Dazzling display at Cape Town Marathon as Mohamed and Dera crowned champions

Cape Town and Africa took their rightful place amongst the world’s top marathons following a dazzling display at the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon over the weekend, as Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa and Dera Dida were crowned the 2026 champions. Esa shattered the course record with his best-in-Africa 2 hrs 04 min 55 sec victory with […] The post Dazzling display at Cape Town Marathon as Mohamed and Dera crowned champions appeared first on Sports Network Africa.

May 25, 2026 - 19:59

Dazzling display at Cape Town Marathon as Mohamed and Dera crowned champions

Cape Town and Africa took their rightful place amongst the world’s top marathons following a dazzling display at the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon over the weekend, as Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa and Dera Dida were crowned the 2026 champions.

Esa shattered the course record with his best-in-Africa 2 hrs 04 min 55 sec victory with Dida recording the fourth fastest Cape Town Marathon time ever, winning in 2:23:18.

While the outcome of the formal Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM) assessment of SCTM’s performance and the pending announcement of Cape Town’s admission to their exclusive club of seven big city marathons will only be known on 11 June, in the light of what runners, officials, supporters and spectators experienced today, this can only be a formality.

The weekend’s festival of racing at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was an outstanding success and would have ticked all the boxes. Unofficially, AbbottWMM officials have indicated their satisfaction of the ‘job well done’.

“Cape Town sold itself well today,” said former South African great and New York Marathon winner, Hendrick Ramaala. “2:04 – that’s amazing!”

The excitement was palpable as the peace flame processed to the start, carried by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and accompanied by South African celebrities including Francois Pienaar and Siya Kolisi. Never has such a field of marathon elites been assembled in Africa and the competitive presence of legends of the road, Eliud Kipchoge and Edna Kiplagat, elevated the occasion still further.

The race proved a triumph for Ethiopia, home of distance-running greats Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele and Deratu Tulu. Athletes from the ‘Land of Origins’ captured the individual titles and five of the six open-category podium places.

Adding to the sense of occasion and enhancing the marathon’s global reach was the successful staging of the AbbottWMM Marathon Tours & Travel Age Group World Championships.

Emotions flowed as flags from Brazil, China, Canada, Turkey, Spain, Columbia and many other countries were unfurled as medal winners from the 1800 participants in the ‘race within a race’ crossed the finish line on the blue carpet at the Green Point Sporting Precinct, before disappearing into the ‘Chill Zone’ or one of many welcoming marquees to share tales of the race of their lives in Africa.

Apart from the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM), only a handful of cities around the world, including Valencia, Amsterdam and Dubai, can boast race records faster than Cape Town’s 2 hr 04 min 55 sec winning time.

Esa, who dropped out of last month’s Boson Marathon, suffering a chest infection, brought that marathon preparation to Cape Town and shattered his compatriot Abdisa Tola’s 2024 race record by all of 3 min 21 sec.

No fewer than ten athletes finished inside the previous record, indicative of the exceptional depth in quality in Cape Town this weekend. Several of the leading athletes promised even faster times in years to come. “With the right preparation I believe we can run 2:03 and even 2:02 in Cape Town next year,” said Esa.

In the second-closest finish in Cape Town Marathon history, just four seconds separated the top two with an Esa surge breaking up the pack 3km from home before another pace injection in the final kilometre sealed his win.

It was close, but no cigar for Yihunilign Adane, who won the Osaka Marathon in Japan earlier this year. He took second in 2:04:59. Kenyan, Kalipus Lomwai, is enjoying a remarkable rebirth in his career as a professional athlete, and finishing third in 2:05:06 in a massive personal best.

“I was not thinking about the course record,” Esa admitted. ”My target was simply to win the race in my African homeland, but I am really happy that I could do both today.”

“This course is very nice, and everyone here is so supportive of running in Africa, so I am even more proud to win this African marathon.”

Like many, Kipchoge has been an inspiration for Esa, who came into the race with the fastest season’s best time, having run 2:04:49 in the 2025 Chicago Marathon seven months ago. “Eliud is my role model, and I love and respect him so much. I was so proud to race with him today on our home continent. I wanted to show the world that we are the same family of African runners.”

