Some of the biggest names in the marathon game will be racing Africa’s premier marathon in just over four weeks as excitement builds towards Cape Town joining the exclusive Abbott’s Marathon Majors club in May 2026.

The SCTM forty-day launch released the names of several marathon superstars, and while most are past the dizzy heights reached in their hey days, simply having the likes of former world record holders and championship title winners Dennis Kipruto Kimetto, Lelisa Desiso and Mare Dibaba in the Mother City, is a shot in the arm for the Cape Town race.

Kimetto is reportedly looking to make a comeback to competitive racing after several lean years. With many of the world’s elite reaching their marathon peaks late into their thirties, Kimetto will hope that his relative lack of competitive racing over the past decade will have kept his legs fresh for several more years of elite racing.

Kimetto enjoyed a purple patch as a distance athlete between 2011 and 2015, during which he achieved the world’s number one ranking in the marathon, but he struggled with injuries thereafter.

His 1:11:18 for 25km in Berlin in 2011 stood as a world best for the distance until his compatriot Daniel Ebenyo ran five seconds faster in Kokata, India, last year.

In September 2012, Kimetto recorded the fastest marathon debut in history when he finished one second behind another world-beating Kenyan, Geoffrey Mutai, in Berlin, clocking 2:04:16 – the fifth-fastest in the world at the time.

Six months after setting a course record (2:06:50) at Tokyo in 2013, he broke the world marathon record at Berlin, winning in 2:02:57. The record stood until Eliud Kipchoge broke it in 2018 with a time of 2:01:39.

Injuries and a crisis of confidence impacted his career thereafter and Kimetto’s last full competitive marathon came in 2018 when he placed 10th in the Shanghai International Marathon in 2:18:54.

Kimetto was raised in a humble background in a rural farming community and is hoping to draw resources from his roots to race competitively once again in a high-profile marathon on African soil.

Ethiopian athlete, Desiso, has a marathon best of 2:04:45, set in Dubai in 2013, but is best known for his win in the “midnight marathon” at the 2019 World Championships in 2:10:40 in Doha, run at night to avoid the extreme heat.

Desiso overhauled race leader Stephen Mokoka, of South Africa, with two kilometres to go and held on for the gold medal.

The Ethiopian also won the New York Marathon in 2018 and the Boston Marathon twice, in 2013 and 2015, and ran his last competitive marathon in December 2020, when he clocked 2:10:44 in Valencia.

At 34 years, Desiso believes his best years could be in front of him and is looking to the SCTM to re-ignite his career.

Dibaba is one of the best-known names in distance running. Even though Mare is not related to the supremely talented Dibaba sisters, she considers Tirunesh Dibaba (who won three Olympic and four world championship track gold medals) to be her sporting hero.

Perhaps the Dibaba name encouraged her quest for distance running greatness and she became the first Ethiopian woman to win a marathon world championship, racing to victory in 2:27:35 in Beijing in 2015.

She twice dipped below the 2 hr 20 min barrier (in 2012 and 2015), with her personal best of 2:19:52 set before advancement in shoe technology made this feat seem less impressive than it was at the time. She finished third at the Rio Olympics in 2:24:30.

Mare Dibaba enjoyed a number of top finishes at marathon majors, notably winning the 2014 Chicago Marathon in 2:25:37 and placing second at Boston (twice) and Berlin, where she clocked 2:20:21 in 2019.

Still only 34, Dibaba hopes to return to her marathon best and is looking to Cape Town to improve on the 2:25:12 she set in Wuhan, China, in March this year, just a month after racing to a speedy 1:08:56 half marathon, also in China.

While the big names will add lustre to the event, this year’s SCTM is not devoid of talented younger and faster athletes, with both of last year’s Ethiopian winners returning to defend their titles.

Adane Kebede Gebre, 28, held off three times champion, Stephen Mokoka, by a whisker to take the title last year in 2:11:25, a creditable time given the windy conditions which prevailed, and will be seeking not just another win, but potentially a tilt at Mokoka’s course record of 2:08:32, set in 2018.

