Athletics
Top trail athletes set for battle on Table Mountain’s Trails in the opening of the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Festival
Ryan Sandes, who has stood on more of world’s trail podiums than most over the past two decades, is the architect of tomorrow’s (Saturday 23 May) Cape Town Trail Marathon, presented by the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.
The creator of the world-renown ’13 Peaks Challenge’ has brought his knowledge of Table Mountain’s finest trails to this unique event, which will see some of the continent’s leading exponents of the sport doing battle for prestige and prizes over 11km, 22km and 43km.
Sandes’ partnership with the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is a powerful one, linking the continent’s top road marathon with a sparkling trail race which will likely attract some of the world’s best in years to come. And it is the only World Marathon Major – current or in the making – to do so.
“Runners will traverse from the stadium to above the city to experience the flora and fauna and sweeping vistas of the Atlantic,” Sandes explained. “The trail weaves through one of the world’s most diverse and rare floral kingdoms, the Cape Floristic Region. Many species on this trail are not found anywhere else on Earth.”
Adding to the excitement this year is a partnership with one of the world’s most competitive trail races, Sierra Zinal, run in the Valais Alps in Switzerland in early August, whereby the male and female winners of the 2026 43km Cape Town Trail Marathon will win a fully paid trip to compete in the great Swiss race.
“This will be a fantastic prize for this year’s winners,” Sandes remarked. “We would also love it if the winners of Sierra Zinal might come and race in Cape Town next year, but that would likely depend on the schedules of their winners.”
The Sierra Zinal records are held by two legends of the sport – Spanish super-star, Kilian Jornet, and Swiss athlete Maude Mathys, but Kenyan athletes have excelled at the top Swiss race in recent years, sweeping the men’s podium last year and with Philemon Kiriago and Caroline Kimutai taking individual honours.
And while several Kenyan global superstars will take centre stage in Sunday’s road marathon, three athletes from that nation’s hotbed of distance running are favoured for podium positions in tomorrow’s ‘King Protea’ 43km marathon..
Kiriago’s younger brother, Isaya, is clearly blessed with a generous share of the gene-pool which has taken Philemon to trail glory around the planet and could prove tough to beat on Cape Town’s trails tomorrow.
No stranger to those trails, he destroyed the field in last year’s Ultra-trail Cape Town 23km race, finishing almost eleven minutes clear of Zimbabwe-born Collin Kanyimo, who won the 2024 Cape Town Trail Marathon and who will be looking to regain his title tomorrow.
Kiriago was the joint winner with Simon Ngumbau at the Kereita Forest Trail Race over 32km in Kenya in December and took line honours at a 35km race in Kenya in January this year. Ngumbau, will also compete tomorrow together with the third Kenyan, Dennis Bosire.
Bosire raced successfully in the Italian Alps five years back and placed second in the Hilly Resolutions Race in January.
Leading South African trail athlete, Robbie Rorich, proved the catalyst for the Kenyan participation, although will not be racing tomorrow. “Simon and I met on start line of last year’s UTCT 35km in November (the race was halted after an hour due to high winds),” explained Rorich. “He saw the Kenyan Flag in my bracelet, and we became friends there and then!
“I had already planned to be in Kenya for a six-week training block this year and it was great to meet up with Simon and his friends for some training sessions. The organisers of the Cape Town Trail Marathon have assisted their to travel to Cape Town to race this year.”
Stellenbosch athlete, ‘PK’ Sengce, ran the race of his life to hold off a fast-finishing Rorich to take last year’s Cape Town Trail Marathon title with German trail athlete, Marcel Hoeche, who led for most of the race, finishing third. Kanyimo trailed in fifth.
Rorich and Hoeche will not race tomorrow, but Sengce and Kanyimo will both be aiming to finish in the prize money, which this year stretches to the top five.
