The 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, taking place on Sunday, 24 May, unveiled on Wednesday its deepest and fastest elite field in the event's 15-year history, headlined by the greatest marathon runner of all time, Eliud Kipchoge.
Added to this, there is an prize purse of nearly R5 million, an increase of 37 per cent. When all the record incentives are added, the total prize purse on offer amounts to a massive R6.6 million.
The men's field includes 14 athletes with a career best under 2:08, three of whom have broken 2:05, while the women's field boasts nine athletes who have gone under 2:22, meaning both course records are firmly under threat on race day.
The best times to date in the event were both posted in the 2024 edition. Ethiopian Abdisa Tola won the men’s race in 2:08:16, while South Africa’s Glenrose Xaba set both the women’s course record and a new SA Record when she crossed the line in 2:22:22.
STAR POWER IN CAPE TOWN
The 2026 race will see more than 27 000 marathon runners lining up, with many not just chasing fast times on the super-fast course but also incentivised to earn an Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM) finisher’s star.
The race is currently a candidate for AbbottWMM status, and the AbbottWMM team has announced that athletes who complete the 2026 edition of the Mother City race will be awarded provisional finisher’s stars, which will then be officially recognised if Cape Town achieves its second evaluation pass in 2026 and becomes Africa’s first Major.
"Africa does not often get the opportunity on the global stage to celebrate its excellence and being the best in the world.
"We understand the responsibility and privilege we, as the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, now have with this opportunity, as we host 8500 international participants and their families from 102 countries, including 25 African countries, as well as 1800 of the world’s best age group marathon runners here for the Abbott World Marathon Majors MTT Age Group World Champs,” said Clark Gardner, CEO of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.
“To deliver on our opportunity, we have also assembled the very best marathon elite and wheelchair field the African continent has ever seen. Lead by the best marathon runner of all time, Eliud Kipchoge, we have at least 15 starters in each gender who could break our course and African All-comers records.
"The balance of international and South African legends of the sport with the stars of the future, and a healthy mix of African spirit, should make for an incredible race come 24 May 2026,” added Gardner.
INCREDIBLE DEPTH IN MEN’S FIELD
All eyes will be on Kenya’s Kipchoge, the former World Record holder and two-time Olympic champion. On paper, he is the fastest man in the field, with a personal best of 2:01:09, which set a (then) World Record in 2022.
At 41, he is still posting world-class times, having clocked 2:05:25 in London last year, which still makes him one of the fastest runners in the field for Cape Town in terms of recent best times.
“It is truly special for me to run my first ever marathon on African soil. The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon represents not only a beautiful and dynamic race, but also a powerful connection to the continent that has shaped so many great athletes,” said Kipchoge.
“I am excited to experience this event for the first time, to feel the energy of the course, and most importantly, to meet and share this moment with the fans. Running has always been about unity, and I look forward to celebrating that spirit together in Cape Town.”
The next-fastest man in the field is another Kenyan, Stephen Kiprop (2:03:37), followed by Isreal’s Maru Teferi (2:04:44), and then come a host of 2:05 marathoners: Kenyans Bernard Biwott (2:05:25) and Justus Kangogo (2:05:57), Ethiopians Yihunilign Adane (2:05:33), Mulugeta Asefa Uma (2:05:33) and Boki Kebede Asefa (2:05:40), and South African record-holder Elroy Gelant (2:05:36).
Other notable runners to look out for include 2:06 marathoners Jemal Yimer Mekonen and Adane Gebre Kebede (both from Ethiopia), South African Stephen Mokoka (three-time winner in Cape Town), Isaac Mpofu (Zimbabwe) and Leonard Langat (Kenya). Mokoka won in Cape Town in 2018, 2021 and 2022, while Kebede was the winner in 2023, as well as runner-up in 2024.
Further local flavour will be added by 2:09 marathoners Desmond Mokgobu and Nadeel Wildschutt (whose brother and multiple SA Record-holder, Adriaan, will be on pacing duties for the men’s elite field), while 2:10 marathoner Thabang Mosiako will be looking to join them with a sub-2:10.
Meanwhile, former SA 10km Record-holder Precious Mashele will be making his marathon debut, and former South African trail international Kane Reilly will be running his first road marathon.
VETERAN WOMEN MAY HOLD SWAY
The elite women’s race may see the Ethiopian trio of Ruti Aga (2:18:09), Dera Dida (2:18:32) and Mestawat Fikir (2:18:48) play a leading role in determining the pace, but they will need to be wary of two highly experienced and very fast veterans.
