Overview
- Ethiopia’s Huseyidin Mohamed Esa won the men’s race in 2:04:55 on Sunday, May 24, which set a new course record and became the fastest marathon time ever run on African soil.
- Ethiopian runners swept the women’s podium as Dera Dida Yami won in 2:23:18 with Mestawut Fikir second and Waganesh Amare third.
- The elite field produced deep times with the top 10 men all finishing inside the previous course record of 2:08:16, while marathon great Eliud Kipchoge finished 16th.
- Wheelchair races also saw records fall as Britain’s David Weir won the men’s wheelchair race in 1:30:20 and Switzerland’s Manuela Schär set a new women’s wheelchair record in 1:43:25.
- Organisers framed the fast, well-run edition as the final evaluation for Cape Town’s bid to join the World Marathon Majors in 2027 which was delayed by the 2025 cancellation and will depend on the Majors’ review process.