Melkbos 15 km 2026 is a 15 km race on Saturday 24 October, starting at 06:30 at Melkbos Beach Front, Cape Town. The course climbs about 49 m in total and has 4 water points.
From the Melkbos beachfront north past Koeberg to Duynefontein, then home along the sea with Table Mountain ahead. Run in pink for breast cancer awareness.
06:30, Melkbos Beach Front, Beach Road, Melkbosstrand
Back at the Melkbos Beach Front. Cut-off 09:00, prize-giving at 09:00
It climbs about 49 m in total. The highest point is 23 m above sea level, at km 8.1.
4 water points about 3.5 km apart, with water and Coke in cups and refill points (exact spots not published). Plastic free: no sachets, so bring your own bottle or hydration pack if you like
km 3.5 · 7 · 10.5 · 14
4 water points, about 3.5 km apart
Melkbos Beach Front: Friday 23 October, 16:00 to 20:00, and race morning from 05:30
Chip timed. No headphones. No tog bags. Running for breast cancer awareness with I Love Boobies
06:30 · km 0
You start on Beach Road at the Melkbos beachfront, right beside the sand. The course is flat and fast: it never climbs higher than 23 metres above the sea.
km 0.3 · why we run in pink
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The race runs with I Love Boobies, a South African charity that teaches women to check their breasts and helps them get screened for free.
km 0.8 to 3 · the village loop
A loop through the village first, down Mostert Road and back up Commaille Road. Melkbosstrand is Afrikaans for milk-bush beach, after the bushes on its dunes that bleed a milky sap.
km 2 · January 1806
On 6 and 7 January 1806 two British brigades came ashore at Melkbosstrand. On the 8th they won the Battle of Blaauwberg, and the Cape became a British colony. A cannon on the beachfront remembers it.
km 4 to 6 · Otto du Plessis Drive
Over the Soutrivier and north on Otto du Plessis Drive. The two grey domes ahead are Koeberg, the only nuclear power station in Africa, making electricity since 1984.
km 6 to 10 · Duynefontein
A loop through Duynefontein, the village built for the people who came to build and run Koeberg. Napoleon Avenue takes you round to the top of the course.
km 8 · the highest point, 23 m
The course turns for home at its highest point. To the north lies the Koeberg Nature Reserve: 22 square kilometres of dunes and strandveld around the power station, with more than 150 kinds of birds.
km 11 to 13 · along the sea
Down Die Bad Road to the sea, then south on Charles Hoffe Avenue along the shore at Van Riebeeckstrand. Robben Island lies out to sea on your right, and Table Mountain is straight ahead, nearly 30 km away across the bay.
km 13 · two to go
Back across the Soutrivier and down Harold Ashwell Boulevard to Beach Road, joining the beachfront at Corners, the local surf spot.
km 15 · Melkbos Beach Front
The last kilometre is Beach Road beside the sand, to the finish at the beachfront next to the Damhuis, a fisherman's cottage from the late 1700s that is now the beach restaurant. Prize-giving at 09:00.
Route: Melkbos Athletic Club's course map. Start time and water points: the official race flyer