The first is Lonah Salpeter, who is the fastest woman in the field on paper, having clocked 2:17:45 when she won the Tokyo Marathon in 2020. The other is Kenyan Edna Kiplagat (2:19:50), the two-time World Marathon Champion in 2010 and 2011, and Boston Marathon winner in 2017. Although now 47 years old, she can still compete with the best in the world.
Others to watch will include Bahrain’s Desi Jisa Mokonin (2:20:07) and Ethiopia’s Waganesh Mekasha (2:20:26), who both set their best times last year, and Ethiopian Shuko Genemo (2:21:35), who ran her best in 2024.
Local flavour will be added by Cape Town-based Fortunate Chidzivo, originally from Zimbabwe and a 2:33 marathoner at her best, while former British multisport star and three-time World Duathlon Champion, and now South African resident, Emme Pallant-Brown, will be making her marathon debut.
EXCITING WHEELCHAIR FIELD
The wheelchair division should also deliver red hot racing again this year, with 13 men and 9 women set to line up in May. The men’s field includes eight athletes that have posted a career best marathon time between 1:20 and 1:30, including the UK’s David Weir (1:22:00), Dutchmen Jetze Plat (1:24:28) and Geert Schipper (1:26:47), as well as Japan’s Sho Watanabe (1:24:00).
All four have gone sub-1:30 in the past year, as has Japan’s Hiroki Nishida. Local supporters will also be keeping an eye on South Africa’s Tiaan Bosch, who will be looking to improve on his 1:33:17 career best.
In the women’s wheelchair race, Switzerland’s Manuela Schär will be looking to add the Cape Town title to her list of wins in all the Majors, and her 1:28:17 personal best from 2017 makes her comfortably the fastest athlete in the field.
However, she can expect a strong challenge from the USA’s Christie Dawes, who was second here in 2023 and will be motivated to give it everything in her final race before retirement, as well as Japan’s Tsubasa Nakamine, who has posted a time nearly a minute faster than Schär this year (1:41:20 to 1:42:17), and Deng Yirun of China.
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED PRIZE PURSE
Great news for the elite athletes in this year’s race is that the prize purse has been significantly increased, with the total prize purse for the marathon top 10 and age group contenders (male and female combined) climbing by just over R1 million (40 per cent), from R2 578 000 to R3 598 000.
The top 10 men and women (as well as the top five male and female wheelchair athletes) will be paid in US Dollars, and the increased prize for the winner is now $35 000 (R595 000, working with an exchange rate of R17 to the US Dollar), up from the $25 000 first prize on offer in 2025.
Second place will now earn $20 000 instead of $15 000, while third place is worth $15 000 instead of $10 000. The incentive for breaking the men’s or women’s course record has also been increased by 33 per cent, from $15 000 to $20 000, and the organisers have thrown in an extra R250 000 incentive for a new World Record.
MEN'S MARATHON
1.Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) — PB: 2:01:09 (Berlin, 2022) | SB: 2:05:25 (London, 2025)
2.Stephen Kiprop (Kenya) — PB: 2:03:37 (Berlin, 2024) | SB: 2:07:16 (Daegu, 2025)
3.Maru Teferi (Israel) — PB: 2:04:44 NR (Valencia, 2024) | SB: 2:09:17 (Brussels, 2025)
4.Benard Biwott (Kenya) — PB: 2:05:25 (Paris, 2025) | SB: 2:05:25 (Paris, 2025)
5.Yihunilign Adane (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:05:33 (Osaka, 2026) | SB: 2:05:33 (Osaka, 2026)
6.Mulugeta Asefa Uma (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:05:33 (Paris, 2024) | SB: 2:05:46 (Tokyo, 2025)
7.Elroy Gelant (South Africa) — PB: 2:05:36 NR (Hamburg, 2025) | SB: 2:05:36 (Hamburg, 2025)
