Three different category records in the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon were broken on an ideal day’s racing with the greatest runner in history, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, adding stardust to the occasion in the elite men’s division, which was won by Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa in a race record 2hr 04min 55sec.
This was more than four minutes faster than the previous race best of , 2:08:16, set by another Ethiopian, Abdisa Tola, in 2024. Second over the line was Esa’s countryman Yihunilign Adane in 2:04:59, with Kenyan Kalipus Lomwai third in 2:05:06. Kipchoge was 16th (2:13:29), making his Afruican marathon debut late into his career, but helping promote the city’s bid for Marathon Major status.
The first South African home in the men’s race was former three-time winner of the race, Stephen Mokoka (13th in 2:10:48), and he was followed home by Matlakala Bennet Seloyi with a personal best 2:12:17, and debutant Anthony Timoteus, posting 2:13:04 in his first attempt at the distance. The men’s race saw the first 10 runners all finish under the previous course record, with the top 10 including two 2:04 times, three 2:05 times, three 2:06 times and two 2:07s.
Esa’s winning time is the fastest marathon ever run on African soil, beating the 2:06:32 run by Hicham Laqouahi of Morocco in his own country in 2020, and the Ethiopian’s time also becomes the new South African All-comers record.
“I was not thinking about the course record today, because my target was to win the race in my African homeland. I would like to say thank you very much to the race organisers, for giving me a chance to come here and to race on African soil,” said Esa. “So the win was the priority, and I was not targeting the course record, but I am really happy that I could do both today. I also want to say that this course is very nice, and everyone here is very supportive of running in Africa, so I am even more proud to win this African marathon.”
Having won the race, Esa made a point of waiting at the finish to welcome other runners in, and gave an especially warm welcome to Kipchoge. Asked about this, he says, “Eliud is my role model, and I love and respect him so much, so I was so proud to race with him and finish this race with him today on our home continent. I wanted to show the world that we are the same family of African runners.”
The men’s elite race started with two South African pacesetters leading the way – 2:09 marathoner Adam Lipschitz and SA Record-holder in the half marathon, Adriaan Wildschutt. They took a big leading pack through the halfway mark (21.1km) in 1:02:46, at fractionally under three minutes a kilometre – on course for a low 2:05 finish, well within the course record.
Lipschitz dropped out after halfway, as planned, but Wildschutt opted to stay in the race, and even surged away from the lead pack after the 30km mark, opening a lead of around 20 seconds. This prompted all watching to speculate whether he was planning to complete his first marathon, and even if he could win the race, or set a new South African record. However, his move prompted the pack to increase their speed and chase him down, and at 36km he stepped off the course.
Going into the final three kilometres, the lead pack was down to the two Ethiopians, Esa and Adane, along with Kenyans Lomwai and Leonard Langat. Esa came into the race with the fastest season best time, having run 2:04:49 in the 2025 Chicago Marathon, and he made that form count as he surged for the finish. Langat was first to drop off the pace, followed by Lomwai, and Adane held on till the last few hundred metres, but Esa proved strongest on the day.
In the women’s race, Ethiopian runners made it a clean-sweep of the podium positions, with Dera Dida taking the win in 2:23:18, just under a minute outside the course record 2:22:22 set by SA’s Glenrose Xaba in 2024 rce. Dira started the race as one of the outright favourites, given that she had the fastest season best amongst the elite women after clocking 2:18:32 at the 2025 Dubai Marathon.
Secondwas Mestawut Fikir in 2:23:46, with Waganesh Amare third in 2:23:57. The first South African home was 15th-placed Mia Morrison in 2:49:52, followed by Melissa Laing (16th in 2:50:11) and Banele Mabizela (18th in 2:51:15).
British wheelchair racing veteran David Weir won the men’s wheelchair race in 1:30:20, well inside the course record 1:32:09 set by Dutchman Gert Schipper in 2023.
The women’s wheelchair record now belongs to Switzerland’s Manuela Schär. She dominated the race to win in 1:43:25, lowering the previous course record of 1:52:58, set by Brit Eden Rainbow-Cooper in 2023.