Eliud Kipchoge’s Arrival for Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Kicks Off Glittering Race Week

Cape Town, South Africa – There was great excitement at the Cape Town International Airport today as Kenyan running superstar Eliud Kipchoge arrived in the Mother City for the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. The race, which takes place on Sunday 24 May, has rapidly established itself as Africa’s premier marathon, and is currently a candidate for Abbott World Marathon Majors status.

Kipchoge is a double Olympic Marathon champion, two-time World Record-breaker and first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon, but this will be his first official marathon race on African soil. He has chosen Cape Town as the first stop for his Eliud’s Running World tour, which will see him tackle a series of seven marathons across all the continents over the next two years, to inspire people to lead healthier lives while uniting the world through running.

Warm Welcome to Mother City

Kipchoge was met at the airport by the Mayor of the City of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, CEO of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Clark Gardner, the event organising team from Faces, and media. The Kenyan running great was all smiles as he explained how excited he is to run with the local running community, and that he is particularly excited to start this seven-continent journey in Cape Town.

“Africa is where my journey as a runner began, and where the foundation of my success is deeply rooted. To start this World Tour in Cape Town is very special. It is about celebrating the strength of African running and inspiring the next generation. Also, to race my first ever marathon on the African continent holds deep meaning for me, and I cannot wait!” said Kipchoge.

“I know South Africa is a really sporting nation, but I want to make more and more South Africans run. Above all, I want to run a beautiful race with all 27,000 people who have registered to participate in the marathon. It will be a beautiful day, it will be a historic day for all of us, to assemble as Africans and run together, go through the finishing line, and make Cape Town a World Major Marathon,” he added.

In response, Mayor Hill-Lewis said, “What an honour it is to welcome marathon royalty and arguably the greatest runner of all time to Cape Town for the 2026 instalment of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon. As we look to secure this incredible race’s status as an Abbott World Marathon Majors event, we are immensely proud that Eliud has also chosen it as the first marathon in his seven-continent challenge. I wish him a wonderful stay in Cape Town, and an unforgettable run in Africa’s premier marathon.”

Gardner said welcoming Eliud Kipchoge to Cape Town for his first marathon on the African continent carries deep significance for the race. “It’s amazing having the GOAT arrive in Cape Town for the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, as he’s the one who inspired us to aspire to having an Abbott World Marathon Major. He was a pioneer of African excellence in road running, and that paved the way for us to chase an Abbott World Marathon Majors candidacy.”

Bring the Majors to Africa

The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is aiming to bring Africa its first Major and create a global stage where African athletes can compete at the highest level on home soil. Becoming a Major will put the Mother City’s marathon on the same level as marathons in New York, London, Berlin, Tokyo and other cities, and make it one of the most sought-after global marathoning destinations.

The 2026 edition of the race will see 27,000 marathon runners lining up, including a field of world-class elite runners and wheelchair athletes. A further 17,500 will take part in the accompanying 10km and 5km Peace Runs, as well as the Cape Town Trail Marathon, 22km and 11km trail runs, which take place on Saturday, 23 May. That means a combined field of 44,500 participants in action over the weekend of the event, making it one of the largest running events on the African continent.

Kipchoge will line up in one of the strongest fields ever assembled for an African marathon, with both the men’s and women’s course records very much under threat from the star-studded line-up. To break those records, the winning man will need to cross the line in less than 2:08:16, the time by posted by 2024 winner Abdisa Tola of Ethiopia. The women will need to beat Glenrose Xaba’s South African Record 2:22:22, run that same year.

A 2:08 finish is still well within 41-year-old Kipchoge’s reach. In 2018 he broke the World Record for the first time, when he ran 2:01:39 in Berlin to shatter the previous record by 1 minute and 18 seconds. A year later, he shot to international fame when he clocked 1:59:40 in the INEOS Challenge in Vienna, which did not qualify as a World Record, but showed the world that the two-hour barrier in the marathon could be beaten. Then in 2022, again in Berlin, he took his own World Record down to 2:01:09. (The World Record is now 1:59:30, set by another Kenyan, Sabastian Sawe, in the London Marathon on 26 April 2026, becoming the first man to officially run a sub-2-hour marathon.)

Ready for a Beautiful Experience

When asked if he is looking forward to Sunday’s race, Kipchoge responded, “Cape Town is a beautiful city, and I hope on Sunday it will be a beautiful race, whereby we bring all the people out to run in the streets. I want to help grow this event to 60,000 participants, and help it become a Major. As an African, I’m rooting for it, I’m pushing for it. We don’t have a Major marathon in Africa yet, but this is a growing continent, and it’s our time as Africans to have Cape Town as one of the World Majors.”

In closing, Gardner said, “The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon believes deeply in celebrating African excellence and inspiring new possibilities across the continent, and welcoming the greatest marathon runner in history to race the streets of Cape Town marks an important milestone in that pursuit. Eliud represents the very best of what running can inspire, and moments like this remind us what is possible when the world’s greatest athletes connect with the places and people that shape the sport.”