With a world-class elite field that includes 13 men and eight women who have run faster than the current course records of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, the 2026 edition of the race is set to be the fastest ever.
The 32nd edition of the race takes place on Sunday, 24 May, once again starting and finishing in Green Point, and the elite athletes will be racing not only for line honours and records, but also a share of the considerably increased prize purse.
The wait is almost over. ⏳
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In 2 days, champions from across Africa and beyond will take to the streets of Cape Town for more than a marathon.
This is resilience in motion.
This is unity across borders.
This is Africa running toward history together. 🌍
📍 Cape Town | 23–24… pic.twitter.com/e0iFKYQe2x
The 2026 edition of the race will see 27 000 marathon runners lining up, including a field of world-class elite runners and wheelchair athletes. A further 17 500 will take part in the accompanying 10km and 5km Peace Runs, as well as the Cape Town Trail Marathon, 22km and 11km trail runs, which take place on Saturday, 23 May.
That means a combined field of 44 500 participants, making this one of the largest running events on the African continent.
RECORDS ARE THERE TO BE BROKEN
The stacked men’s elite field includes eight athletes who have run a 2:05 marathon or faster, including Eliud Kipchoge, the former two-time World Record-holder, two-time Olympic Marathon champion and winner of 17 international marathons. The current men’s course record is 2:08:16, set by Ethiopia’s Abdisa Tola in 2024, and 13 men in the field have run faster than that in their careers, with 10 of them having done so in the last year.
The women’s course record is 2:22:22, run by South Africa’s Glenrose Xaba in 2024, which set not only a new South African record but was also the fastest women’s time run on African soil. In the 2026 women’s elite field, five athletes have run faster than 2:20, and another three have clocked a 2:20 time, while four of those athletes have gone faster than the current course record in the past year.
The men’s field includes three World Athletics Platinum Label and six Gold Label athletes, while the women’s field features four Platinum Label and six Gold Label athletes.
The Marathon will also once again feature a star-studded wheelchair race, with 12 men and nine women participating, and the race has also been selected to host the 2026 Abbott World Marathon Majors Marathon Tours and Travel Age Group World Champs, which will see around 1 800 of the best age group marathoners from around the world competing for global titles in five-year age categories from 40-44 to over 80 years.
Weather update for the Cape Town Marathon: Date: 23 - 24 May 2026 Area: Western Cape #saws #weatheroutlook #southafricanweather pic.twitter.com/YthEAWjWyg
— SA Weather Service (@SAWeatherServic) May 21, 2026
MAJORS STATUS LOADING
Having Label and wheelchair athletes in the race is part of the list of requirements the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon met meet in its bid to become Africa’s first Major. The event is currently nearing the end of phase 2 of the candidacy process to become an Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM) race, which would put it on par with iconic New York, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, Tokyo, Sydney and London Marathons. In the meantime, finishers of the 2026 race in Cape Town will be awarded a provisional AbbottWMM finisher’s star, which will be officially recognised when Cape Town becomes a Major.
“We have assembled the best marathon elite and wheelchair fields the African continent has ever seen, led by the best marathon runner of all time, Eliud Kipchoge, alongside world-class World Athletics Label athletes and a number of South African legends of the sport and stars of the future,” says Clark Gardner, CEO of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. “With so many starters who have run faster times than our course records, we feel confident that the record books will need updating after this year’s race.”
Gardner adds, "We also take pride in being given the opportunity to host 8 500 international participants and their families from 145 countries, including 1 800 of the world’s best age group marathon runners. To deliver on this opportunity, our organising team has worked tirelessly, hand-in-hand with all our sponsors, partners and service providers, to present not just a fast race, but also one with a healthy mix of African spirit. We’re looking forward to an incredible race on Sunday as we take the final steps towards becoming Africa’s first Major.”
INCREDIBLE DEPTH IN MEN’S FIELD
Given his stellar record and achievements over the marathon distance, many eyes will be focused on Eliud Kipchoge in Sunday’s race. He also comes into the race as the fastest man in the field, thanks to his personal best (PB) of 2:01:09, and at 41, he is still posting world-class times – his season best (recent) time is the 2:05:25 he clocked in London last year.