Top ten positions will be hard fought in a high-quality field. Athletes of the calibre of Cape Town’s Siviwe Nkombi and Iain Peterkin, who placed second and third respectively at the Two Oceans Trail Race last month, former Eastern Cape athlete, Mvuyisi Gcobo, who enjoyed a strong fourth place in last month’s Ultra-trail Drakensberg 62km, Kyle Bucklow, Christiaan van den Heever and Zimbabwean Charles Souza will all likely be in the mix.
The women’s field is less competitive, with several leading athletes opting to race the UTMB MUT in George next week. Maryke van Zyl (third in the UTD 33km), Simone Malan and Nadia Booyens (second in the UTD 62km ) likely to battle it out for the trip to Sierra Zinal.
Van Zyl is coached by multiple trail title winner, Landie Greyling, who won a close contest over Van Zyl and Booyens in last year’s Cape Town Trail Marathon in October – her final race before retirement. This year Greyling will likely be supporting her charge from the sidelines.
Free State athlete, Malan, won a close race over leading athletes Emily Djock, Kerry-Anne Marshall and Van Zyl in the Whale of Trail last year will be looking for another Cape triumph tomorrow.
The ‘Stately Protea’ Cape Town Trail 22km is always hard-fought. This year it offers up two mouth-watering contests which have the potential to steal the show from its higher-profile ‘King Protea’ cousin.
Siboniso Soldaka has been unbeaten in the race since losing to Teboho Noosi in 2019, but the current national 3000m steeplechase champion is away racing track in Europe.
Last year’s race was fiercely contested with Soldaka holding off Limpopo athlete Remaketse Lekaka by a whisker. Lekaka, who placed a strong third behind American Cody Lind and Robbie Rorich at last month’s UTD 62km, will be looking to climb to the top of the podium tomorrow.
The Limpopo athlete will have to overcome the challenge of one of South Africa’s most consistent trail athletes of the last decade, Kane Reilly, who often hits top form on local trails, which he knows intimately.
Reilly had been slated to race his debut road marathon on Sunday, but a ‘longstanding niggle’ sees him move to the trail half marathon where he could prove tough to beat.
Other athletes challenging for podium positions in a high-quality field include Mxolisi Nlovu (third in the 2024 race), Wano Katjiri, Nkululeko Khumala and Luwellyn du Toit.
Part of the global adidas TERREX team, Bianca Tarboton last raced in South Africa in October when she smashed the Otter TERREX Trail record by a sizeable margin.
Fresh from the adidas Innsbruck Alpine Trail Festival in Austria, where she placed 4th in s competitive 24km race three weeks ago, Tarboton takes on defending champion Ebeth Marais, who remains unbeaten since her return to competitive athletics just over a year ago and whose wins include Old Fisherman’s Trail, Pass to Pass 25km and the Two Oceans 24km races.
No stranger to the Cape Town Trail 22km, Tarboton, who won the event in 2018 and 2019 with her 1:45:30 time in the latter year unsurpassed, will be hard to beat.
Five races that form part of a festival weekend of running at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon get underway tomorrow from the race village at the DHL Stadium Precinct.
The 43km Trail Marathon starts first at 6:30am, followed by the 22km Trail Run at 7:15am and the 11km Trail Run at 8:10am.
While the trail runners head up on to the slopes of Table Mountain and its neighbouring peaks, the road athletes will line up for the 10km Peace Run, starting at 7:30am, with the elite women heading off first, followed by the elite men at 7:37am and the rest of the field from 7:42am. The 5km Peace Run will start at 10am.
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Cape Town and Africa took their rightful place amongst the world’s top marathons following a dazzling display at the 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon over the weekend, as Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa and Dera Dida were crowned the 2026 champions.
Esa shattered the course record with his best-in-Africa 2 hrs 04 min 55 sec victory with Dida recording the fourth fastest Cape Town Marathon time ever, winning in 2:23:18.
While the outcome of the formal Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM) assessment of SCTM’s performance and the pending announcement of Cape Town’s admission to their exclusive club of seven big city marathons will only be known on 11 June, in the light of what runners, officials, supporters and spectators experienced today, this can only be a formality.