Dida, wife of Olympic Marathon gold-medallist, Tamirat Tola, lived up to her pre-race favourite tag and always appeared in control of the race. The 29-year-old, who boasts a 2:18:32 marathon best, drew away from her closest rivals in the final 3km to win in 2:23:18, 27 seconds clear of Mestawut Fikir and less than a minute outside Glenrose Xaba’s course record.

Waganesh Makasha Amare finished third in 2:23:57 to complete an Ethiopian sweep of the podium positions in the women’s competition.

“I came here to win the race – that was my goal,” said Dida. “From around 36 kilometres, I felt confident the race was mine to win.

“I had thought to try break the course record but… the curves in the route made it a little slow for the record. But I’ll be very, very happy to come back here and then to try break the course record next year!”

Will she be encouraging her husband, Tamirat Tola, to race in Cape Town? Dida didn’t miss a beat. “He is 100% sure to race here next year,” the champion responded. “The only reason he didn’t come here to race in his African homeland was that he raced London Marathon just four weeks ago. But next year he’ll be here for sure.”

That some of the world’s leading marathoners were unable to finish inside the record in near-perfect conditions for marathon running is testimony to the strength of Xaba’s 2:22:22 win in 2024 in less than perfect conditions.

While the Ethiopians wore the laurels, South African Adriaan Wildschutt proved the catalyst for the injection of pace in the final quarter, a move which resulted in world-class times.

“The pacer (Wildschutt) was fantastic,” commented Lomwai. “As he broke away (after 27km) we were thinking ‘we didn’t expect to have to run this fast in Africa’! But then we had to race hard (as in Europe and America) to catch him.

“We learned a big lesson there and we will now need to prepare to run even faster in Africa. Next time you see we will run close to 2:02.”

Designated pacers Wildschutt and his compatriot, Adam Lipschitz, took the lead pack through 10km in 30:01. The pack, which included Kipchoge, comprised five Kenyans (Benard Biwott, Justus Kangogo, Leonard Langat, Kalipus Lomwai and Kipchoge), five Ethiopians (Esa, Adane, Jemal Yimer, Abebaw Muniye and Mulugeta Uma), two from Lesotho (Kamohelo Mofolo and Tukiso Motlomelo), 2025 ASA marathon champion Matlakala Bennett Seloyi (RSA), Maru Teferi (Israel) and Joel Rechow (USA).

Urged by Wildschutt to increase the pace, Lipschitz upped the tempo, taking the leaders through halfway at Rondebosch Common in 1:02:47. Only Kipchoge, Rechow and Motlomelo had fallen behind, leaving twelve plus the pacers up front.

Pacing duties done, Lipschitz dropped out leaving Wildschutt to maintain the tempo and the leaders passed 25km in 1:14:25 on 2:05:45 marathon pace.

Winner of the recent New York Half Marathon, Wildschutt was slated to pace until 21km but the 28-year-old from Ceres, who owns a clutch of national distance records, had license to continue, should he decided to do so.

“I was contracted to take the field through halfway in 62:30,” explained Wildschutt. “But I wanted to get a feel for what my future as an athlete might feel like beyond that distance. I felt very good at 25km and thought I should continue to help, as the pace had slowed.”

A pace injection at 27km saw Wildschutt open a gap on the rest. When the South African continued racing through 30km, 20 second clear of the pack, his pursuers sense danger. They worked together to close the gap with ‘reborn’ Kenyan Kalipus Lomwai leading the charge.

Wildschutt was ‘arrested’ by the pack opposite the City’s Traffic Police HQ at Gallows Hill shortly before 35km, with the South African opting to call time on his race after running with the race leaders for a further kilometre.

“I came here to pace the race but also to see what I could eventually do in the marathon, which at this stage is my aim for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028,” Wildschutt added.

“I could have stopped at 21km according to my contract, but my coach and I wanted to see how my body would respond to racing beyond that distance, especially with regards nutrition. This was a valuable lesson in anticipation of my marathon debut.”

Six remained when Wildschutt dropped – Kenyans Langat, Lomwai and Biwott joining Ethiopians Esa, Adane and Yimer in a dash for glory, out and back along the Atlantic Seaboard. Only Langat remained with the top three as they turned for home around the Queens Beach Traffic Circle 3km out, and he fell victim to an Esa surge as the quartet grabbed their final nutrition bottles through 40km.

Adane held on for all he was worth, but a final kick for home by Esa 400 metres out decided the outcome and Esa ran to within 16 seconds of his personal best time, crossing the finish in 2:04:55.