This makes Kipchoge one of the fastest runners on current form in the Cape Town field, with only Mohamed Esa (Ethiopia) having gone faster – 2:04:49 in the 2025 Chicago Marathon – while another Kenyan, Benard Kipkurui Biwott, has an identical season best to Kipchoge. Esa’s PB of 2:04:39 makes him the second-fastest man in the field historically, so he will line up as one of the outright favourites for the win, but there will be a host of world-class athletes looking to give him a run for his money.
After Kipchoge and Esa, the next-fastest man in the field is Israel’s Maru Teferi (2:04:44), but his season best is 2:09:17 (Brussels, 2025), so he’ll need to pick up his pace to be competitive in Cape Town. Then come five athletes with 2:05 bests – Kenyans Biwott (2:05:25) and Justus Kangogo (2:05:57), alongside Ethiopians Yihunilign Adane (2:05:33), Mulugeta Asefa Uma (2:05:33) and Boki Kebede Asefa (2:05:40). All except Kangogo have run 2:05 season bests, while Kangogo has a 2:06 to his name from last year, so all bring good form into this race.
The fastest man in the field who has run the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon before is Ethiopian Adane Gebre Kebede, who is one of five athletes with a 2:06 personal best. He won in Cape Town in 2023 with a 2:11:28, then finished second in 2024 in 2:08:32 (behind the record-setting Tola). Even though he is only 10th on the list for personal bests, he also comes into the race in good form, having run a season best 2:06:16 earlier this year in Houston, and brings a wealth of experience of this route, so he could well be in contention again this year.
The local challenge will be led by three-time winner in Cape Town and former SA record-holder, Stephen Mokoka. He won the race in 2018, 2021 and 2022. Other South Africans to watch will be 2:09 marathoner Desmond Mokgobu, while Bennet Seloyi will be looking to improve on the 2:13 he posted in Kimberley last year. Also in the mix could be local debutant Anthony Timoteus, who has a 10km PB of 28:48 to his name and will be looking to translate that speed into a good marathon time.
ETHIOPIANS FAVOURED IN WOMEN’S RACE
The elite women’s race may see the Ethiopian trio of Ruti Aga (PB 2:18:09), Dera Dida (2:18:32) and Mestawat Fikir (2:18:48) play a leading role in determining the podium positions, especially if they decide to work together. Dida is the fastest of the three on recent form, having run her 2:18 in Dubai last year, compared to 2:20 for Fikir and 2:22 for Aga earlier this year. In terms of Majors pedigree, Fikir has won Paris and finished second in Berlin, Dida has finished second in both Paris and Berlin, while Aga has won Tokyo and finished on the podium in Berlin and New York.
However, the Ethiopians will need to watch the two highly experienced and very fast veterans in the field. Lonah Salpeter 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. Salpeter clocked 2:23:45 late last year in Valencia, while Kiplagat posted a 2:25 in Abu Dhabi last year. Others to watch 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.
While there are no South African women in the elite field, some local flavour will be added by Zimbabwean Fortunate Chidzivo, who has called Cape Town home for many years. She showed good form recently in finishing second in the Totalsports Two Oceans Half Marathon, and is the only elite female athlete in the field with previous experience of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, having finished sixth in 2016.
PODIUM CONTENDERS IN WHEELCHAIR FIELD
The wheelchair division will see a combined field of 12 men and nine women lining up on Sunday, including two former men’s winners in Cape Town, Japan’s Sho Watanabe (2024) and Dutchman Geert Schipper (2023). Watanabe has been in good form, posting a 1:28:50 in Berlin last year to give him the fastest season best time in this field, but his countryman Hiroki Nishida was just four seconds adrift in that same race.
