Results From the 2026 Cape Town Marathon
Esa’s 2:04:55 broke the course record as Ethiopia swept the elite men’s podium and three of four course records fell, organizers said.
- On Sunday, May 24, 2026, Ethiopian runner Mohamed Esa won the Cape Town Marathon in a course record time of 2:04:55, marking the fastest marathon ever run on African soil.
- Organizers hope this year's race, which drew about 27,000 runners, serves as the final assessment for Cape Town to join the World Marathon Majors, following the cancellation of last year's event due to high winds.
- In the women's elite race, Dera Dida Yami led an all-Ethiopian podium finish with a time of 2:23:18, while Mestawut Fikir and Waganesh Amare took second and third in 2:23:46 and 2:23:57.
- Great Britain's David Weir won the men's wheelchair race in 1:30:20, and Switzerland's Manuela Schar claimed the women's title in 1:43:25, both setting new course records during Sunday's competition.
- Twice-Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya finished 16th in 2:13:29, while every one of the top 10 finishers ran faster than the previous course record set by Abdisa Tola in 2024.
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15 Articles
Foreigners hand out record running lesson at Cape Town Marathon
Three of the four course records in the Cape Town Marathon were shattered on a spectacular day of racing – in equally spectacular weather – as the fastest field ever assembled for an African marathon brought world class racing to the Mother City on Sunday. The elite men’s race was won by Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa in a scintillating 2:04:55, shattering the course record of 2:08:16, set by another Ethiopian Abdisa Tola in 2024. He was followed over t…
Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa wins Cape Town marathon in course record time
Ethiopian Mohamed Esa claimed the men’s Cape Town marathon title in a course record time of 2:04:55 on Sunday as twice-Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya finished a distant 16th.
Athletics-Ethiopia's Esa wins Cape Town marathon in course record time
CAPE TOWN, May 24 (Reuters) - Ethiopian Mohamed Esa claimed the men's Cape Town marathon title in a course record time of 2:04:55 on Sunday as twice-Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya finished a distant 16th.
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