Kebede placed a competitive fourth at the Xiamen Marathon in January this year in 2:09:21 and has a personal best of 2:06:54 set in Doha in January 2023.

Even more impressive at last year’s SCTM was Tsige Haileslase, who won the women’s race in 2:24:17, just 15 seconds short of her compatriot Meseret Dinke’s record set in 2023 and in far more testing conditions.

Haileslase ran her fastest marathon in Hamburg, six months before last year’s SCTM, clocking 2:22:10, and looks a good bet to challenge for the course record in Cape Town next month.

She made a top 10 position at London Marathon this year in 2:25:03 and boasts a speedy half marathon, having clocked 1:08:30 at the competitive Adizero Road to Records in 2021.

Among the South African contenders, Cian Oldknow appears best-placed for success in what will be her fourth marathon this year. South Africa’s 2024 marathon champion and top finisher at the Paris Olympics, Oldknow has set her sights on improving her 2:25:08 set in Seville, Spain, in February and potentially Dinke’s race record of 2:24:02.

“I’ll give it my best shot!” Oldknow said at the launch.

With a first prize of $25 000 and incentives for breaking the record, it could prove Oldknow’s biggest pay-day of her career, but that is not the most important driver for the Johannesburg athlete.

“Honestly for me, it’s more about the process and what I can get out of running rather than the prize money,” Oldknow said.

“I ran a 50km ultra-marathon this year where the prize money was R200 000 and stopped at 42km (while she was leading) because it was more important to meet my training goals.

“I think if you put the smaller things in place and gain satisfaction from running, then the financial rewards will follow, such as the SCTM prize money. I love my running but don’t want it to become a burden by having to make money to live.

“Running for my country means a lot to me. Running overseas, such as in Paris, is great but it’s also good to be able to compete in high profile competitive races at home. There is such an amazing running community here in Cape Town.

“I’m excited to see what Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has done for the sport and still plans to do in the future.”

Oldknow acknowledges the current depth of talent among the younger generation of athletes in South Africa. “I’m not sure why this is,” said Oldknow, “But it’s working! It is inspiring to feed off each other and so improve our performances.”

Relatively young in her career, Oldknow has also benefited from being able to brush shoulders with the world’s marathon greats. “Paris Olympics was an incredible experience, standing next to athletes you’ve looked up to as role models for years.

“On the Friday night before the race, I found myself next to Eliud Kipchoge and as I turned around, I realised that I belonged there too.  I was lucky to get to the Olympics, the pinnacle of the sport, at the start of my marathon career. I came away feeling like this was just the beginning.”

The announcement that one of the other leading distance runners in South Africa, Glenrose Xaba, will be making her marathon debut in Cape Town next month adds further spice to the women’s race. Two months ago Xaba took down Elana Meyer’s 23-year-old national 10km road record, her 31:12 in Durban shaving one second off the previous mark.

“I’m really excited about running against Glenrose,” said Oldknow. “She’s been in fantastic form and has run a really fast half marathon (1:08:37).  Although we are all trying to win, we support each other to achieve our goals. It’s great to be part of a time when our ladies are running fast times.”

Fast times are what Oldknow has in mind. “My first goal is to get my time down in the marathon. I’d like to compete in next year’s World Championships (in Tokyo), where the qualifying time has been tightened from 2:26:50 to 2:23:30, and also to aim for the Olympics in 2028 for which I’ll have four years of preparation.”

Former South African track and marathon great, Hendrick Ramaala, applauded SCTM for bring the marathon royals to Cape Town.  “I’m excited about the announcement. As a South Africa, it’s great to get these big names to our country,” said Ramaala at the launch.

“It gives incentives to our younger athletes. They will chase the fast guys and bring their times down. This will help raise our standards and records will go.

“I believe this generation (of South African athletes) will do great things,” Ramaala continued. “There was a dip in performances (by South Africans) after my generation, but these young athletes today are the real deal.

