• Prize money gets 37% increase.
• 14 men in the elite field have career bests under 2:08 and three under 2:05.
• Nine women have gone under 2:22.
• 27 000 runners have entered the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.
• The race hosts the AbbottWMM Age Group World Championship. This will see 1 800 of the world’s leading age-group marathoners competing for global titles in five-year age categories from 40-44 to over 80 years.

The deepest, fastest field ever assembled for an African marathon will line up in the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on Sunday 24 May, including the fastest man ever over the marathon distance and a former two-time World Champion in the women’s race. These elite athletes will be racing not only for line honours in the 15th edition of Africa’s premier marathon, but also for a share of the significantly increased prize purse, with the total prize purse for the event, including the marathon, wheelchair race, 10km Peace Run and three Trail Runs, having climbed 37% from R3.5-million to R4.8-million. When all the record incentives are added, the total prize purse on offer amounts to a massive R6.6-million.

The full list of participating elite athletes for the marathon was unveiled at a press conference in Cape Town, with 60 days to go until the race.

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. The 2026 men’s field will include 14 men who have a career best under 2:08, including three who have gone under 2:05, and an elite women’s field that includes nine women who have gone under 2:22, including five who have run faster than 2:20.

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 finishers’ stars, which will then be officially recognised if Cape Town achieves its second evaluation pass in 2026 and becomes Africa’s first Major.

This will see 1 800 of the world’s leading age-group marathoners competing for global titles in five-year age categories…

Added to this, a first for this year’s race is Cape Town playing host to the AbbottWMM Age Group World Championship. This will see 1 800 of the world’s leading age-group marathoners competing for global titles in five-year age categories from 40-44 to over 80 years, and will bring even more international visitors to enjoy the biggest marathon experience on the African continent.

“Africa does not often get the opportunity on the global stage to celebrate its excellence and being the best in the world. Now we have with this opportunity, as we host 8 500 international participants and their families from 102 countries, including 25 African countries, as well as 1 800 of the world’s best age group marathon runners here for the Abbott World Marathon Majors MTT Age Group World Champs,” says Clark Gardner, CEO of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.

All eyes will be on Kenya’s Kipchoge, the former World Record-holder, two-time Olympic champion and the only man ever to run a sub-2-hour marathon (1:59:40 in the INEOS Challenge, but not a World Record). 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.

The next-fastest man in the field is another Kenyan, Stephen Kiprop (2:03:37), followed by Israel’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 at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon. The other is Kenyan Edna Kiplagat (2:19:50), the two-time World Marathon Champion in 2010 and 2011, and the 2017 Boston Marathon winner. 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 nine 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%), from R2.5-million to R3.5-million.

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.

Local athletes will also have something to race for, with the first three South African men and women claiming R25 000, R12 500 and R7 500, while the first three Western Province athletes will be rewarded with prize money of R3 000, R2 000 and R1 000. Furthermore, if a South African marathoner can break the SA Record, he or she (or both) will pocket a cool $10 000 incentive.

Meanwhile, the 10km Peace Run prize money has been nearly doubled, with the total prize purse climbing from R45 500 to R87 500, including first prize for both men and women going from R10 000 to R20 000. This race will also offer an incentive for record times, with R10 000 on offer for a course record, and R50 000 as reward for a new SA Record.

Men’s and Women’s Elite Fields 

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. 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)

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