The weekend’s festival of racing at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon was an outstanding success and would have ticked all the boxes. Unofficially, AbbottWMM officials have indicated their satisfaction of the ‘job well done’.
“Cape Town sold itself well today,” said former South African great and New York Marathon winner, Hendrick Ramaala. “2:04 – that’s amazing!”
The excitement was palpable as the peace flame processed to the start, carried by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and accompanied by South African celebrities including Francois Pienaar and Siya Kolisi. Never has such a field of marathon elites been assembled in Africa and the competitive presence of legends of the road, Eliud Kipchoge and Edna Kiplagat, elevated the occasion still further.
The race proved a triumph for Ethiopia, home of distance-running greats Haile Gebrselassie, Kenenisa Bekele and Deratu Tulu. Athletes from the ‘Land of Origins’ captured the individual titles and five of the six open-category podium places.
Adding to the sense of occasion and enhancing the marathon’s global reach was the successful staging of the AbbottWMM Marathon Tours & Travel Age Group World Championships.
Emotions flowed as flags from Brazil, China, Canada, Turkey, Spain, Columbia and many other countries were unfurled as medal winners from the 1800 participants in the ‘race within a race’ crossed the finish line on the blue carpet at the Green Point Sporting Precinct, before disappearing into the ‘Chill Zone’ or one of many welcoming marquees to share tales of the race of their lives in Africa.
Apart from the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM), only a handful of cities around the world, including Valencia, Amsterdam and Dubai, can boast race records faster than Cape Town’s 2 hr 04 min 55 sec winning time.
Esa, who dropped out of last month’s Boson Marathon, suffering a chest infection, brought that marathon preparation to Cape Town and shattered his compatriot Abdisa Tola’s 2024 race record by all of 3 min 21 sec.
No fewer than ten athletes finished inside the previous record, indicative of the exceptional depth in quality in Cape Town this weekend. Several of the leading athletes promised even faster times in years to come. “With the right preparation I believe we can run 2:03 and even 2:02 in Cape Town next year,” said Esa.
In the second-closest finish in Cape Town Marathon history, just four seconds separated the top two with an Esa surge breaking up the pack 3km from home before another pace injection in the final kilometre sealed his win.
It was close, but no cigar for Yihunilign Adane, who won the Osaka Marathon in Japan earlier this year. He took second in 2:04:59. Kenyan, Kalipus Lomwai, is enjoying a remarkable rebirth in his career as a professional athlete, and finishing third in 2:05:06 in a massive personal best.
“I was not thinking about the course record,” Esa admitted. ”My target was simply to win the race in my African homeland, but I am really happy that I could do both today.
“This course is very nice, and everyone here is so supportive of running in Africa, so I am even more proud to win this African marathon.”
Like many, Kipchoge has been an inspiration for Esa, who came into the race with the fastest season’s best time, having run 2:04:49 in the 2025 Chicago Marathon seven months ago. “Eliud is my role model, and I love and respect him so much. I was so proud to race with him today on our home continent. I wanted to show the world that we are the same family of African runners.”
Dida, wife of Olympic Marathon gold-medallist, Tamirat Tola, lived up to her pre-race favourite tag and always appeared in control of the race. The 29-year-old, who boasts a 2:18:32 marathon best, drew away from her closest rivals in the final 3km to win in 2:23:18, 27 seconds clear of Mestawut Fikir and less than a minute outside Glenrose Xaba’s course record.
Waganesh Makasha Amare finished third in 2:23:57 to complete an Ethiopian sweep of the podium positions in the women’s competition.
“I came here to win the race – that was my goal,” said Dida. “From around 36 kilometres, I felt confident the race was mine to win.
“I had thought to try break the course record but… the curves in the route made it a little slow for the record. But I’ll be very, very happy to come back here and then to try break the course record next year!”
Will she be encouraging her husband, Tamirat Tola, to race in Cape Town? Dida didn’t miss a beat. “He is 100% sure to race here next year,” the champion responded. “The only reason he didn’t come here to race in his African homeland was that he raced London Marathon just four weeks ago. But next year he’ll be here for sure.”