“These guys train so hard. If they could just gain the confidence to go into races against the east Africans, they would be able to do amazing things.  And providing a big race stage at home, like the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, will help to boost their confidence and performance.

“You have the full package here — a high-profile race with good prize money, an international field with strong elites and South Africa’s best.  Fast times are coming!”

Ramaala underlined the advantage gained from home support. “The love from your own people is so much bigger and better than any support you may get overseas. When we compete over there, we are just actors delivering performances.

“We didn’t get the opportunity to run world class races at home, but this generation is benefitting from this and the extra support and love they get from home supporters.”

Ramaala stressed the importance of the correct mental preparation and creating the self-belief to win big races.

“We need to work hard to establish a culture of self-belief in our running. We must learn from the east Africans who believe that they will win a race, simply because they are Kenyan or Ethiopian! It’s part of their culture.

“It will help to have one or two champions as role models. The younger runners can then aspire to reach similar levels and achievements.  But the most important thing is to make sure that our kids love the sport.”

— Sports Network Africa (SPNA)

The two races, which could go down in history as the most competitive in the 128-year marathon history, will see some of Africa’s leading distance runners, deemed favourites in this category, seek to bag the majority of the medals at stake.

According to World Athletics CEO, Jon Ridgeon, “The marathon is one of the highlight events at the Olympics.”

“If (top Kenyan) Eliud Kipchoge wins a third gold it would be history making.”

Ridgeon, who is one of Great Britain’s finest hurdlers with a clutch of global championship medals in his collection, is clearly excited about the weekend’s road races.

“Beyond that, the marathon course here in Paris is the toughest there has ever been in a major championship marathon. And we believe that makes it the most interesting of tactical races. And for the athletes, it also makes it more unpredictable – no one can say who will win. The marathons are going to be fascinating and likely standout events in Paris,” he added.

The challenging route that has everyone talking is the substantial hill climbs from 15km on the approach to the Palace of Versailles, with a second sharp hill coming deeper into the race, at around 28km. The two will have a significant impact on the outcome of the two marathons.

While the respective podiums are not expected to resemble those of the six Marathon Majors, which generally aim for flat and fast, the Paris Marathons will provide opportunities for more diversity in the assessment of marathon talent.

Notably, for the first time ever in Olympic history there is a mass participation marathon in parallel with the games.

“We are delighted that we have two amazing races over challenging course but also that it offers Parisians to come out and run it as well.”

The mass race, which takes place at night between the two championship events, demonstrates the spirit and effectiveness of French organising committee.

The Paris Olympic Games has seen packed stadiums across almost all sporting codes, with locals investing heavily for the opportunity to watch the world’s best in action.

Connoisseurs are already talking about the “best ever” in Olympiad history.

Importantly, the different sporting codes have highlighted the inclusivity and universality aspects of the games, one of the greatest shows on earth.

While not without controversy, the fact that Israelis can compete one-on-one against Palestinians, embracing all the virtues associated with the spirit of Olympism, and Ukrainians can compete against Russian athletes (albeit not under the Russian flag) underscores the spirit of the games.

“The world is fractured and divided at the moment,” said the President of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, at a press conference during the launch of the Olympics athletics programme.

“But I believe people want to come here to watch jaw-dropping quality sport and to see the God-given talent of the most exceptional athletes we have had in any generation,” Coe recognised.

“There are 211 member federations here in Paris – more than all member of the United Nations, and we were delighted that no fewer than eighty nations achieved a top eight finish in an event in Tokyo. And as of Tokyo, we now have a hundred countries that have now won medals at an Olympic Games and the sport of athletics is becoming increasingly more universal.”

bird story agency

The year was 1960, and Bikila’s win signalled the start of African domination in the sport that has increased and set a marker which many of his compatriots were to follow over the next six decades.

At 28, Bikila became the second African to win Olympic marathon gold, following South African Ken McArthur’s 1912 victory, and the first to defend his title with a 2:12:11 win in Tokyo four years later.

