation. Sanlam’s response, offering future race entries, softened some of the disappointment, but it also shows how easily a brand can become the centre of a crisis it did not cause.
For brands, this is the reality. You do not need to cause a crisis to become the face of it.
Why Monitoring Matters
This is where Brandwatch proves invaluable. Real-time monitoring gave us the ability to see:
- When conversation spiked and why.
- Which platforms were driving it (with X dominating, followed later by news and community forums).
- How sentiment shifted hour by hour.
- What emotions sat beneath the numbers.
With tools like Brandwatch, brands can move from reacting late to acting with agility.
Why Post-Event Analysis Matters Even More
Once the crisis passes, analysis remains essential. It answers key questions:
- Which issues continued after the peak?
- Who was most vocal, and in which communities?
- Did the brand response improve sentiment, or leave frustration unresolved?
- What lessons can be applied to future planning?
This is the kind of insight our YOUKNOW reporting team specialises in. We provide bespoke reports, delivered quickly, that move beyond surface-level sentiment to show the real drivers of conversation and what they mean for future reputation.
The South African Spirit
Amid the frustration, what stood out most was the resilience. Nearly half of the conversation praised the safety-first decision. And many runners still took to the streets on the day, supported by friends and family, to finish their own races.
That duality, outspoken criticism combined with pragmatic resilience, is what makes South African audiences unique. And it is why data is so important. Without it, the story looks one-dimensional. With it, the full picture becomes clear.
Final Word
The Cape Town Marathon 2025 did not run, but it gave us an invaluable lesson. Crises cannot always be prevented, but they can be managed. Brands that monitor in real time, listen to the nuance, and learn from post-event analysis stand a far better chance of protecting trust.
Our YOUKNOW reporting team, working with Brandwatch, helps brands do exactly that, producing fast, bespoke reports that cut through noise and reveal what audiences are truly saying. Because in South Africa, events may be cancelled, but the conversations around them never are.