That some of the world’s leading marathoners were unable to finish inside the record in near-perfect conditions for marathon running is testimony to the strength of Xaba’s 2:22:22 win in 2024 in less than perfect conditions.
While the Ethiopians wore the laurels, South African Adriaan Wildschutt proved the catalyst for the injection of pace in the final quarter, a move which resulted in world-class times.
“The pacer (Wildschutt) was fantastic,” commented Lomwai. “As he broke away (after 27km) we were thinking ‘we didn’t expect to have to run this fast in Africa’! But then we had to race hard (as in Europe and America) to catch him.
“We learned a big lesson there and we will now need to prepare to run even faster in Africa. Next time you see we will run close to 2:02.”
Designated pacers Wildschutt and his compatriot, Adam Lipschitz, took the lead pack through 10km in 30:01. The pack, which included Kipchoge, comprised five Kenyans (Benard Biwott, Justus Kangogo, Leonard Langat, Kalipus Lomwai and Kipchoge), five Ethiopians (Esa, Adane, Jemal Yimer, Abebaw Muniye and Mulugeta Uma), two from Lesotho (Kamohelo Mofolo and Tukiso Motlomelo), 2025 ASA marathon champion Matlakala Bennett Seloyi (RSA), Maru Teferi (Israel) and Joel Rechow (USA).
Urged by Wildschutt to increase the pace, Lipschitz upped the tempo, taking the leaders through halfway at Rondebosch Common in 1:02:47. Only Kipchoge, Rechow and Motlomelo had fallen behind, leaving twelve plus the pacers up front.
Pacing duties done, Lipschitz dropped out leaving Wildschutt to maintain the tempo and the leaders passed 25km in 1:14:25 on 2:05:45 marathon pace.
Winner of the recent New York Half Marathon, Wildschutt was slated to pace until 21km but the 28-year-old from Ceres, who owns a clutch of national distance records, had license to continue, should he decided to do so.
“I was contracted to take the field through halfway in 62:30,” explained Wildschutt. “But I wanted to get a feel for what my future as an athlete might feel like beyond that distance. I felt very good at 25km and thought I should continue to help, as the pace had slowed.”
A pace injection at 27km saw Wildschutt open a gap on the rest. When the South African continued racing through 30km, 20 second clear of the pack, his pursuers sense danger. They worked together to close the gap with ‘reborn’ Kenyan Kalipus Lomwai leading the charge.
Wildschutt was ‘arrested’ by the pack opposite the City’s Traffic Police HQ at Gallows Hill shortly before 35km, with the South African opting to call time on his race after running with the race leaders for a further kilometre.
“I came here to pace the race but also to see what I could eventually do in the marathon, which at this stage is my aim for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028,” Wildschutt added.
“I could have stopped at 21km according to my contract, but my coach and I wanted to see how my body would respond to racing beyond that distance, especially with regards nutrition. This was a valuable lesson in anticipation of my marathon debut.”
Six remained when Wildschutt dropped – Kenyans Langat, Lomwai and Biwott joining Ethiopians Esa, Adane and Yimer in a dash for glory, out and back along the Atlantic Seaboard. Only Langat remained with the top three as they turned for home around the Queens Beach Traffic Circle 3km out, and he fell victim to an Esa surge as the quartet grabbed their final nutrition bottles through 40km.
Adane held on for all he was worth, but a final kick for home by Esa 400 metres out decided the outcome and Esa ran to within 16 seconds of his personal best time, crossing the finish in 2:04:55.
First South African home was three-time winner of the race, Stephen Mokoka (2:10:48 for 13th place in a national masters record), and he was followed home by Seloyi with a personal best 2:12:17. Debutant Anthony Timoteus, coached by Zola Budd, posted a solid 2:13:04 in his first attempt at the distance.
Kipchoge returned a creditable 16th in his opening salvo at the start of his global tour, clocking 2:13:29 and was effusive in his praise for the race.