More leading contenders in the men’s wheelchair division will be Aron Pike of the USA, the UK’s David Weir and Dutchman Jetze Plat. Pike clocked 1:29:07 last year in Chicago, while eight-time London Marathon winner Weir posted a 1:29:23 and Plat a 1:31:04 in London earlier this year, so all three could be racing for the podium positions in Cape Town. 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, including an impressive clean sweep of all six races in 2019, but she may face tough competition from Japan’s Tsubasa Nakamine. While Schär is the fastest athlete on paper, with a career best of 1:28:17 from 2017, compared to Nakamine’s 1:35:50 from 2019, the Japanese athlete has actually gone one second faster this year, 1:41:20 to 1:41:21.
Also look out for the USA’s Christie Dawes, who finished second in Cape Town in 2023 and will want to make her last race before retirement a special one. The Chinese duo of Chen Xiaochun and Deng Yirun may also find themselves in the race for the podium positions.
Men’s and Women’s Elite Fields for the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon
Athletes are listed in order of fastest personal best time (PB), with their season best (SB) from the past year added as a guide to recent form. Where an athlete is a national record-holder, the abbreviation NR appears with their PB.
MEN'S MARATHON
1. Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) — PB: 2:01:09 (Berlin, 2022) | SB: 2:05:25 (London, 2025)
2. Mohamed Esa (Ethiopia) – PB 2:04:39 (Chicago, 2024) | SB: 2:04:49 (Chicago, 2025)
3. Maru Teferi (Israel) — PB: 2:04:44 NR (Valencia, 2024) | SB: 2:09:17 (Brussels, 2025)
4. Benard Kipkurui 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. Boki Kebede Asefa (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:05:40 (Amsterdam, 2024) | SB: 2:05:55 (Doha, 2026)
8. Justus Kangogo (Kenya) — PB: 2:05:57 (Berlin, 2023) | SB: 2:06:10 (Valencia, 2025)
9. Jemal Yimer Mekonen (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:06:08 (Seoul, 2024) | SB: 2:06:08 (Seoul, 2024)
10. Adane Gebre Kebede (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:06:16 (Houston, 2026) | SB: 2:06:16 (Houston, 2026)
11. Stephen Mokoka (South Africa) — PB: 2:06:42 (Osaka, 2024) | SB: 2:09:52 (Durban, 2025)
12. Isaac Mpofu (Zimbabwe) — PB: 2:06:48 NR (Valencia, 2022) | SB: 2:10:46 (Tokyo, 2025)
13. Leonard Langat (Kenya) — PB: 2:06:59 (Vienna, 2022) | SB: 2:08:04 (Toronto, 2025)
14. Abe Gashahun (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:08:35 (Riyadh, 2025) | SB: 2:08:35 (Riyadh, 2025)
15. Abebaw Muniye (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:08:38 (Riyadh, 2025) | SB: 2:09:31 (Riyadh, 2026)
16. Desmond Mokgobu (South Africa) — PB: 2:09:13 (Valencia, 2020) | SB: 1:05:04 (21.1km, Gqeberha, 2025)
17. Joel Reichow (United States of America) — PB: 2:09:56 (New York, 2025) | SB: 2:09:56 (New York, 2025)
18. Kalipus Lomwai (Kenya) — PB: 2:13:12 (Beirut, 2018) | SB: 59:26 (21.1km, Rome, 2025)
