Thousands line in South Africa as Kenyan marathon legend Kipchoge launches seven-continent tour
Kenyan marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge joined thousands of runners at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on Sunday, May 24, as he launched his global seven-continent running tour in Africa.
Footage from the event showed the 41-year-old, two-time Olympic champion racing with elite athletes in Cape Town.
Large crowds gathered along the marathon route, waving flags and holding signs as runners moved through the city.
“Africa deserves appreciation because all the best athletes in the world are from Africa. So we need to be here every year. Africa is the continent of the marathon,” one participant said.
The race also carried added significance as Cape Town seeks recognition as the first African marathon to join the Abbott World Marathon Majors series.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and race officials attended the event, which organisers described as a final assessment process for inclusion in the elite marathon circuit.
Although much attention focused on Kipchoge’s participation, Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa won the men’s race with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 55 seconds.
The performance broke the previous course record and became the fastest marathon time recorded on African soil.
Ethiopian runner Yihunilign Adane finished second in 2:04:59, while Kenya’s Kalipus Lomwai came third in 2:05:06.
Kipchoge finished 16th with a time of 2:13:29 after running at a conservative pace.
The Cape Town event marked the opening stage of Kipchoge’s “Eliud’s World Tour,” which will continue in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on July 12 before heading to the Melbourne Marathon in Australia on October 11.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
