“This Is Bad”: Gent Shows Horrible Weather, Showing Why the Cape Town Marathon Got Cancelled

• A Gauteng man shared a video showing a hiker struggling against the elements in Cape Town
• The man climbed up the mountain but had trouble getting back down, as he ended up crouching while trying to move forward
• Netizens reacted, stating that the video helped them understand exactly why the Cape Town Marathon had been called off

Neels Nel, a pensioner based in Johannesburg, shared a video on his Facebook page on 19 October 2025, showing exactly why the Cape Town Marathon had to be cancelled. In the video, we see a hiker on a cliff, struggling to get down as he battles to move forward against fierce winds. The short clip got South Africans talking, as it gave many people an idea of just how dangerous the weather conditions were in Cape Town during the weekend.

In the grainy footage, the video recorder focuses on the hiker who is trying to get down from a cliff. The wind conditions were so bad that the hiker bent over as he slowly tried to make his way down. He tried to move forward slowly, fighting against the heavy winds that were constantly pushing against him.

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Eventually, at one point, he took a small pause and glanced at the person who was recording him as he tried to shield his face with one hand. In his other hand, he clutches on to what looks like a cap, and he also carries a backpack on his back. Clearly, the man was probably hiking when the weather was still okay, but by the time he started coming back down, conditions had changed completely.

The video goes to prove just how quickly Cape Town's weather can take a 360-degree turn and how dangerous it can be for anyone who is caught outside in these conditions.

Netizens react to Cape Town weather

Social media users flooded the comments section with their thoughts on the extreme weather conditions:

@Marie Moll wrote:

"Oh dear, this is bad. Now one understands the cancellation..."

@Etna Cornelius said:

"Cape of Storms."

@Kobie van Wyk commented:

"So I know it's the Cape of Storms... Or with winds, whichever way you want to look at it. Terrible."

@Lydia Wolmarans added:

"It's very bad; no one can be outside."

@Zelda Hattingh stated:

"This is for the people who said there was no wind."

@Pam Gryffenberg joked:

"The guy definitely got lost."

Why the Cape Town marathon was cancelled

Facebook user @neels.nel.728915's video shows how horrible the wind conditions were over the weekend, and safety officials had no choice but to cancel the marathon. The race organiser explained that while the wind did die down in certain areas, other parts of the route were still experiencing dangerous windy conditions like as we see in the video.

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The race organiser pointed out that if they decided to continue with the marathon, serious injuries could have occurred as the weather did not let down in certain areas, but the gentleman did announce that they will offer all of the 2025 athletes a sponsored entry for upcoming events.

Watch the Facebook clip below:

More on the Cape Town marathon 2025

• Briefly News recently reported on the Cape Town Marathon 2025 that was called off just hours before it was set to begin, leaving thousands of runners devastated.
• Marathon organisers went over the weather-related issues that made continuing the race impossible.
• Another video showed seven hikers struggling against extreme wind on a Cape Town mountain path, with some sitting down to keep themselves grounded.

Source: Briefly News