The 2026 Cape Town Marathon was the 32nd edition of the Cape Town Marathon, an annual marathon held in Cape Town, South Africa. The race was held during the final phase of the event's candidacy for admission to the Abbott World Marathon Majors, after the 2025 edition had been cancelled because of severe winds.

The men's race was won by Ethiopia's Mohamed Esa in 2:04:55, the fastest marathon time recorded on African soil. Ethiopia's Dera Dida Yami won the women's race in 2:23:18. The men's course record and both wheelchair course records were broken during the event.

Background

The 2026 race took place during the final phase of the Cape Town Marathon's candidacy for admission to the Abbott World Marathon Majors. The race had passed the first stage of the assessment process after the 2024 edition, and the 2025 edition was expected to form part of the second stage of evaluation.

The 2025 marathon was cancelled on race day after severe winds damaged event infrastructure and created safety concerns. The cancellation delayed the race's opportunity to complete the next phase of the Abbott World Marathon Majors assessment process.

Abbott World Marathon Majors confirmed that finishers of the 2026 Cape Town Marathon would receive a provisional AbbottWMM star. The organisation said the provisional stars would be fully recognised if Cape Town achieved its second evaluation pass in 2026. The 2026 event was also scheduled to host the AbbottWMM Marathon Tours & Travel Age Group World Championships.

The 2026 event weekend included 27,000 marathon runners and 17,500 participants across associated road and trail events, including the 10 km and 5 km Peace Runs and the Cape Town Trail Marathon events, for a combined field of 44,500. The 10 km Peace Run sold out its 11,500 entries, while about 4,500 participants took part in the 5 km Peace Run.

Elite races

The elite marathon races were held on Sunday, 24 May. On the eve of the marathon, organisers described the men's field as the fastest assembled for a marathon on African soil, with course records, South African records and African all-comers records expected to be challenged.

Men

The men's elite field included Eliud Kipchoge, the two-time Olympic marathon champion and former marathon world record holder. The Cape Town race was his first marathon on African soil and marked the start of his project to run a marathon on each of the seven continents over a two-year period.

Mohamed Esa of Ethiopia won the men's race in 2:04:55, breaking the Cape Town Marathon course record and recording the fastest marathon time on African soil. Ethiopia's Yihunilign Adane finished second in 2:04:59, and Kenya's Kalipus Lomwai finished third in 2:05:06. Kipchoge finished 16th in 2:13:29.

Women

Dera Dida Yami of Ethiopia won the women's race in 2:23:18. Mestawut Fikir finished second in 2:23:46, and Waganesh Amare finished third in 2:23:57, completing an Ethiopian sweep of the women's podium.

Wheelchair races

David Weir of Great Britain won the men's wheelchair race in 1:30:20, setting a course record. Jetze Plat of the Netherlands finished second in 1:33:12, with Sho Watanabe of Japan and Zhang Ying of China both awarded bronze after finishing in 1:33:43.

Manuela Schär of Switzerland won the women's wheelchair race in 1:43:25, also setting a course record. Chen Xiaochun and Deng Yirun, both of China, finished second and third respectively.

Other races In the 10 km Peace Run, South Africa's Maxime Chaumeton won the men's race in a course record 27:42, ahead of Thapelo Ramokhoase and Cwenga Nose. Tayla Kavanagh won the women's race for the third consecutive year, setting a course record of 31:25. Kyla Jacobs finished second and Lesotho's Neheng Khatala finished third.

In the 5 km Peace Run, Spain's Iker Ortega Castro was the first man across the line, while South Africa's Carmen Kensley was the first woman home.

The Cape Town Trail Marathon events were held on Saturday, 23 May, over routes through and around Table Mountain National Park. In the 43 km Cape Town Trail Marathon, Philani Sengce won the men's race for the second consecutive year in 3:48:03, breaking his own course record. Maryke van Zyl won the women's race in 5:04:58, ahead of Simone Malan and Ashleigh Graham.

