Njuguna and Kangogo win in Málaga; Mateo second in half marathon

Simon Njuguna Waithira won the Málaga Marathon on Sunday 8 November 2026 in 2:08:17, while Rebecca Kangogo won with a women’s course record on a day that brought together around 17,000 runners across the marathon and half marathon.

In the shorter race, Jorge Blanco also set a course record with 1:03:34. Daniel Mateo finished second in 1:04:11 in a race that the runner from Soria included in his preparations for the Valencia Marathon.

Njuguna wins a close finish

The men’s race remained closely contested until the final metres. Njuguna beat his fellow Kenyan Victor Kiplimo, who finished second in 2:08:25, while Ethiopia’s Gaddisa Tafa Dekeba completed the podium in 2:08:55.

The first Spanish runner was Álex Jiménez, 14th overall in 2:18:13. In 2025, Mande Bushendich had won in 2:06:07.

• Fourth: Thérence Bizoza, 2:09:11.
• Fifth: Dereje Adugna Debela, 2:09:30.

Kangogo breaks women’s record

Kenya’s Rebecca Kangogo led the women’s race and beat the previous record, set by Misgane Alemayehu when she won in 2025 in 2:24:43.

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Ivyne Jeruto took second place in 2:22:30, and Rodah Jepkorir finished third in 2:24:32. Both also ran under the previous year’s record.

• Fourth: Bekelech Teku Wariyo, 2:25:58.
• Fifth: Sofie Karoline Haugen, 2:27:12.

Blanco wins the half marathon as Mateo looks towards Valencia

Jorge Blanco, from León, and Daniel Mateo started together and ran alongside each other for around ten kilometres. Mateo, from Soria, stopped briefly near the 13-kilometre mark and then joined the marathon group, pulling ahead of it before reaching the finish.

Ireland’s John Travers completed the men’s half marathon podium in 1:05:40. Mateo, coached by Enrique Pascual Oliva, chose Málaga as part of his preparations for the Trinidad Alfonso Zurich Valencia Marathon on 6 December. At the 2025 Málaga event, he had finished seventh in the marathon in 2:13:14.

Behind the podium, the provisional men’s half marathon standings listed the following runners:

• Fourth: Lester James, 1:08:36.
• Fifth: Christoph Sturm, 1:08:56.

Lidia Campo leads the women’s half marathon

Lidia Campo, from Burgos, won the women’s half marathon in 1:14:21. Britain’s Emma Styles was second in 1:17:58 and the Czech Republic’s Hana Homolková completed the podium in 1:18:47.

Campo came into the race with a personal best of 1:11:37 and two notable national results: she was 10-kilometre road champion in 2024 and half marathon runner-up in the 2026 season.

• Fourth: Angelica Karlsen, 1:18:58.

Claudine Santrain was initially listed in second place, but her result was not counted in the standings.

New course and international participation

The two races took place together on roads, starting at 8:30 on Paseo del Parque, next to the Town Hall. The marathon covered 42.195 kilometres and the half marathon, 21.0975 kilometres. Conditions were favourable for running.

The race regulations placed the start and finish on Paseo del Parque, opposite the Rectorate of the University of Málaga, and stated that the marathon course would be duly certified.

The event, organised by LASTLAP, S.L.U., moved from December to November and introduced a flatter course with fewer turns. In the final two kilometres, runners passed through Plaza de la Constitución, Calle Larios and Plaza de la Marina before reaching Paseo del Parque, where mayor Francisco de la Torre welcomed them.

Foreign runners accounted for 69% of entrants and Spanish runners for 31%; runners from Málaga represented 13% of the total. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Poland and Belgium were among the most represented countries. Men made up 66% of the runners and women 34%.

The race was broadcast in Spain on YouTube via the LastLapTV channel. The regulations assign responsibility for the results to the RFEA Judges’ Committee and state that trophies and prizes are provisional until appeals and corrections have been resolved.