“I have run all the Majors in the world, but today is the day that I believe the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon will become an Abbott World Marathon Majors event,” Kipchoge related. “I believe that all one billion Africans should be proud of this race. We are creating a real legacy for Africa by making Cape Town a World Marathon Major.
“My highlight today were those people on the road singing for all of us runners. They are the real heroes of the Cape Town Marathon. They were singing for the whole of Africa, and they really touched my heart… and I feel I am leaving a part of myself here in Cape Town,” added Kipchoge.
As Esa was breaking the tape, six women were fighting for individual honours. Leah Cheruto was the lone Kenyan running with Ethiopians Dida, Fikir, Amare, Ewnetie Dagnaw and Gojjam Enyew through 35km, two hours into the race.
Earlier, marathon legend and world champion, Edna Kiplagat, looked in fine form, staying in touch with the eight-strong lead group through halfway. The 46-year-old Kenyan was one of only two from her great sporting nation among the leaders at that stage, with Leah Cheruto joining her amongst a quintet of Ethiopians – Dida, Fikir, Amare, Dagnaw and Gojjam Enyew and an Ethiopian-born Bahrain athlete, Desi Mokonin.
The sole Southern African runner anywhere near the leaders at halfway was Cape Town-based Zimbabwean, Fortunate Chidzivo, running 11th, over three minutes off the pace.
Mokonin fell behind shortly after 25km with Kiplagat holding on till 30km, leaving the six to compete for line honours in the final quarter. When Dida stepped on the gas 37km into the race, the results were dramatic as one by one her rivals fell off the pace.
A final Dida surge saw Fikir give up the unequal struggle and Dida raced home in 2:23:18 to win by 28 seconds. Amare finished third a further 11 seconds back.
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 DutchmanJetze Plat (1:33:12).
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 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.
Jose Eraldo Lima (Brazil, 2:23:47) and Dora Maria Nagel-Wallimann (Switzerland, 2:48:14) were the respective winners of the AbbottWMM Age Group World Championship gold medals in the 40-44 year age group.
Central Gauteng marathoner, Elizabeth Potter, gave local fans cause to cheer when she won the gold medal in the 55-59 age group in 3:01:54.
Other South African top five positions in the age group championship were Maxwell Sobetshe (2nd in 50-54), Elmarie Coetzee (2nd W60-64), Mark Headbush (3rd in M80+), Norah Doherty (3rd in W75-79) and Nancy Will (4th W70-74).
2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon Results
Top 10 Elite Men
1 Mohamed Esa (Ethiopia) 2:04:55
2 Yihunilign Adane (Ethiopia) 2:04:59
3 Kalipus Lomwai (Kenya) 2:05:06
4 Leonard Langat (Kenya) 2:05:26
5 Jemal Yimer (Ethiopia) 2:05:48
6 Mulugeta Uma (Ethiopia) 2:06:19
7 Maru Teferi (Israel) 2:06:46
8 Abebaw Dessie Muniye (Ethiopia) 2:06:57
9 Benard Kipkurui Biwott (Kenya) 2:07:34
10 Justus Kipkogei Kangogo (Kenya) 2:07:42
Top 10 Elite Women
1 Dera Dida (Ethiopia) 2:23:18
2 Mestawut Fikir (Ethiopia) 2:23:46
3 Waganesh Amare (Ethiopia) 2:23:57
4 Leah Cheruto (Kenya) 2:24:31
5 Edna Kiplagat (Kenya) 2:25:44
6 Gojjam Enyew (Ethiopia) 2:26:24
7 Mercy Jerop Kwambai (Kenya) 2:30:36
8 Desi Jisa Mokonin (Burundi) 2:30:44
9 Cynthia Jerotich Limo (Kenya) 2:32:00
10 Salmi Nduviteko (Namibia) 2:33:23
Top 5 Wheelchair Men
1 David Weir (Great Britain) 1:30:20
2 Jetze Plat (Netherlands) 1:33:12
3 Sho Watanabe (Japan) 1:33:43
3 Zhang Ying (China) 1:33:43
4 Gerard Schipper (Netherlands) 1:33:45
Top 5 Wheelchair Women
1 Manuela Schär (Switzerland) 1:43:25
2 Chen Xiaochun (China) 1:52:21
3 Deng Yirun (China) 1:57:05
4 Christie Dawes (Austria) 1:58:46
5 Zhang Yuan (China) 2:12:27
2026 AbbottWMM Age Group World Championship Results
Men 40-44
Men 45-49
Men 50-54
Men 55-59
Men 60-64
Men 65-69
Men 70-74
Men 75-79
Men 80+
Women 40-44
Women 45-49
Women 50-54
Women 55-59
Women 60-64
Women 65-69
Women 70-74
Women 75-79
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They’re celebrating Philani Sengce’s 43km Cape Town Trail Marathon victory in the streets of Kayamandi tonight after the Stellenbosch-based athlete powered to victory over the more favoured Kenyan athletes in favourable running conditions this morning (Saturday 23 May).