In the 22 km trail race, Remaketse Lekaka won the men's race in 1:41:59 and Bianca Tarboton won the women's race in 1:48:26. In the 11 km trail race, Liam Matthews won the men's race and Heidi de Jager won the women's race.

Results

Men

Position Name Country Time Mohamed Esa 2:04:55 Yihunilign Adane 2:04:59 Kalipus Lomwai 2:05:06 4 Leonard Langat 2:05:26 5 Jemal Yimer 2:05:48 6 Mulugeta Uma 2:06:19 7 Maru Teferi 2:06:46 8 Abebaw Dessie Muniye 2:06:57 9 Benard Kipkurui Biwott 2:07:34 10 Justus Kipkogei Kangogo 2:07:42

Women

Position Name Country Time Dera Dida Yami 2:23:18 Mestawut Fikir 2:23:46 Waganesh Amare 2:23:57 4 Leah Cheruto 2:24:31 5 Edna Kiplagat 2:25:44 6 Gojjam Enyew 2:26:24 7 Mercy Jerop Kwambai 2:30:36 8 Desi Jisa Mokonin 2:30:44 9 Cynthia Jerotich Limo 2:32:00 10 Salmi Nduviteko 2:33:23

Wheelchair men

Position Name Country Time David Weir 1:30:20 Jetze Plat 1:33:12 Sho Watanabe 1:33:43 Zhang Ying 1:33:43 5 Geert Schipper 1:33:45 6 Aaron Pike 1:35:57 7 Ma Zhuo 1:40:15 8 Kota Hokinoue 1:40:39 9 Hiroki Nishida 1:41:07 10 Brian Siemann 1:52:57

Wheelchair women

Position Name Country Time Manuela Schär 1:43:25 Chen Xiaochun 1:52:21 Deng Yirun 1:57:05 4 Christie Dawes 1:58:46 5 Zhang Yuan 2:12:27 6 Hannah Babalola 2:12:27 7 Yeni Hernandez 2:16:31 8 Rita Cuccuru 2:36:18

Other races

10 km Peace Run

+ Men Position Name Country Time Maxime Chaumeton 27:42 Thapelo Ramokhoase 28:34 Cwenga Nose 29:00 4 Arthur Jantjies 29:19 5 Luan Munnik 29:23

+ Women Position Name Country Time Tayla Kavanagh 31:26 Kyla Jacobs 32:48 Neheng Khatala 33:02 4 Cacisile Sosibo 33:03 5 Carina Viljoen 33:25

5 km Peace Run

+ Men Position Name Country Time Iker Ortega Castro 17:14 Jiunhung Chen 17:28 Mark Milde 17:30

+ Women Position Name Country Time Carmen Kensley 17:53 Michelle Geldenhuys 18:07 Emma Winter 18:12

Cape Town Trail Marathon 43 km

+ Men Position Name Country Time Philani Sengce 3:48:03 Simon Ngumbau 3:55:24 Kyle Bucklow 3:59:50 4 Isaya Kiriago 4:08:46 5 Dennis Kiyaka 4:11:04

+ Women Position Name Country Time Maryke van Zyl 5:04:58 Simone Malan 5:13:32 Ashleigh Graham 5:14:31 4 Jessie Waldman 5:24:18 5 Chare Calitz 5:43:33

Cape Town Trail 22 km

+ Men Position Name Country Time Remaketse Lekaka 1:41:59 Giovanni Bianco 1:43:08 Riaan Wildschutt 1:43:28 4 Wano Katjiri 1:48:05 5 Melihaya Msizi 1:50:51

+ Women Position Name Country Time Bianca Tarboton 1:48:26 Ebeth Marais 1:56:35 Louise Dippenaar 2:03:48 4 Megan Launder 2:35:31 5 Stephanie Warren 2:37:21

Cape Town Trail 11 km

+ Men Position Name Country Time Liam Matthews 51:29 Siyabonga Chabalala 54:04 Michael de Kwaadsteniet 57:11

+ Women Position Name Country Time Heidi de Jager 1:01:27 Mineé van den Berg 1:01:37 Olga Antoniceva 1:02:49

Notes

References

External links

Official results