Paul Tergat Takes Centre Stage at Historic Nelson Mandela Marathon in South Africa
Kenyan athletics legend Paul Tergat took centre stage in Cape Town on Sunday, October 18, 2026, as the South African city hosted the inaugural Nelson Mandela Marathon, a new running event linking sporting achievement with the values championed by the late anti-apartheid leader.
Tergat, a five-time World Cross Country champion and former marathon world-record holder, was among the high-profile figures associated with the event. In a photograph from the occasion, the Kenyan great is seen raising a starting pistol above a crowd of runners gathered on the city streets.
A Kenyan icon at a historic sporting occasion
The 42.2-kilometre race brought together runners and supporters in Cape Town for the first edition of a marathon developed by event company Golazo in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The event is part of a broader initiative to use sport to promote dignity, equality, courage, unity and freedom.
Tergat is one of Kenya’s most accomplished long-distance runners. He won five consecutive World Cross Country Championships and set a marathon world record of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 55 seconds at the 2003 Berlin Marathon, becoming the first man to break the 2-hour-5-minute barrier.
His presence in Cape Town reflected the enduring standing of Kenyan athletes in international distance running, not only as competitors but also as ambassadors and mentors.
Catherine Ndereba joins Tergat as race ambassador
Fellow Kenyan marathon legend Catherine Ndereba also serves as an ambassador for the Nelson Mandela Marathon. A two-time world marathon champion and four-time Boston Marathon winner, Ndereba helped establish Kenya’s reputation as a global powerhouse in women’s distance running.
The ambassador group also features South African running figures Hendrick Ramaala and Prudence Sekgodiso, bringing together different generations of athletics excellence.
For Kenya, the selection of Tergat and Ndereba underscores how the achievements of earlier generations continue to open doors for the country’s sporting influence beyond the track and the road.
More than a marathon
The event was conceived as a tribute to Nelson Mandela and his belief that sport can bridge divisions. Its programme included the full marathon, a half-marathon linked to the historic Slave Route Challenge and shorter community running and walking events.
Participants passed some of Cape Town’s historically significant neighbourhoods and landmarks, drawing attention to the city’s history alongside the sporting challenge.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation has said the wider running initiative seeks to translate Mandela’s values into community participation and action. Its organisers also envision an international running series extending the message beyond South Africa.
What the event means for Kenyan athletics
Kenyan runners are widely recognised for their performances at major international road races, but Tergat and Ndereba’s roles illustrate another dimension of that reputation: the capacity to represent the sport’s social impact long after retirement from elite competition.
As the inaugural Nelson Mandela Marathon establishes its place on the international running calendar, the participation of these Kenyan greats connects East Africa’s distance-running heritage with a wider African story of resilience, reconciliation and unity.
Sources: Nelson Mandela Foundation, official Nelson Mandela Marathon ambassador profiles, and SABC News reporting dated October 18, 2026.