Sengce dug deep to stay in touch with the fly-away East Africans before turning it on in the second half to break his own record by just over two minutes, crossing the blue carpet finish line at the Green Point Stadium precinct in 3:48:03.
And Gauteng athlete, Maryke van Zyl, jumped from second last year to the top of the podium with a solid win over Simoné Malan to win the women’s competition in 5:04:58.
Both Sengce and Van Zyl were ecstatic at winning fully paid trips to compete at Sierra Zinal in Switzerland in July – one of the world’s most competitive trail races – to add to the hefty R50 000 first-across-the-line cheque.
“The guys were racing off so fast in the beginning I thought I was going to die out there,” said Sengce. “But I was so determined to push myself to the limit to win – I was either going to win or die!”
Fortunately, Sengce remained alive in victory, as did his dreams to represent South Africa in next year’s World Mountain and Trail Running Championships. “There is nothing I would value more,” Sengce acknowledged.
Kenyan Simon Ngumbau raced home more than seven minutes behind Sengce to take second with Cape Town’s Kyle Bucklow enjoying an impressive outing on the technically challenging course to finish third, a further four minutes back.
Runaway leader and pre-race favourite, Isaya Kiriago, younger brother of top-rated Kenyan, Philemon Kiriago, appeared to under-estimate the toughness of the route and came home in fourth after slowing to a walk in the latter stages. A third Kenyan, Dennis Kiyaka, rounded out the top five positions.
Kiriago opened an early lead, running at what turned out to be suicidal pace over the first 10km to Kloof Nek, where he had already built a lead of over a minute on his compatriots Ngumbau and Kiyaka with Sengce close behind.
“I knew Isaya would burn himself out,” Ngumbau remarked. “I told him it was a tough course and to be cautious, but he wouldn’t listen and paid the price! I ran more sensibly with Philani in the first half and our tactics proved correct in the end.”
Kiriago began to slow after passing through halfway at Kirstenbosch, allowing Ngumbau and Sengce to close. Senge had opened a gap on Ngumbau and overtook the leader at the Kings Blockhouse Aid Station, 10km from home before racing home to a memorable victory.
Ngumbau and Bucklow moved into second and third respectively in the latter stages of the race as Kiriago slowed dramatically.
Van Zyl and Malan took the early lead in the women’s race and were together at Kloof Corner, running steadily on the steep ascent.
Malan had beaten Van Zyl at the Whale of Trail 53km last July, when the Free State athlete won and Van Zyl finished fourth, while a strong-finishing Landie Greyling overtook Van Zyl, whom she coaches, to win a close victory in last year’s Cape Town Trail Marathon in October.
This time Greyling was fully behind Van Zyl and her input clearly proved valuable. Van Zyl was the stronger athlete in the final quarter and went on to win by over eight minutes in 5:04:58, 17 minutes slower than her time last year.
“I didn’t want to take any chances today,” Van Zyl said. “The win was the important thing and we went out at a steady pace so as not to get into difficulties later in the race.”