19. Bennett Seloyi (South Africa) — PB: 2:13:22 (Kimberley, 2025) | SB: 2:13:22 (Kimberley, 2025)
20. Tukiso Motlomelo (Lesotho) — PB: 2:17:10 (Cape Town, 2024) | SB: 1:02:54 (21.1km, Gqeberha, 2025)
21. Augustine Choge (Kenya) — PB: 2:20:53 (New York, 2021) | SB: N/A
22. Kamohelo Mofolo (Lesotho) — Debut marathon | SB: 1:00:52 (21.1km, Gqeberha, 2025)
23. Anthony Timoteus (South Africa) — Debut marathon | SB: 28:48 (10km, Cape Town, 2025)
Pacesetters for the Men’s Race
Adriaan Wildshutt (South Africa) – 59:30 SA Record-holder for 21.1km
Adam Lipschitz (South Africa) – 2:09:53 Marathon PB
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: 1:08:46 (21.1km, Venlo, 2026)
9. Mercy Kwambai (Kenya) — PB: 2:23:58 (Xiamen, 2025) | SB: 2:27:22 (Xiamen, 2026)
10. Gojjam Tsegaye (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:24:02 (Barcelona, 2025) | SB: 2:28:27 (Mumbai, 2026)
11. Leah Cheruto (Kenya) — PB: 2:24:33 (Kosice, 2025) | SB: 2:24:33 (Kosice, 2025)
12. Cynthia Jerotich Limo (Kenya) — PB: 2:24:43 (Boston, 2025) | SB: 2:24:43 (Boston, 2025)
13. Emebet Mamo Niguse (Ethiopia) — PB: 2:25:25 (Ljubljana, 2024) | SB: 2:28:03 (Hong Kong, 2025)
14. Fortunate Chidzivo (Zimbabwe) — PB: 2:33:30 (Durban, 2025) | SB: 2:33:30 (Durban, 2025)
Pacesetters for the Women’s Race
Ewnetie Alemayehu Dagnaw (Ethiopia)
Tesfaye Guteta Leta (Ethiopia)
MEN’S WHEELCHAIR DIVISION
1. Aron Pike (USA) – PB 1:20:02 (Duluth, 2022) | SB 1:29:07 (Chicago, 2025)
2. Hiroki Nishida (Japan) – PB 1:20:28 (Boston, 2017) | SB 1:28:54 (Berlin, 2025)
3. David Weir (United Kingdom) - PB 1:22:12 (Boston 2024) | 1:29:23 (London, 2026)
4. Kota Hokinoue (Japan) – PB 1:22:01 (Oensingen, 2011) | SB 1:33:27 (Boston, 2025)
5. Sho Watanabe (Japan) – PB 1:24:00 (Oita, 2019) | SB 1:28:50 (Berlin, 2025)
6. Jetze Plat (Netherlands) - PB 1:24:28 (Dubai, 2023) | SB 1:31:04 (London, 2026)
7. Ma Zhuo (China) – PB 1:25:10 (Chengdu, 2023) | SB 1:34:42 (Shanghai, 2025)
8. Geert Schipper Plat (Netherlands) – PB 1:26:47 (London, 2025) | SB 1:33:53 (London, 2026)
9. Brian Siemann (USA) – PB 1:28:00 (Duluth, 2017) | SB 1:34:00 (Chicago, 2024)
10. Zhang Ying (China) – PB 1:30:57 (Tokyo, 2025) | SB 1:30:57 (Tokyo, 2025)
11. Tiaan Bosch (South Africa) – PB 1:33:17 (Duluth, 2024) | SB 1:46:25 (Duluth, 2025)
12. Xie Zijin (China) – PB 1:42:05 (Guangzhou, 2025) | SB 1:42:05 (Guangzhou, 2025)
WOMEN’S WHEELCHAIR DIVISION
1. Manuela Schär (Switzerland) – PB 1:28:17 (Boston, 2017) | SB 1:41:21 (London, 2026)
2. Tsubasa Nakamine (Japan) – PB 1:35:50 (Oita, 2019) | 1:41:20 (Tokyo, 2026)
3. Christie Dawes (Australia) – PB 1:37:00 (Boston, 2017) | 1:47:00 (London, 2025)
4. Chen Xiaochun (China) – PB 1:46:26 (Shenzhen, 2025) | SB 1:46:26 (Shenzhen, 2025)
5. Deng Yirun (China) – PB 1:46:32 (Shenzhen, 2025) | SB 1:46:32 (Shenzhen, 2025)
6. Yeni Hernandez (Mexico) – PB 1:52:34 (Duluth, 2024) | 2:06:15 (CDMX, 2025)
7. Hannah Babalola NGR/USA – PB 1:57:33 (Duluth, 2025) | SB 1:57:33 (Duluth, 2025)
8. Rita Cuccuru (Italy) – PB 2:14:00 (Berlin, 2025) | SB 2:14:00 (Berlin, 2025)
9. Zhang Yuan (China) – Debut marathon