Ethiopian Mohamed Esa claimed the men’s Cape Town Marathon title in a course record time of 2:04:55 on Sunday as twice Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, from Kenya, finished a distant 16th.
Esa ran the fastest marathon on African soil and finished ahead of compatriot Yihunilign Adane (2:04:59) and Kenya’s Kalipus Lomwai (2:05:06), who both posted personal best times.
“Thanks to the race organisers for giving me the chance to run on my home continent. To break the course record is special for me,” Esa said.
“I am very happy to run in Africa; the course is very nice and the support was very good. Eliud is my role model; I respect him so much. I was proud to race with him in Africa.”
It was an Ethiopian double as Dera Dida Yami claimed the women’s title in 2:23:18, finishing ahead of compatriots Mestawut Fikir (2:23:46) and Waganesh Mekasha (2:23:57).
The first South African home was former three-time winner of the race, Stephen Mokoka (2:10:48 for 13th place), and he was followed home by Matlakala Bennet Seloyi with a personal best, 2:12:17, and debutant Anthony Timoteus, posting a solid 2:13:04 in his first attempt at the distance.
The man considered by many to be the greatest marathoner of all time, Kipchoge, was 16th in 2:13:29.
Former women’s world champion, Kenyan 46-year-old Edna Kiplagat, finished fifth in 2:25:44, and the first South African home was 15th-placed Mia Morrison in 2:49:52, followed by Melissa Laing (16th in 2:50:11) and Banele Mabizela (18th in 2:51:15).
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 Dutchman Jetze Plat (1:33:12), while 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 absolutely 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.
Organisers are hoping this year’s event is the final step towards Cape Town joining the prestigious World Marathon Majors in 2027 alongside iconic races in London, New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, Sydney and Tokyo.
This year’s race is the final assessment towards achieving that goal after the 2025 event was cancelled due to high winds.
- Additional reporting by Cape Town Marathon Media
Reuters
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