The withdrawal of Kane Reilly and a below-par Ebeth Marais robbed the 22km Cape Town Trail race of two anticipated close contests, leaving Limpopo athlete from Magoebaskloof, Remaketse Lekaka, and Cape Town’s Bianca Tarboton straight-forward paths to victory.
The two were a cut above the rest and went out at a brisk pace from the start. Lekaka showed few signs of his recent gruelling race at the Ultra-trail Drakensberg 62km, where he placed third, and opened a commanding three-minute lead by the time the athletes ran past the Kramat.
“My tactics were to make sure of winning by getting a good lead early on and then ease off in the second half to avoid any injuries,” Lekaka related.
Italian Giovanni Bianco and Cape Town’s Riaan Wildschutt, running together in joint second, closed the gap, with Bianco finishing just over a minute behind Lekaka and Wildschutt close behind in third.
Tarboton showed why she is so highly rated by the global adidas TERREX team with a pillar to post victory in 1:48:26, eight minutes clear of Marais and a strong fifth overall, just 6 minutes off Lekaka’s winning time.
“Phew I found that quite tough,” Tarboton admitted. “The course seemed longer than when I ran it last in 2019 and I was more or less on my own the whole way.”
Tarboton’s 1:45:30 winning time in 2019 – her second successive victory – stands as the course record, although event designer, Ryan Sandes, confirmed that the route had been lengthened after COVID. Records indicate that the current route is approximately 1km longer with an additional 60 metres of vertical gain.
Results (RSA unless stated otherwise)
Cape Town Trail Marathon 43km
Men
1 Philani Sengce 3:48:03; 2 Simon Ngumbau (Kenya) 3:55:24; 3 Kyle Bucklow 3:59:50; 4 Isaya Kiriago (Ken) 4:08:46; 5 Dennis Kiyaka (Ken) 4:11:04; 6 Iain Peterkin 4:18:17; 7 John April 4:25: 26; 8 Anele Bans 4:26 48; 9 Kelton Miller 4:29:50; 10 Jason Koopman 4:39:14
Women
1 Maryke van Zyl 5:04:58; 2 Simone Malan 5:13:32; 3 Ashleigh Graham 5:14:31; 4 Jessie Waldman (GB) 5:24:18; 5 Chare Calitz 5:43:33; 6 Ashlin Healy 6:06:54; 7 Chloe Dixon (GB) 6:18:13; 8 Chanelle Simpson (GB) 6:23:45; 9 Suzette Potgieter 6:23:55; 10 Ioanna Kepper 6:34:10
Cape Town Trail 22km
Men
1 Remaketse Lekaka 1:41:59; 2 Giovanni Bianco (Italy) 1:43:08; 3 Riaan Wildschutt 1:43:28; 4 Wano Katjiri 1:48:05; 5 Melihaya Msizi 1:50:51; 6 Mark Duffett (GB) 1:53:17; 7 Petrus Lottering 1:54:37; 8 Elrich Davids 1:56:21; 9 Akesh Kuwar (India) 2:02:48; 10 Alex Gardham (GB) 2:04:27
Women
1 Bianca Tarboton 1:48:26; 2 Ebeth Marais 1:56:35; 3 Louise Dippenaar 2:03:48; 4 Megan Launder 2:35:31; 5 Stephanie Warren (Canada) 2:37:21; 6 Leanna Bosman (Zimb) 2:39:10; 7 Celine Mothay (Spain) 2:39:24; 8 Barbara Sobieszczuk (Pol) 2:39:59; 9 Janet Meyer 2:40:26; 10 Amber Morgan 2:42:03
Cape Town Trail 11km
Men
1 Liam Matthews 51:29; 2 Siyabonga Chabalala 54:04; 3 Michael de Kwaadsteniet 57:11; 4 Owen Davis (GB) 58:27; 5 Luke Croasdale (GB) 1:01:16
Women
1 Heidi de Jager 1:01:27; 2 Minee van den Berg 1:01:37; 3 Olga Antoniceva (Latvia) 1:02:49; 4 Leah F 1:07:38; 5 Nina Verder (Ned) 1:12:03
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- Event: Olympic Day Tooke Run
- Date: Saturday, 20th June 2026
- Categories: 5KM, 10KM, 21KM
- Kit fees: Ug.Shs 35,000
- Venue: Bushenyi
- Start Time: 6 AM
- Theme: “Move, Learn and Discover for Nutrition-Care”
On 20th June 2026, the historic Olympic Day Tooke run will be held in Bushenyi District, Western Uganda.
