Eliud Kipchoge and Mohamed Esa after the Cape Town Marathon (© dsm-firmenich Running Team)
Mohamed Esa set an African all-comers' record to win the men’s race and Dera Dida clinched women’s race victory to complete an Ethiopian double at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon – a World Athletics Elite Label road race – on Sunday (24).
Esa clocked 2:04:55 to take more than three minutes off the previous course record of 2:08:16, while Dida ran 2:23:18 to win by almost half a minute.
Competing just over a month after being unable to finish the Boston Marathon, Esa clinched victory by four seconds ahead of his compatriot Yihunilign Adane. Keyna’s Kalipus Lomwai was third in 2:05:06.
They all formed part of a group that passed halfway in 1:02:49 and were joined by Kenya’s Leonard Langat in a four-man battle for victory as the race entered the final 5km.
Esa made a decisive move at the 40km mark, surging to the front and holding off his rivals. He crossed the finish line in 2:04:55 to secure the first marathon victory of his career after runner-up finishes in Tokyo in 2023 and Boston and Chicago in 2024.
“To win my first marathon here in Africa, on home ground, and in a course-record time makes this victory very special to me,” he said.
There was an Ethiopian top three in the women’s contest as Berlin Marathon runner-up Dida ran a well-judged race to win by 27 seconds ahead of Mestawut Fikir. Waganesh Mekasha Amare completed the podium in 2:23:57.
They all ran as part of a lead group that hit halfway in 1:12:33. Six athletes remained in contention at 35km before Dida moved away over the final few kilometres.
The event also marked the start of Kenyan marathon great Eliud Kipchoge’s World Tour – a quest to complete seven marathons across seven continents.
The initiative marks a new chapter in the two-time Olympic champion’s storied career, combining elite racing with a mission to “unite the world through running.” Each stop on the tour will also raise funds for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, which supports education and environmental projects around the globe.
In Cape Town, the former world record-holder clocked 2:13:29. His next stop on the tour will be the Porto Alegre Marathon in Brazil on 12 July.
“Cape Town, this was a special day,” said Kipchoge. “Today was a celebration of running on this beautiful course, supported by thousands of incredible fans singing and making music along the route, and by fellow runners sharing the same race. You all made our first stop on the tour one we’ll never forget. I’m proud to begin our world tour in Africa and to run my first-ever marathon on home soil. It was the perfect start.”
The event was live streamed on World Athletics+ and is available to watch again – geo-restrictions may apply