Olympic success boosted Bikila’s military career in the Ethiopian Imperial Guard, earning him promotions: to corporal after his 1960 triumph, lieutenant after his Tokyo victory and captain despite dropping out 16km into the 1968 Olympic Marathon in Mexico City because of a stress fracture.

After Bikila’s reign ended, Ethiopia continued to excel. His teammate Mamo Wolde won in Mexico City, Gezahegne Abera triumphed in Sydney in 2000 and Fatuma Roba and Tiki Gelana claimed victories in the women’s competition in Atlanta 1996 and London 2012, respectively, flying the Ethiopian flag high.

Despite more than a decade passing since Ethiopia’s last Olympic Marathon victory, with its abundant distance-running talent and the impressive credentials of the current marathon team, podium glory is overdue.

Today, Kenenisa Bekele is possibly the most successful and decorated distance runner on the planet. At 42, he is still at the peak of his career and seeking to add Olympic success in the marathon to the many medals he won at the highest level on the track.

Switching to the women and at the opposite end of the experience spectrum, former 400m and 800m track star Tigist Assefa, 27, has run only three marathons, all of them faster than 2:17 and one at 2:11:53 — faster than any other woman in history.

The pair will undoubtedly contend for line honours in the most competitive races in Olympic marathon history, but apart from threats from other nations, notably neighbouring Kenya, they could be challenged and possibly surpassed by their impressive teammates.

The three-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion, Bekele, will line up on the start line in Paris with reigning Boston Marathon champion and fastest qualifier in the field, Sisay Lemma, and winner of the 2024 Seville Marathon, Deresa Geleta.

Bekele may not have emulated his track and cross-country success (where he bagged 19 global titles) on the road, but only world record holder, the late Kelvin Kiptum (2:00:35) and Eliud Kipchoge (2:01:09) have ever run faster than Bekele’s 2019 Berlin Marathon winning time of 2:01:41.

An outsider for the Ethiopian team after his fourth place at Valencia in December, Bekele kicked the selection door wide open with a competitive run in London in April, where he finished second, just 14 seconds behind the winner, Kenyan Alexander Munyao. That earned his place on the team and set up a fascinating head-to-head duel with Kipchoge.

A day after the men’s race and on the last day of the 2024 Olympics, world record holder Assefa will go to the start line of the women’s marathon alongside teammates Amane Beriso, 32, who won the world marathon title in Budapest last year, and Megertu Alemu, 26, fourth in London this year and second in the year before.

Assefa proved her Berlin triumph was no flash in the pan, with an impressive race at London in April, when she finished second, just seven seconds behind Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya, whose 2:16:16 set a world-record for women’s only marathons. The third Ethiopian in the Paris team, Alemu, finished fourth in that race, just 18 seconds off the lead in the closest finish in the race’s history.

If the strength of a nation’s marathon team can be judged by those left out as opposed to those selected, Ethiopia will be hard to beat. 

The 2023 New York marathon champion and gold medallist at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, Tamirat Tola, and 2024 Boston Marathon runner-up Mohamed Esa, were named as reserves on the men’s team, while Gotytom Gebreslase, winner and runner-up at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships respectively, Buze Diriba, fourth at Boston in April, and Sutume Asefe, winner at Tokyo this year, could only make the women’s squad as official reserves.

Haji Adilo, named as one of the two coaches on the Ethiopian marathon team, believes that all the athletes are in really good shape in their final training weeks at a base in Addis Ababa.

“We have adapted the athletes’ training according to the course and conditions in Paris,” Adilo said. “We’ve not changed the whole system of training, but rather changed some specific parts because of the course and conditions in Paris.”

Speaking about the women’s team, Adilo underplayed its strength. “Amane [Beriso] is our most experienced athlete in the women’s team. It’s difficult to say if she will podium or not as it’s a very strong field. The Kenyans will be tough to beat.

“The Paris course will not be easy — it’s a big challenge. In a championship race, it’s not just about the talent of the athlete [on easier courses] — this one is very challenging and anything could happen.”

— bird story agency