First South African home was three-time winner of the race, Stephen Mokoka (2:10:48 for 13^th place in a national masters record), and he was followed home by Seloyi with a personal best 2:12:17. Debutant Anthony Timoteus, coached by Zola Budd, posted a solid 2:13:04 in his first attempt at the distance.

Kipchoge returned a creditable 16^th in his opening salvo at the start of his global tour, clocking 2:13:29 and was effusive in his praise for the race.

“I have run all the Majors in the world, but today is the day that I believe the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will become an Abbott World Marathon Majors event,” Kipchoge related. “I believe that all one billion Africans should be proud of this race. We are creating a real legacy for Africa by making Cape Town a World Marathon Major.

“My highlight today were those people on the road singing for all of us runners. They are the real heroes of the Cape Town Marathon. They were singing for the whole of Africa, and they really touched my heart… and I feel I am leaving a part of myself here in Cape Town,” added Kipchoge.

As Esa was breaking the tape, six women were fighting for individual honours. Leah Cheruto was the lone Kenyan running with Ethiopians Dida, Fikir, Amare, Ewnetie Dagnaw and Gojjam Enyew through 35km, two hours into the race.

Earlier, marathon legend and world champion, Edna Kiplagat, looked in fine form, staying in touch with the eight-strong lead group through halfway. The 46-year-old Kenyan was one of only two from her great sporting nation among the leaders at that stage, with Leah Cheruto joining her amongst a quintet of Ethiopians – Dida, Fikir, Amare, Dagnaw and Gojjam Enyew and an Ethiopian-born Bahrain athlete, Desi Mokonin.

The sole Southern African runner anywhere near the leaders at halfway was Cape Town-based Zimbabwean, Fortunate Chidzivo, running 11^th, over three minutes off the pace.

Mokonin fell behind shortly after 25km with Kiplagat holding on till 30km, leaving the six to compete for line honours in the final quarter. When Dida stepped on the gas 37km into the race, the results were dramatic as one by one her rivals fell off the pace.

A final Dida surge saw Fikir give up the unequal struggle and Dida raced home in 2:23:18 to win by 28 seconds. Amare finished third a further 11 seconds back.

David Weir of Great Britain dominated the men’s wheelchair race and took the win in 1:30:20, well inside the course record 1:32:09 set by Dutchman Gert Schipper in 2023. The Brit was followed in by DutchmanJetze Plat (1:33:12).

Third position went to the 2024 winner in Cape Town, Sho Watanabe of Japan, who was given the nod for the final podium position in a photo finish with Chinese athlete Zhang Ying. Both were given the same finishing time.

The women’s wheelchair record now belongs to Switzerland’s Manuela Schär. She dominated the race to win in 1:43:25, obliterating the previous course record of 1:52:58, set by Brit Eden Rainbow-Cooper in 2023.

Second-placed Chen Xiaochun (China) also finished inside the previous record, crossing the line in 1:52:21, with another Chinese athlete, Deng Yirun, taking third in 1:57:05.

Jose Eraldo Lima (Brazil, 2:23:47) and Dora Maria Nagel-Wallimann (Switzerland, 2:48:14) were the respective winners of the AbbottWMM Age Group World Championship gold medals in the 40-44 year age group.

Central Gauteng marathoner, Elizabeth Potter, gave local fans cause to cheer when she won the gold medal in the 55-59 age group in 3:01:54.

Other South African top five positions in the age group championship were Maxwell Sobetshe (2^nd in 50-54), Elmarie Coetzee (2^nd W60-64), Mark Headbush (3^rd in M80+), Norah Doherty (3^rd in W75-79) and Nancy Will (4^th W70-74).

2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Results

Top 10 Elite Men

1 Mohamed Esa (Ethiopia) 2:04:55

2 Yihunilign Adane (Ethiopia) 2:04:59

3 Kalipus Lomwai (Kenya) 2:05:06

4 Leonard Langat (Kenya) 2:05:26

5 Jemal Yimer (Ethiopia) 2:05:48

6 Mulugeta Uma (Ethiopia) 2:06:19

7 Maru Teferi (Israel) 2:06:46

8 Abebaw Dessie Muniye (Ethiopia) 2:06:57

9 Benard Kipkurui Biwott (Kenya) 2:07:34

10 Justus Kipkogei Kangogo (Kenya) 2:07:42