Mohamed Esa runs 2:04:55 in Cape Town, the fastest marathon ever on African soil
The Ethiopian took more than three minutes off the course record and 97 seconds off the continental best; the first ten men were all inside the old record.
Photograph: Runners on Victoria Road during the 2026 Cape Town Marathon, by Axxter99, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThe Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was cancelled in 2025. On Sunday 24 May it came back with the strongest field ever assembled for a marathon in Africa, cool, clear, almost windless weather, and the fastest time ever run on the continent. Mohamed Esa of Ethiopia passed halfway in 1:02:46 and won in 2:04:55. The course record had been 2:08:16, set by Abdisa Tola in 2024; the fastest marathon on African soil had been Hicham Laqouahi's 2:06:32 from 2020. Esa said the win was the priority.
He needed it. Yihunilign Adane was four seconds behind in 2:04:59 and Kalipus Lomwai of Kenya third in 2:05:06. The first ten men all beat the old course record. Stephen Mokoka was the first South African, 13th in 2:10:48, and Eliud Kipchoge, in his first marathon on African soil, was 16th in 2:13:29.
Dera Dida Yami led an Ethiopian sweep of the women's podium in 2:23:18, from Mestawut Fikir, 2:23:46, and Waganesh Amare, 2:23:57. Glenrose Xaba's course record of 2:22:22 survived; Dida said the wind and the bends of the course had cost her the pace. Edna Kiplagat, 46, was fifth in 2:25:44. David Weir and Manuela Schär both broke the wheelchair course records, in 1:30:20 and 1:43:25.
About 8,500 international runners entered, the most in the race's history, and 1,850 of them were racing for age-group world titles. The organisers are in the final stage of a bid to make Cape Town the first Abbott World Marathon Major in Africa and expected a decision within weeks.
A 2:04 on a course by the sea with the mountain behind it. If the Majors wanted proof, this was it.
Sources: Sanlam Cape Town Marathon; Runner's World South Africa; Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.
