Málaga Marathon 2026: Njuguna holds off Kiplimo as Chesir breaks the women's record
By AthRecs Editorial · 3 min read
Simon Njuguna Waithira won by eight seconds in Málaga. Rebeca Kangogo Chesir did something even more emphatic, running 2:21:17 to rewrite the women's event record.
The finish at Málaga had almost everything a race organiser could ask for: a tight men's contest, a decisive record performance in the women's race and leading Spanish athletes with their own reasons to celebrate. On Sunday 8 November, Kenya's Simon Njuguna Waithira won the Generali Málaga Marathon in 2:08:17, only eight seconds ahead of Victor Kiplimo.
The women's result belonged to Rebeca Kangogo Chesir, also reported as Rebecca Kangogo or Cangogo. The Kenyan's 2:21:17 took more than three minutes from the race's previous women's record of 2:24:43. That deserves to be the defining performance of the day, not an afterthought beneath the men's winning time.
A revised route, with fewer turns and a flatter profile, gave runners a different Málaga to race through. But the headlines came from the athletes rather than promises about the course: the winning group had to fight for places, while Chesir pushed the women's mark into new territory.
Who finished on the Málaga Marathon podiums?
Waithira's 2:08:17 was enough to withstand Kiplimo's 2:08:25; Ethiopia's Gaddisa Tafa Dekeba followed in 2:08:55. Burundi's Thérence Bizoza and Ethiopia's Dereje Adugna Debela were next in 2:09:11 and 2:09:30. Five men under two hours and ten minutes made this a deep race.
Chesir crossed in 2:21:17. Ivyne Jeruto Lagat finished runner-up in 2:22:30, also faster than the previous event record, and Rodah Jepkorir Tanui was third in 2:24:32. The gap from the old mark was substantial; so was the quality throughout the podium.
The leading Spanish marathon performance came from Álex Jiménez, 14th overall in 2:18:13. Those home-country placings are part of the event's sporting story, just as the international victories are.
Road running · 42.195 km
Málaga Marathon
Reported 2026 Málaga Marathon results · race-day leading finish times; final organiser review pending
Men
| Pos | Athlete | Country | Finish time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simon Njuguna Waithira | KENKenya | 2:08:17 |
| 2 | Victor Kiplimo | KENKenya | 2:08:25 |
| 3 | Gaddisa Tafa Dekeba | ETHEthiopia | 2:08:55 |
Women
| Pos | Athlete | Country | Finish time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rebeca Kangogo Chesir | KENKenya | 2:21:17 |
| 2 | Ivyne Jeruto Lagat | KENKenya | 2:22:30 |
| 3 | Rodah Jepkorir Tanui | KENKenya | 2:24:32 |
Sources: EFE results report
Blanco and Campo claim the half-marathon titles
The half marathon produced important home-country winners. Jorge Blanco ran 1:03:34 to take the men's race in a reported event record, with Daniel Mateo second in 1:04:11 and John Travers third in 1:05:40.
Lidia Campo won the women's half in 1:14:21. Emma Styles and Hana Homolková followed in 1:17:58 and 1:18:47. These six athletes raced a different distance; their results deserve a classification of their own, not a single passing sentence.
Road running · 21.0975 km
Málaga Half marathon
Reported Málaga 2026 half-marathon results · leading finishers, subject to organiser confirmation
Men
| Pos | Athlete | Country | Finish time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jorge Blanco | ESPSpain | 1:03:34 |
| 2 | Daniel Mateo | ESPSpain | 1:04:11 |
| 3 | John Travers | IRLIreland | 1:05:40 |
Women
| Pos | Athlete | Country | Finish time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lidia Campo | ESPSpain | 1:14:21 |
| 2 | Emma Styles | GBRUnited Kingdom | 1:17:58 |
| 3 | Hana Homolková | CZECzechia | 1:18:47 |
Sources: EFE marathon and half marathon results
A champion with a career beyond Sunday's breakthrough
World Athletics lists the Kenyan marathoner as Rebeca Kangogo Chesir, born in 1992. Before Málaga, her published personal best for the marathon was 2:23:36 from September 2026. The new time improved that performance as well as the Málaga race record.
Her racing history extends well beyond this autumn. World Athletics also records a 1:08:21 half-marathon best from 2015, and its 2017 Rome–Ostia race report describes her among the early leaders of the women's event. Linking that history correctly is precisely why athlete identities need verification across name variants.
Sources: Rebeca Kangogo Chesir – World Athletics profile · Rebeca Kangogo Chesir – World Athletics athlete results · Málaga race day results
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Málaga Marathon?
Simon Njuguna Waithira won the men's event in 2:08:17 and Rebecca Kangogo won the women's event in 2:21:17.
What record was set at Málaga in 2026?
Rebecca Kangogo ran a women's marathon event record of 2:21:17, and Jorge Blanco's 1:03:34 was reported as a men's half-marathon race record.