KARACHI: Pakistani runners have turned the streets of Cape Town into a key chapter in the country’s burgeoning marathon movement as Karachi’s Faisal Shafi and British Pakistani Huma Rehman claimed the eighth star in the 2026 Cape Town Marathon.

Set against the backdrop of Table Mountain, the Pakistani team delivered a memorable collective performance on the global marathon stage.

More than 27,000 runners took part in the event, but for Pakistan’s marathon community, the spotlight was on a small group representing the country in the world’s most scenic marathon training.

Karachi-based Faisal Shafi emerged as the mastermind. Completing the 42.195-kilometer race in 3:35:37, he became the first Pakistan-based runner to complete eight world marathon stars, considered one of the rare feats in recreational endurance running.

“This is my eighth star,” Shafi said Jio News After crossing the finish line. “The eighth major was actually scheduled to take place in Cape Town last year, but the marathon was canceled due to bad weather.”

The Cape Town Marathon is in the running for Abbott World Marathon Major status. Organizers announced before the race that each finisher would receive a temporary Major star, similar to Sydney’s route before officially becoming a Major.

Once Cape Town passes its final rating and joins the Elite Series, the Provisional Star automatically becomes a fully recognized Major Star.

If approved, Cape Town will become the first African race to join the prestigious series, joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York and Sydney.

For Shafie, this achievement has significance beyond personal success.

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

Shafie crossed the halfway point in 1:39:56 and maintained a decent pace through the opening 30km, with the demanding latter stages testing the field.

While Shafi produced Pakistan’s title moment, British Pakistani runner Huma Rehman delivered one of the strongest performances among participants of Pakistani origin. He finished the race in 3:31:34, ahead of Shafie overall to become the first British Pakistani runner to reach the eighth world star milestone.

His race displayed remarkable rhythm and consistency. After covering 5km in 25:52, Huma steadily accelerated and crossed the halfway point in 1:46:43 in 51:36 for 10km and 1:16:45 for 15km. He maintained a similar pace deep into the later stages, reaching 30km in 2:30:52, 35km in 2:56:08 and 40km in 3:20:53.

The Pakistani and overseas Pakistani community had five representatives at the marathon. Karachi’s Hina Shaukat clocked a personal-best of 4:31:23, while Lahore runner Amina Sibtain completed her first marathon in 4:44:51. Kashib Zulfikar crossed the line a few minutes later in 4:44:54.

Hina described the Cape Town Marathon as the proudest end of her running career.

“It was my third marathon and I managed to shave 40 minutes off my personal best,” he said.

“My family was at the finish line and they made it extra special. The photos didn’t look fast, but the clock sure did. It was, without a doubt, my proudest finish yet.”

Beyond the results, the race symbolized the steady rise of marathon culture in Pakistan. Community-run events in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore have grown rapidly in recent years, and Shafie hopes milestones like Cape Town will inspire more people to embrace marathon running.

“God willing, now more people will be attracted to marathon running,” he said. “I am confident that the sport will continue to grow in Pakistan, just like the one-run event that took place in Karachi recently.”

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