Eliud Kipchoge could have started anywhere.
Antarctica. South America. The streets of any city on earth that would roll out the red carpet for the most decorated marathon runner alive. Instead, when it came time to announce the first stop of his global running tour, he pointed at Africa.
“It is my time now to call to my African fans and to run with them,” Kipchoge said at a press conference alongside Cape Town Marathon organizers and his DSM-Firmenich Running Team. “This is about African excellence.”
Hard to argue with that.
The World Tour
Announced last November, the Eliud’s Running World tour is Kipchoge’s answer to the question everyone keeps asking: what’s next? His answer, apparently, is everything.
He plans to run a marathon on all seven continents within two years, combining competitive racing with fundraising for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, which supports education and environmental projects globally.
“Running is the most universal sport — it connects us all,” he said.
The tour will cover some extreme ground. Antarctica is confirmed. He’s also floated running 50 kilometers in Saudi Arabia, because apparently a regular marathon doesn’t scratch the itch anymore. His NYC debut last November — a 2:14:36 in his first-ever New York City Marathon — was the third marathon he ran in a single calendar year. His schedule is only getting busier.
Each stop will fund local charitable projects: school libraries, learning programs, environmental restoration. “All children deserve access to knowledge, education and healthy air to breathe,” Kipchoge said.
Why Cape Town Matters
Cape Town isn’t just the first stop on a world tour. It’s carrying the weight of an entire continent’s marathon ambitions.
The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon has been in the running — literally — to become Africa’s first Abbott World Marathon Major since 2021. The World Marathon Majors currently includes Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, Sydney, and New York. Cape Town wants to be eight. The problem is getting there has been a rough road.
The 2025 race was canceled 90 minutes before its scheduled 6:15 a.m. start. Overnight winds had damaged structures at the starting area in Green Point. The final call came at 4:45 a.m. Runners found out via WhatsApp at 5:00 a.m. All 24,000 of them.
“Ultimately a bigger force had the final say,” said Cape Town Marathon CEO Clark Gardner. A tough thing to say after months of preparation — but the right call.
The cancellation stung beyond the day itself. Cape Town had passed its first WMM evaluation in 2024 and needed a second consecutive pass in 2025 to formally join the series. Without a race, there was nothing to evaluate.
Abbott WMM stepped in with a gesture that acknowledged the mess wasn’t anyone’s fault: all 2026 finishers will receive a provisional star — one that becomes fully official if Cape Town passes its evaluation next May. Title sponsor Sanlam is funding deferred entries for every 2025 registrant into either the 2026 or 2027 race.
“We look forward to being back in Cape Town in May next year to see both the runners, and the race, get over that finish line,” said AbbottWMM CEO Dawna Stone.
The Eight-Star Thing
Here’s where it gets interesting for Kipchoge specifically.
He has already completed all seven current World Marathon Majors, making him a Seven Star Finisher. If Cape Town earns full Major status and he crosses the line there, he becomes the first Eight Star Finisher in history. Ever. Out of anyone.
To put that in perspective: of the 4,561 Seven Star Finishers currently in existence across 109 countries, just 57 are from Africa. That’s 1.3% of the total, from a continent of 1.4 billion people. Kipchoge knows that number. It’s part of why he’s starting here.
What’s at Stake in 2026
The 2026 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is set for May 24. Ballot entries are open. Runners deferred from 2025 already have their spots. The race will also host the AbbottWMM Age Group World Championships, meaning there’s even more on the line than usual.
If everything goes to plan — good weather, a clean evaluation, and Kipchoge crossing the finish line — Cape Town becomes a Major, thousands of runners get their stars, and the most famous marathon runner on earth makes a little history on his home continent.
“This is about African excellence,” he said.
It might just be.
