Eliud Kipchoge Arrives in Cape Town as Mother City Chases Marathon History

Thousands of runners are expected in the Mother City this weekend, but it is Eliud Kipchoge’s arrival that has everybody talking.

Cape Town, South Africa (20 May 2026) – The world’s greatest marathon runner has officially touched down in Cape Town, and the Mother City is soaking up every moment of it.

Kenyan superstar Eliud Kipchoge arrived in South Africa ahead of the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, bringing a massive wave of excitement as the city continues its push to become home to Africa’s first Abbott World Marathon Major.

For local running fans, it is a pretty special moment.

Kipchoge is not only a double Olympic marathon champion and former world record holder, but also the first man to run a marathon in under two hours. And now, after years of dominating races across the globe, he will officially run his first marathon on African soil right here in Cape Town.

The running icon was welcomed at Cape Town International Airport this week, where he shared his excitement about the city’s growing place on the global marathon map.

The visit also marks the beginning of Kipchoge’s new global project, Eliud’s Running World tour, which will see him run marathons across seven continents over the next two years as part of a mission to inspire healthier lifestyles and unite communities through running.

But this weekend, the focus is firmly on Cape Town.

The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon continues to grow into one of the biggest sporting events on the continent and is currently working toward becoming Africa’s first official Abbott World Marathon Major, placing it alongside iconic races in cities like New York City, London, Berlin and Tokyo.

This year’s event is expected to bring massive crowds to the Mother City, with around 27,000 runners entered for the marathon itself, while thousands more will participate in the weekend’s 10km, 5km and trail events.

Altogether, close to 45,000 participants are expected to hit the streets and trails across the weekend.

And with one of the sport’s biggest names now part of the occasion, the energy around the race has reached another level.

 

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A post shared by Sanlam Cape Town Marathon (@capetownmarathon)

Sources: Sanlam Cape Town Marathon 

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by Karabo Peter

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