The 5k Breakfast Run of the Zurich Seville Marathon 2026 promises to make history with a powerhouse elite field

The Zurich Seville Marathon 2026, held this Sunday, February 15, will be preceded this coming Saturday at 9:30 a.m. by a race that promises to make history: the 5k Breakfast Run, which will bring together nearly 3,000 recreational runners doing their final quality session before the big event, along with a powerful field of elite athletes chasing fast times over its certified 5-kilometer course.

Among the top international names stands out the major rising star of Spanish athletics, Said Mechaal, who could be ready to attack the national record for the distance.

For the fifth year, the Zurich Seville Marathon 2025 will once again feature a 5‑kilometer race on the Saturday before the big 42.195‑meter event, officially certified and with times validated as it is also part of the World Athletics international calendar. The ‘Breakfast Run’ will be the warm‑up, or rather, the official “breakfast” before the marathon. It is a fun 5 km race that runs through María Luisa Park and nearby streets, offering either a final training session on Saturday, February 14, for marathoners gearing up for Sunday, or a chance for companions, family members, or other runners not racing Sunday to also take part in southern Europe’s great running festival and run very fast over a very attractive and more accessible distance.

As in previous years, both the start (9:30 a.m.) and finish of the spectacular course will be located in the heart of María Luisa Park, just a few meters from Plaza de España, and the entire route will unfold around its grounds. The circuit shares many sections with the marathon, allowing participants to preview and prepare on the actual terrain for what awaits them just hours later over the legendary distance of Pheidippides on Seville soil.

POWERFUL ELITE FIELD

The 5k Breakfast Run has attracted a large, high‑quality group of professional athletes aiming for fast times. In the men's field, highlights include Djiboutian Mohamed Ismael, who holds his national record with 12:56, Dutch record holder Mike Floppen (13:08), Maxime Chaumeton, South African recordman with 13:13, Norwegian Awet Kibrab (13:14), and Frenchman Felix Bour (13:15), who has already raced both the half marathon and marathon in Seville. Spaniard Said Mechaal, a rising figure in Spanish athletics who broke the national 10 km road record in Valencia (27:21) last January, is within reach of Thierry Ndikumwenayo’s 13:08 record from April 2025. Said Mechaal already ran 13:21 in 2024. Spaniard Reda El Mouaziz and Italian Yassine Bouith, along with Kenyan Walter Kipngeno, could be the major dark horses on the start line.

In the women's field, the big favorite is Kenyan Mirriam Cherop, thanks to her 15:06 track personal best from 2023. It won’t be easy with competition from Dutch runner Maureen Koster (14:33) and Sweden's Sarah Lahti (14:52). Spaniard Marta Pérez, in the early months of her pregnancy, will also be on the start line, though she will treat it as an easy workout. Pérez is the current national record holder in the 1,500, and the organization has awarded her bib number 1.

The race has a cap of 3,000 participants and all registered runners will receive an ASICS T‑shirt. Registration is still open through the website www.zurichmaratonsevilla.es until Thursday.

After the 5k Breakfast Run, the Kids Run children's races will take place at the same venue, in María Luisa Park.