8.Boki Kebede Asefa (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:05:40 (Amsterdam, 2024) | SB: 2:05:55 (Doha, 2026)
9.Justus Kangogo (Kenya) — PB: 2:05:57 (Berlin, 2023) | SB: 2:06:10 (Valencia, 2025)
10.Jemal Yimer Mekonen (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:06:08 (Seoul, 2024) | SB: 2:06:08 (Seoul, 2024)
11.Adane Gebre Kebede (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:06:16 (Houston, 2026) | SB: 2:06:16 (Houston, 2026)
12.Stephen Mokoka (South Africa) — PB: 2:06:42 (Osaka, 2024) | SB: 2:09:52 (Durban, 2025)
13.Isaac Mpofu (Zimbabwe) — PB: 2:06:48 NR (Valencia, 2022) | SB: 2:10:46 (Tokyo, 2025)
14.Leonard Langat (Kenya) — PB: 2:06:59 (Vienna, 2022) | SB: 2:08:04 (Toronto, 2025)
15.Abe Gashahun (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:08:35 (Riyadh, 2025) | SB: 2:08:35 (Riyadh, 2025)
16.Abebaw Muniye (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:08:38 (Riyadh, 2025) | SB: 2:09:31 (Riyadh, 2026)
17.Desmond Mokgobu (South Africa) — PB: 2:09:13 (Valencia, 2020) | SB: 1:05:04 (21.1km, Gqeberha, 2025)
18.Nadeel Wildschutt (South Africa) — PB: 2:09:30 (Marathon Project, USA, 2025) | SB: 2:09:30 (Marathon Project, USA, 2025)
19.Joel Reichow (USA) — PB: 2:09:56 (New York, 2025) | SB: 2:09:56 (New York, 2025)
20.Thabang Mosiako (South Africa) — PB: 2:10:49 (Abu Dhabi, 2025) | SB: 2:10:49 (Abu Dhabi, 2025)
21.Kalipus Lomwai (Kenya) — PB: 2:13:12 (Beirut, 2018) | SB: 59:26 (21.1km, Rome, 2025)
22.Bennett Seloyi (South Africa) — PB: 2:13:22 (Kimberley, 2025) | SB: 2:13:22 (Kimberley, 2025)
23.Tukiso Motlomelo (Lesotho) — PB: 2:17:10 (Cape Town, 2024) | SB: 1:02:54 (21.1km, Gqeberha, 2025)
24.Augustine Choge (Kenya) — PB: 2:20:53 (New York, 2021) | SB: N/A
25.Kamohelo Mofolo (Lesotho) — Marathon debut | SB: 1:00:52 (21.1km, Gqeberha, 2025)
26.Precious Mashele (South Africa) — Marathon debut | SB: 30:36 (10km, Tshwane, 2025)
27.Kane Reilly (South Africa) — Marathon debut | SB: 1:41:00 (30km, Cape Town, 2026)
WOMEN'S MARATHON
1.Lonah Salpeter (Israel) — PB: 2:17:45 NR (Tokyo, 2020) | SB: 2:23:45 (Valencia, 2025)
2.Ruti Aga (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:18:09 (Dongying, 2023) | SB: 2:22:45 (Xiamen, 2026)
3.Dera Dida (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:18:32 (Dubai, 2025) | SB: 2:18:32 (Dubai, 2025)
4.Mestawat Fikir (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:18:48 (Berlin, 2024) | SB: 2:20:00 (Tokyo, 2026)
5.Edna Kiplagat (Kenya) — PB: 2:19:50 (London, 2012) | SB: 2:25:07 (Abu Dhabi, 2025)
6.Desi Jisa Mokonin (Bahrain) — PB: 2:20:07 (Tokyo, 2025) | SB: 2:20:07 (Tokyo, 2025)
7.Waganesh Mekasha (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:20:26 (Amsterdam, 2025) | SB: 2:20:26 (Amsterdam, 2025)
8.Vibian Chepkirui (Kenya) — PB: 2:20:59 (Vienna, 2021) | SB: 2:27:23 (Boston, 2024)
9.Shuko Genemo (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:21:35 (Barcelona, 2024) | SB: 2:27:30 (Lanzhou, 2025)
10.Mercy Kwambai (Kenya) — PB: 2:23:58 (Xiamen, 2025) | SB: 2:27:22 (Xiamen, 2026)
11.Gojjam Tsegaye (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:24:02 (Barcelona, 2025) | SB: 2:28:27 (Mumbai, 2026)
12.Leah Cheruto (Kenya) — PB: 2:24:33 (Kosice, 2025) | SB: 2:24:33 (Kosice, 2025)
13.Cynthia Jerotich Limo (Kenya) — PB: 2:24:43 (Boston, 2025) | SB: 2:24:43 (Boston, 2025)
14.Emebet Mamo Niguse (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:25:25 (Ljubljana, 2024) | SB: 2:28:03 (Hong Kong, 2025)
15.Fortunate Chidzivo (Zimbabwe) — PB: 2:33:30 (Durban, 2025) | SB: 2:33:30 (Durban, 2025)
16.Sabah Es-Seqally (Morocco) — PB: 2:34:27 (Rabat, 2024) | SB: 2:37:41 (Marrakesh, 2025)
17.Emma Pallant-Browne (Great Britain) — Marathon debut | SB: 1:12:37 (21.1km, Paris, 2026)