Pakistani Runners Achieve Major Milestone at 2026 Cape Town Marathon

Pakistani runners delivered a landmark performance at the 2026 Cape Town Marathon, as Karachi’s Faisal Shafi and British Pakistani runner Huma Rehman secured their eighth World Marathon star, which is currently provisional.

The race, held against the scenic backdrop of Table Mountain, featured more than 27,000 runners. For Pakistan’s marathon community, the event became a memorable moment as a small group of runners represented the country and the overseas Pakistani community on one of the world’s most scenic marathon courses.

Karachi-based Faisal Shafi was the headline performer for Pakistan. He completed the 42.195-kilometer race in 3 hours, 35 minutes and 37 seconds, becoming the first Pakistan-based runner to complete eight World Marathon stars.

“This is my eighth star,” Shafi told Geo News after crossing the finish line. “The eighth Major was actually supposed to happen in Cape Town last year, but due to bad weather the marathon was cancelled.”

Canadian Pakistani runner Ziyad Rahim also completed the Cape Town Marathon, finishing in 6 hours, 54 minutes and 33 seconds.

The Cape Town Marathon is currently in the candidacy phase for Abbott World Marathon Major status. Organizers had announced before the race that every finisher would receive a provisional Major star, similar to Sydney’s pathway before it officially became a Major.

Once Cape Town clears its final assessment and joins the elite series, the provisional star will automatically convert into a fully recognized Major star.

If approved, Cape Town will become the first African race to join the Abbott World Marathon Majors, alongside Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, and Sydney.

For Shafi, the achievement carried meaning beyond personal success.

“I am the first eight-star finisher from Pakistan and the first person to complete eight stars while living in Pakistan,” he said. “This is a huge leap for Pakistan in marathon running because eight stars is a very elusive achievement.”

Shafi crossed the halfway mark in 1 hour, 39 minutes and 56 seconds and maintained a disciplined pace through the first 30 kilometers before the challenging final stages tested the runners.

British Pakistani runner Huma Rehman also delivered one of the strongest performances among participants of Pakistani origin. She completed the race in 3 hours, 31 minutes and 34 seconds, finishing ahead of Shafi overall and becoming the first British Pakistani runner to achieve the eighth world star milestone.

Rehman showed consistent pacing throughout the race. She reached 5 kilometers in 25 minutes and 52 seconds, 10 kilometers in 51 minutes and 36 seconds, and 15 kilometers in 1 hour, 16 minutes and 45 seconds.

She crossed halfway in 1 hour, 46 minutes and 43 seconds before reaching 30 kilometers in 2 hours, 30 minutes and 52 seconds, 35 kilometers in 2 hours, 56 minutes and 8 seconds, and 40 kilometers in 3 hours, 20 minutes and 53 seconds.

Pakistan and the overseas Pakistani community had five representatives in the marathon. Karachi’s Hina Shaukat produced a personal-best performance of 4 hours, 31 minutes and 23 seconds.

Lahore runner Amina Sibtain completed her first-ever marathon in 4 hours, 44 minutes and 51 seconds, while Kashif Zulfiqar crossed the finish line moments later in 4 hours, 44 minutes and 54 seconds.