Zurich Maraton de Sevilla: 200 Elite Athletes Set to Fight for Victory This Sunday
The 2026 Zurich Maraton de Sevilla brings together 200 elite athletes who will compete this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. (CET) for the victory and to achieve their personal best on the flattest marathon course in Europe. In the men's category, the winners from 2022 and 2019 are returning, and promising debuts in the distance are expected from a large group of Africans.In the women's category, there will be a very interesting competition, with the participation of Spain's Fátima Azzaharaa Ouhaddou, the reigning European champion, Finland's Alisa Vainio, and the debuts of Ethiopia's Mulat Tekle Godu (1:06:53 in the half marathon) and Kenya's Rebecca Chepkwemoi, among others.
On Saturday, the 5k Breakfast Run (included in the World Athletics road calendar) will be thrilling. Excitement is guaranteed with several athletes set to break new national records: Spain's Said Mechaal, South Africa's Maxime Chaumeton, Norway's Awet Kibrab, the Netherlands' Mike Foppen, France's Felix Bour, and Djibouti's Mohamed Ismael, among others, are the main favourites. In the women's category, Kenyan Mirriam Cherop stands out.
The Zurich Maraton de Sevilla 2026 will be held this Sunday, 15th February (starting at 8:30 a.m. CET) with some of the most important new features for an edition that aims to consolidate the Seville event as one of the most important marathon races.
Among the nearly 200 elite athletes who will gather in Seville this Sunday, some of the names that stand out in the men's category are runners who have previously enjoyed the flattest course in Europe, such as Ethiopian Asrar Hiyrden Abderehman, winner in 2022 with a time of 2:04:43, his compatriot Adugna Takele Bikila, who finished fourth that same year, and the winner of the 2019 edition, Tsedat Abeje Ayana. Among the main favourites are fellow Ethiopians Shura Kitata Tola (winner of the 2018 London Marathon, beating Eliud Kipchoge in that edition) and Andualem Belay Shiferaw (winner in Castellon and Riga). Tola has also won the Rome and Frankfurt marathons.
Other interesting names to watch are Morocco's Aziz Ait Ourkia and Sweden's Ebba Tulu Chala. Among the large group of Spanish athletes coming to the Andalusian capital, Illias Fifa stands out. He returns to Seville to improve on his time of 2:10:10 from last year's race, with the aim of beating his personal best and qualifying for the European Championships. As usual in each edition, there is particular interest in seeing how some promising debutants will perform over the distance, such as Kenyan Ismael Kiprono and Ethiopians Getahun and Gudisa.
In the women's category, there will also be the eagerly awaited return of the 2023 winner, Kenyan Jackline Chelal (2h20:29), who holds the second-best time ever recorded in Seville in the historical rankings. The race record of 2h18:52 (Alemu Megertu, 2022) is in serious danger due to the participation of athletes of the calibre of Ethiopia's Buzunesh Getachew Gudeta, Finland's Alisa Vainio (2h20:48), but especially the debuts of Ethiopia's Mulat Tekle Godu (1:06:53 in the half marathon) and Kenya's Rebecca Chepkwemoi, among others. Urge Diro Soboka, third in 2023 in Seville, is also returning. Among the Spanish runners, the main favourite to fight for the podium is Fatima Azzaharaa Ouhaddou Nafie, the current European marathon champion. With her time of 2h24:05, she has the seventh-best time among those registered, although she arrives in the Seville capital determined to improve on this time.
The Zurich Maraton de Sevilla has also announced significant improvements to consolidate its course (separating the start and finish lines) as one of the fastest in the world. It will even be flatter, with fewer metres of elevation gain than before, further consolidating its position as the flattest in Europe and possibly the world. These changes will also allow for waves at the start for age-group runners and maintain the successful post-finish line and cloakroom services, and will not result in new traffic restrictions in the city in the days leading up to the event. A total of 17,000 runners will be at the start, having sold out eight months ago.
5K BREAKFAST RUN
For the fifth year running, the Zurich Seville Marathon 2025 will once again feature a 5-kilometre race on the Saturday (14 February) prior to the big 42.195-metre event. This race is officially approved and its results will be validated, as it is also part of the World Athletics international calendar.
The 5k Breakfast Run has attracted a large group of high-quality professional athletes who will be looking to set new national records. In the men's category, the highlights include Mohamed Ismael from Djibouti, who holds his country's record with 12:56, Dutch record holder Mike Floppen (13:08), Maxime Chaumeton, the South African record holder with a time of 13:13, Norway's Awet Kibrab (13:14) and France's Felix Bour (13:15), who has already run the half marathon and marathon in Seville. Spain's Said Mechaal, a rising star in Spanish athletics who broke the national 10km road record in Valencia (27:21) last January, is within striking distance of Thierry Ndikumwenayo's record of 13:08, set in April 2025. Said Mechaal already ran 13:21 in 2024. Spain's Reda El Mouaziz and Italy's Yassine Bouith, along with Kenya's Walter Kipngeno, will be also at the starting line.
In the women's category, the big favourite is Kenyan Mirriam Cherop, thanks to her personal best of 15:06 on the track in 2023. She will not have it easy with competition from Dutch runner Maureen Koster (14:33) and Swedish runner Sarah Lahti (14:52). Spain's Marta Perez, in the early months of her pregnancy, will also be at the starting line, although she will treat it as light training. Perez is the current national record holder in the 1,500 metres, and the organisers have given her the number 1 bib.
BROADCASTING
The race will be broadcast on 330 television channels internationally, reaching an estimated 880 million households worldwide. It will be available to stream in Spanish and English via links on the official website.
PRESS RESOURCES
WhatsApp channel with information and resources for the media:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEuRvG2ER6YkcXymW15
Press kit (dossier, press releases, etc.):
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PCUTF9V35P9kzca6vI9P7RzBA9WnSHbq?usp=share_link
Official #ZurichMaratónSevilla26 app for Android and iOS Runner tracking, real-time results, updated information, etc.
▶️iOS https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zurich-maratón-de-sevilla/id1349766551?ls=1
STREAMING TV #ZurichMaratonSevilla26
Sunday, February 15 🕣 8h30 CET
