Cape Town's acceptance into the Abbott World Marathon Majors gave Africa its first event in the series. The race combines international competition with a route through the city and along its Atlantic seafront.
The promotion followed a fast 2026 race. Mohamed Esa won the men's title in 2:04:55, while Dera Dida led an Ethiopian sweep of the women's podium. Three of the event's four course records fell across the running and wheelchair competitions.The first Cape Town Marathon staged as a Major will take place on Sunday, May 23, 2027.
The 2027 Cape Town Marathon
The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon becomes the eighth race in the Majors series, joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Its admission was confirmed on June 10, 2026, after the event passed the final stage of its assessment.
The full road marathon is scheduled for May 23. The accompanying Peace Runs and trail races take place on May 22, giving the weekend a programme that extends beyond the main 42.195 km contest.
Runners who completed the 2026 marathon also received recognition. Their provisional Cape Town stars were upgraded after the successful assessment, counting towards their Majors record.
The general entry ballot for 2027 closed on June 24, 2026. Charity places and official international travel packages provide other entry routes, subject to availability.
History of the Cape Town Marathon
The race traces its history to 1994, when Julian Paul and Evelina Tshabalala won the inaugural men's and women's titles. That first edition was held at Mutual Park in Pinelands, before later versions moved towards the city centre and Green Point.
One of its most significant early results came in 1996. Josiah Thugwane won when the event hosted the South African Marathon Championships, earned selection for the Olympics and went on to take marathon gold in Atlanta later that year.
Sanlam became the title sponsor in 2014 as the event expanded its international ambitions. It achieved IAAF Gold Label status in 2017 and was announced as a World Marathon Majors candidate in 2021.
The Course and Race Format
The road marathon covers 42.195 km and is distinct from the trail events held over the same weekend. Its setting combines the city streets, views towards Table Mountain and the Atlantic seafront around Sea Point.
The published 2027 arrangements use two starting areas: Fritz Sonnenberg Road beside the stadium and Beach Road in Mouille Point. Runners are assigned a start through their seeding information, with the finish on Vlei Road in Green Point.
The most recent course took runners through areas including Rondebosch, Salt River and Woodstock before returning through the city. In 2026, the climb through the Company's Garden came after 30 km, followed by a descent along Long Street and a late section beside the ocean.
That sequence gives the closing stages more variety than a simple flat run to the finish. The climb arrives when fatigue is already building, and the seafront can expose runners to the wind.
The published marathon cut-off is six hours and 30 minutes. Elite performances are timed from the starting gun, while other runners receive net times measured between the start and finish timing mats.
Cape Town Marathon Records
Men: Mohamed Esa, Ethiopia - 2:04:55 in 2026.
Esa's winning performance established a new course record in a race where the first two men finished under 2:05.
Women: Glenrose Xaba, South Africa - 2:22:22 in 2024.
Xaba set the mark on her marathon debut, breaking the South African record as well as the Cape Town course record.
Men's wheelchair: David Weir, Great Britain - 1:30:20 in 2026.
Weir improved the previous course record held by Gert Schipper.
Women's wheelchair: Manuela Schaer, Switzerland - 1:43:25 in 2026.
Schaer lowered Eden Rainbow-Cooper's previous mark by more than nine minutes.
Stephen Mokoka is among the event's notable repeat winners, taking the men's title in 2018, 2021 and 2022.
The times above are Cape Town event records and should be distinguished from world records over the marathon distance.
Recent Cape Town Marathon Winners
2026
Men: Mohamed Esa, Ethiopia - 2:04:55.
Women: Dera Dida, Ethiopia - 2:23:18.
2025
The road marathon was cancelled because severe winds damaged event infrastructure and made conditions unsafe. No marathon titles were awarded.
2024
Men: Abdisa Tola, Ethiopia - 2:08:15.
Women: Glenrose Xaba, South Africa - 2:22:22.
2023
Men: Adane Kebede, Ethiopia - 2:11:28.
Women: Tsige Haileslase, Ethiopia - 2:24:17.
What Happened in the 2026 Cape Town Marathon?
The race returned on May 24, 2026, in its new May calendar slot. The men's leaders passed halfway in 1:02:46, already well ahead of the pace needed to challenge the previous course record.
Four contenders remained together entering the final three kilometres: Esa, Yihunilign Adane, Kalipus Lomwai and Leonard Langat. The group narrowed as the pace increased, with Esa eventually gaining the decisive advantage over Adane in the closing few hundred metres.
Adane finished four seconds behind in 2:04:59, while Lomwai took third in 2:05:06. The first ten men all finished inside the old course record. Eliud Kipchoge, whose appearance had drawn considerable attention, placed 16th in 2:13:29.
The women's leaders reached halfway in 1:12:33 before the race became faster in its second half. Dida won in 2:23:18, followed by Mestawut Fikir in 2:23:46 and Waganesh Amare in 2:23:57.
Dida's victory completed an Ethiopian double in the elite running races. Weir and Schaer added course records in the wheelchair competitions, giving the event a strong sporting finish to its Majors assessment.
Cape Town Marathon Betting Markets
The available markets depend on the sportsbook and the elite fields announced for the race. Men's, women's and any wheelchair markets should be treated as separate competitions.
Race winner: Back the athlete who will win the specified race. Changes to the announced field can affect the price as well as a runner's chances.
Top-three or finishing position: Where offered, select an athlete to finish within a stated range. A podium bet can succeed even when the runner is beaten.
Head-to-head: Choose which of two named athletes will finish ahead of the other, regardless of whether either wins the race.
Winning time: If available, predict whether the winning performance will be faster or slower than a listed time. Weather and pacing plans can affect this market differently from the outright winner market.
Each-way: Where supported, divide the stake between a win selection and a place selection. The number of places paid and the place odds vary, so they need to be checked before comparing prices.
Withdrawal, non-finisher and cancellation rules also matter. The abandoned 2025 edition is a practical reminder to check how a sportsbook settles a race that does not go ahead.
What to Consider Before the Race
Wind deserves close attention in Cape Town. Its direction can change the effort required on exposed sections, while a runner sheltered inside a group may have a different race from one working alone at the front.
The May date falls in South Africa's autumn. Comparisons with earlier September or October editions should account for the change of season, as well as any adjustments to the route.
Recent form is more useful when examined alongside the way it was achieved. A fast time behind consistent pacemakers shows something different from a championship performance built around changes of pace and a late finish.
An athlete's ability to respond after 35 km matters as much as the opening pace.