World-renowned marathoner Eliud Kipchoge arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday to run the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon as part of his Eliud’s Running World tour.
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Eliud Kipchoge’s long-awaited marathon debut on African soil carries all the hallmarks of a historic occasion – but the Kenyan has not come to Cape Town simply to tick a box.
The 41-year-old arrived in the Mother City this week ahead of Sunday’s Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, where he will headline one of the strongest elite fields ever assembled on the continent as Africa’s premier marathon continues its push for Abbott World Marathon Majors status.
While Kipchoge’s appearance forms part of his ambitious “Eliud’s Running World” tour across seven continents over the next two years, there is growing evidence that the double Olympic champion still intends to compete seriously at the sharp end of elite marathoning.
A finishing time under Ethiopian Abdisa Tola's current men’s course record of 2:08:16 from 2024 remains well within reach for the Kenyan, despite entering the latter stages of one of the greatest distance-running careers in history.
Kipchoge rewrote marathon history when he broke the world record in Berlin in 2018 with 2:01:39 before lowering it further to 2:01:09 in 2022. In between came his iconic sub-two-hour run in Vienna, where he clocked 1:59:40 in the INEOS Challenge to prove the once-impossible barrier could be broken.
Even as a new generation of Kenyan stars has emerged, Kipchoge has remained competitive at the highest level, and his decision to race in Cape Town appears motivated by far more than nostalgia.
His last competitive race as a professional was the 2025 New York City Marathon in November last year, where he finished a credible 17th in a time of 2:14:36.
“Africa is where my journey as a runner began, and where the foundation of my success is deeply rooted,” Kipchoge said after arriving in South Africa. “To race my first ever marathon on the African continent holds deep meaning for me, and I cannot wait.”
Kipchoge also made it clear that he sees himself as part of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon’s broader mission to become Africa’s first World Marathon Major.
“As an African, I’m rooting for it, I’m pushing for it,” he said. “We don’t have a Major marathon in Africa yet, but this is a growing continent, and it’s our time as Africans to have Cape Town as one of the World Majors.”
Sunday’s race is expected to attract 27 000 marathon runners, with a combined 44 500 participants taking part across the weekend’s events.
But much of the spotlight will remain fixed on Kipchoge as he takes on a fast Cape Town course and a world-class field. For all the symbolism surrounding his first African marathon, the signs suggest Kipchoge still believes he belongs in the race itself, not just on the start list.