The Zurich Seville Marathon 2026 takes place this Sunday with 200 elite athletes battling for fast times
The Zurich Seville Marathon 2026 brings together around 200 elite athletes who will battle this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. (CET)for the victory and to achieve strong internationally ranked times on the flattest course in Europe. In the men's field, the 2022 and 2019 winners return, and promising marathon debuts are expected from a large group of Africans. In the women's field, the participation of the Spaniard Fátima Azzaharaa Ouhaddou, reigning European champion, the Finn Alisa Vainio, and the debuts of the Ethiopian Mulat Tekle Godu (1:06:53 in half marathon) or the Kenyan Rebecca Chepkwemoi, among others, stand out.
On Saturday the 5k BreakfastRun will take place (on the World Athletics calendar), in which several national records over the distance will be attempted, with the presence of the Spaniard Said Mechaal, the South African Maxime Chaumeton, the Norwegian Awet Kibrab, the Dutchman Mike Foppen, the Frenchman Felix Bour, or the Djiboutian Mohamed Ismael, among others. In the women’s field, the Kenyan Mirriam Cherop stands out.
The Zurich Seville Marathon 2026 will be held this Sunday, February 15 (start at 8:30 a.m.) with some of the most important new features for an edition that aims to consolidate the Seville race as one of the most important internationally in terms of times and sporting results, and also in terms of its own growth in participation. Today it was officially presented at the Seville City Hall by the mayor, José Luis Sanz; María Tena, Sports Delegate; the marathoners Aina asdfasdfasd (Finland), ADSFASDFASDF (Kenya) and ADFASDFDAS (Ethiopia); Fran Chico, director of Sport Life; Sonia Mansilla, Marketing Director of Zurich; Fernando Rodríguez, sales delegate for southern Spain at TotalEnergies Electricidad y Gas; and Sebastián Ballester, Marketing Iberia at ASICS Corporation.
Among the nearly 200 elite athletes gathering in Seville this Sunday, the men’s field features several runners who have already enjoyed the flattest course in Europe, such as the Ethiopian Asrar Hiyrden Abderehman, winner here in 2022 stopping the clock at 2:04:43 (course record at that time), his compatriot Adugna Takele Bikila, who finished fourth that same year, or the 2019 winner Tsedat Abeje Ayana. Among the main favorites are fellow Ethiopians Shura Kitata Tola (winner of the London Marathon in 2018 defeating Eliud Kipchoge in that edition) and Andualem Belay Shiferaw (winner in Castellón or Riga). Tola has also won the Rome and Frankfurt marathons.
Other very interesting names to follow include the Moroccan Aziz Ait Ourkia or the Swedish Ebba Tulu Chala. Among the large group of Spanish athletes traveling to the Andalusian capital, Illias Fifa stands out, returning to Seville to improve his 2:10:10 from last year with the goal of lowering his personal best and securing a spot for the European Championships. As in every edition, there is special interest in seeing how some promising marathon debutants will perform, such as the Kenyan Ismael Kiprono and the Ethiopians Getahun and Gudisa.
In the women’s field, the much-anticipated return of the 2023 winner, the Kenyan Jackline Chelal (2:20:29), who holds the second-best time in history on Seville soil in the historical ranking, also takes place. The course record of 2:18:52 (Alemu Megertu, 2022) is in serious danger due to the participation of athletes such as the Ethiopian Buzunesh Getachew Gudeta, the Finn Alisa Vainio (2:20:48), but especially due to the debuts of the Ethiopian Mulat Tekle Godu (1:06:53 in half marathon) or the Kenyan Rebecca Chepkwemoi, among others. Urge Diro Soboka, third in 2023 in Seville, also returns. Among the Spaniards, the main favorite even to fight for a podium spot is Fátima Azzaharaa Ouhaddou Nafie, reigning European marathon champion, who began in athletics in Casariche (Seville), where she lived from age 8 until moving to Aguilar de la Frontera (Córdoba). With her 2:24:05 she has the seventh-best time among the entrants, although she arrives in Seville ready to improve this mark.
The Zurich Seville Marathon has also announced important improvements to consolidate its course as one of the fastest in the world, making it even flatter with fewer elevation meters than before, to continue reinforcing its status as the flattest in Europe and possibly in the world. These changes will also allow wave starts for mass runners and maintain the successful post-finish services and bag drop, without causing additional traffic closures in the city in the days before the race.
These two measures, separating the start and finish and keeping the bag drop and post-finish area, aim to improve comfort and services for the 17,000 mass runners who will participate, a historic participation record for the race, 3,000 more than in 2025.
Thus, the strengths are maintained and the course elevation is improved, as runners will continue passing all the monumental landmarks as in previous years (Torre del Oro, Maestranza, Ronda Histórica, city center streets…), and the two passes through the Arjona Street underpass—which were the only climbs marathoners faced—are removed. With this new course, the Ronda Histórica will have greater prominence, and up to 4 new cheering points will be added along the section (Ronda de Capuchinos, Resolana, or the Duquesa de Alba roundabout).
5K BREAKFAST RUN
For the fifth year, the Zurich Seville Marathon 2025 will again feature a 5‑kilometer race on the Saturday before the main 42.195‑meter event (February 14), officially certified and with times validated, as it is also part of the World Athletics international calendar.
The 5k Breakfast Run has attracted a large group of high‑level professional athletes seeking top performances. In the men’s field, the Djiboutian Mohamed Ismael, who holds his national record with 12:56, stands out, along with Dutch record holder Mike Floppen (13:08), Maxime Chaumeton, South African record holder with 13:13, the Norwegian Awet Kibrab (13:14), or the Frenchman Felix Bour (13:15), who has already raced both the half marathon and marathon in Seville. The Spaniard Said Mechaal, an emerging figure in Spanish athletics who broke the national 10km road record in Valencia (27:21) this past January, has a strong chance of breaking the 13:08 national record held by Thierry Ndikumwenayo from April 2025. Said Mechaal already ran 13:21 in 2024. The Spaniard Reda El Mouaziz or the Italian Yassine Bouith, along with the Kenyan Walter Kipngeno, may be the big dark horses on the start line.
In the women’s field, the top favorite is the Kenyan Mirriam Cherop thanks to her personal best of 15:06 on the track in 2023. She will face strong competition from the Dutchwoman Maureen Koster (14:33) or the Swede Sarah Lahti (14:52). The Spaniard Marta Pérez, in the first months of her pregnancy, will also be on the start line, although she will treat it as an easy training run. Pérez is the current national record holder in the 1,500 meters, and the organization has given her bib number 1.
PARTICIPATION
This edition will set historic record numbers, such as foreign participation (53.07%), women’s participation (21.42%), and the highest number of runners from Seville and Andalusia in 41 years. Of the 17,000 runners, 8,954 entrants are foreigners from more than 100 nationalities. For the first time, there will be more than 3,000 French runners ready to complete the 42.195 meters of the Seville race. There will be 2,596 runners from Seville and up to 3,689 from Andalusia, the best figures in history. As a curiosity, 1,336 runners from Madrid will also be on the start line, the second province with the most participants. Particularly significant is the increase in women’s participation, with 3,613 women registered (also a historic record).
TELEVISIÓN
The Zurich Seville Marathon 2026 will be broadcast on 330 international TV channels, so it is estimated that it could reach up to 880 million households worldwide. It can be followed via streaming in Spanish and in English from the links on the official website.
📺 STREAMING TV #ZurichMaratonSevilla26
Sunday, February 15 🕣 8h30 CET