This run under the theme “Move, Learn and Discover for Nutrition Care” is organized by the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development (PIBID), Banana Industrial Research and Development Centre in conjunction with the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC).
Part of the proceeds from the run will be channeled toward to support the welfare and preparation of Ugandan athletes before and during international competitions, including the upcoming Youth Olympic Games in Dakar and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
To amplify the run, there is a brave and bold fight against malnutrition in Uganda as fronted by Prof. Rev. Florence Isabirye Muranga, the Nutrition Ambassador for Uganda Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
On Friday, 22nd May 2026, the Olympic Day Tooke Run got the full endorsement from key stakeholders; the clergy, sports officials and other local leaders from Busoga region in Eastern Uganda.
This key note event took place at the Njeru based offices of the Banana Industrial Research and Development Centre during a special fundraising breakfast ahead of the 2026 Olympic Day Tooke Run.
Lydia Dhamuzungu, the Chef de Mission for Team Uganda at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics, represented the president of UOC and Commonwealth Games Union, Dr Donald “Don” Rukare.
One of the clergy men present was Rt. Rev. Prof. Dr. Grace Lubaale.
Our partnership between Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC)/Commonwealth Games Uganda and the PIBID & BIRDC has grown stronger and more impactful, setting a foundation for excellence and innovation in both sports and community development. This partnership is built on the three values of Olympism; Excellence, Respect and Friendship. The value of excellence encourages us to be the best, embodying dedication and resilience. For athletes to achieve excellence, they require good nutrition. Good nutrition does not only enhance athletic performance of sportsmen and sportswomen but also the wellbeing of community members. Our partnership symbolizes our shared commitment to harnessing sports as a vehicle for transformation, opportunity, and national pride. We believe sports can play a big role in accelerating the transformation of matooke as a subsistence crop into a competitive high quality product, one of the key deliverables of the PIBID/BIRDC. In doing so, improve nutrition of our people including athletes. Let us rise together and declare that Malnutrition has no place in Uganda’s future. In our shared vision with PIBID/BIRDC, we have rebranded our usual Olympic Day run celebrating Olympism to Tooke Run. The Olympic Day Tooke Run is expected to bring together communities across Uganda, inspiring healthier lifestyles and celebrating the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. The partnership we have established goes beyond supporting and organising events to supporting preparation of athletes for major games where they display their talents and profile our country. In the live span of our partnership, we have two multisport games; the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar this July and October respectively. These events foster international friendships and inspire the next generation of Ugandan champions. On behalf of the UOC/CGU, I reaffirm our commitment to nurturing this partnership for the long term. We are dedicated to working together with PIBID/BIRDC, our athletes and all stakeholders to strengthen Uganda’s sporting legacy and drive sustainable progress for our nation.I acknowledge and appreciate the support of the Director General Tooke, who is also our ambassador. I thank all our partners and stakeholders for standing with us. I invite you not to just give but believe, commit and lead in the cause that is a bridge between wellbeing of communities and sports. We encourage you and more companies to participate in this initiative Together, let us run for nutrition. Together, let us build a healthier Uganda.
Dr Donald Rukare, President Uganda Olympic Committee
The President of Uganda His Excellency General Yoweri Museveni Kaguta is expected to be the chief runner.
Runners will compete in the 5KM (recreational), 10KM and 21KM (Half marathon).
Elite runners will earn some money for the heard toiled effort with lots of other prizes to be given out.
The post Upcoming Olympic Day Tooke Run garners steam, right nutrition preached aloud in Njeru appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
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