On Tuesday, 19 May Cape Town airport was abuzz with excitement when Marathon Royalty touched down in the Mother City. Eliud Kipchoge, the two-time Olympic champion, the first man to break the two-hour marathon barrier (unofficially), and widely regarded as the greatest distance runner of all time, arrived in Cape Town to run the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.

The significance of a runner of Kipchoge’s stature coming to run the Cape Town Marathon cannot be overstated. The Newspaper described it as, “not just another celebrity appearance” but “a historic milestone for South Africa and the Western Cape.”

Endurance sports fans have watched on TV as Kipchoge dominated marathon majors like Berlin, London, Chicago and Tokyo. So now to have him running in our own backyard is a dream come true for the running faithful. What makes it even more significant is that despite Kipchoge’s illustrious running career deeply shaped by African excellence, he has never run an official marathon in Africa.

The fact that the GOAT of distance running chose the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon to be his first on African soil speaks volumes about the Mother City’s irresistible global appeal. He also chose it as a launchpad for his global Eliud’s Running World tour, an inspiring two-year journey where he will tackle a series of seven marathons across all the continents, aimed at promoting healthy living and uniting people through running.

Why is this so important to Cape Town and the Western Cape? This is because Cape Town is pursuing its own place in history. The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is currently in the running to become an Abbott World Marathon Major. Should it succeed, it would join the elite ranks of the New York City, London, Tokyo and Berlin marathons, becoming the first marathon on African soil to achieve Major status.

Few endorsements carry more weight than Eliud Kipchoge lining up at the start. His presence is a major vote of confidence in the marathon’s global standing. He is not only in Cape Town to run, he is actively backing the city’s bid to bring the Majors to Africa.

“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.”

So on Sunday the two-time Olympic marathon champion will be lining up with 27 000 marathon runners in a world-class field unlike anything previously seen on the continent. Whether you are running, watching on TV or standing on the side of the road, be aware this is a historic day, not only for Cape Town and South Africa but for the whole African continent.

To quote the GOAT himself: “It will be a beautiful day, it will be a historic day for all of us, to assemble as Africans and run together, go through the finishing line, and make Cape Town a World Major Marathon."

The timing system that FinishTime uses has recorded 200 million finish times in the last 10 years.

This might seem like an astronomical amount of times until you realise that FinishTime not only times large sporting events like the Cape Town Cycle Tour, Two Ocean Marathon, the Cape Town Marathon and Comrades, it also times a lot of smaller events all over Southern Africa and can often times up to 10 events over a weekend.

And they don’t have to even be at the event to time it. They have remotely timed events as far afield as Mauritius and the UK.

The FinishTime sporting calendars below come with a warning to check with the event organisers to ensure events have not been postponed or cancelled.

More event information, a regularly updated events calendar and results of all events timed by FinishTime can be found at www.finishtime.co.za and all results of events timed by FinishTime at results.finishtime.co.za

THE SANLAM CAPE TOWN  MARATHON: May 24,  2026

Held annually in Cape Town, the Cape Town Marathon features a fast, mostly flat 42.2 km route that starts and finishes near the Cape Town Stadium. It winds through the city with views of Table Mountain and the Atlantic coastline. It attracts both elite international athletes and thousands of recreational participants, and is actively in the candidacy process to become an Abbott World Marathon Major, aiming to be the first in Africa.

IRONMAN 70.3 DURBAN June 7, 2026

Durban, situated in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is a natural paradise known for its sun-kissed beaches and subtropical climate. Easily accessible from all the main airports of South Africa, Durban is a multi-cultural showpiece international destination. The IRONMAN 70.3 Durban is the perfect peak-season race for international athletes, and mid to late season race for South Africans. A fairly flat and fast course, this race is a first-timer and club favourite.

THE COMRADES MARATHON: June 14, 2026

The Comrades Marathon is the world's oldest and largest ultramarathon, held annually in South Africa. The 89km race alternates between "up" and "down" runs between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, requiring a strict 12-hour cut-off. The 2026 race is scheduled for June 14 as an up-run, with 22,000 entries selling out in record time due to its immense popularity.