Cape Town’s bid to join the world marathon elite takes another step on Sunday 24 May, when the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon sets off with 27,000 runners, one of its deepest international fields yet and Eliud Kipchoge in the start list.
Organisers said the elite field is the strongest ever assembled for a marathon on the African continent, with seven World Athletics Platinum Label athletes and 13 Gold Label athletes lining up in the Green Point precinct near the DHL Stadium. About 32% of the entrants are taking on the marathon for the first time, and 8,500 international participants from 145 countries have entered, led by runners from the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Germany. Zimbabwe, Botswana and Kenya are among the African countries most strongly represented.
The scale of the weekend was already visible on Saturday 23 May, when another 17,500 athletes took part in the 10km and 5km Peace Runs, as well as the Cape Town Trail Marathon and trail races. All events start and finish in Green Point, turning the area into the centre of a two-day festival that organisers hope will underline Cape Town’s case for something bigger than a single race.
That push matters because the marathon is still chasing a place as Africa’s first Abbott World Marathon Majors event, a status that would put it alongside the most famous races in the sport. Clark Gardner said the event was built to honour African elite marathon runners and give them a marathon on African soil worthy of their performances. He added that the 2026 field is the fastest and best ever to start a marathon on the continent, and said runners would be able to compete at that level on home turf, with African warmth, hospitality and vibes around them.
Kipchoge, the two-time Olympic gold medallist and former world record holder, said Cape Town is in Africa and that he belongs to the African continent, describing the city as his home and his soil. He said he was in Cape Town to support the race’s push to become a Major marathon next year, and praised South Africa’s running culture, saying he saw people out running at 6 o’clock in the morning and again in the evening. He also said a visit to Langa showed him how much children love sport and called the country the perfect home for a Major marathon.
Edna Kiplagat, the former women’s world marathon champion, said she was grateful to be part of the elite race in Cape Town and called the event a milestone. Her presence, alongside Kipchoge and the rest of the field, gives Sunday’s race a level of star power that organisers have been building toward since the event set out to celebrate African excellence on home soil. The question now is whether Cape Town can turn that ambition into the kind of race-day proof the Majors judges will want to see.
