The Panamanian runner Jorge Castelblanco conquered the CAF Marathon 2026 with a record. The tenth edition of this sporting event brought together 10,000 runners and was highlighted by the breaking of three national records in the male, female, and reduced mobility categories.
In the female category, the Mexican Yeni Hernández was crowned champion after timing 02:30:13, also establishing a new mark for the competition.
Performance in Half Marathon and 21K categories
The 21K distance showed an absolute dominance of local athletes in the conventional category. In the 42K male category, the podium led by Castelblanco was completed by Venezuelan José Antonio Reyes (02:20:33) in second place and Ecuadorian Fernando Moreno (02:20:44) in third. In the 21K reduced mobility category, the Costa Rican Laurens Molina took the victory with 00:52:19.
In the female 42K category, the Ecuadorian Silvia Ortiz dominated, reaching the finish line with a record time of 02:33:55, followed by the Peruvian Deysi Castro (02:35:05) and the Argentine Natacha Castaño (02:45:18). The performance in reduced mobility also marked significant milestones. The Venezuelan Juan Valladares won for the third consecutive year with a record time of 01:45:29.
Strategic alliances and organization
The 2026 edition had the backing of sponsors such as Mercantil, Nestlé, and Movistar, in addition to Gatorade as the official hydration. The event guaranteed technical assistance with support points from Tu Gruero and muscle recovery zones managed by Dencorub, consolidating a logistics that allowed the success of runners from nearly 25 countries.
