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Eliud Kipchoge Wins Melbourne Marathon With Course Record at 2:09:10
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Kipchoge won Melbourne Marathon in 2:09:10, setting the course record. It was his 17th marathon victory and first since Berlin 2023.
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Kipchoge sets Melbourne mark
Eliud Kipchoge won the Melbourne Marathon in a course record of 2:09:10 on Sunday (Oct 11), taking two seconds off the 2:09:12 set by Timothy Kiplagat Ronoh in 2022. Kipchoge, the two-time Olympic champion aged 41, said, "I believe that my body is still peaking - still able to compete with the next generation," after crossing the line at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Thomas Do Canto finished second in 2:10:35, and Reece Edwards placed third, as the race finished inside the MCG after being partly raced along the Australian Formula One track at Albert Park.
Kipchoge led a three-man group through halfway in 64:18, then made his winning move a little before 27km and ran the final 15km alone. Camille French won the women’s race in 2:28:25, with Sinead Diver second in 2:28:49 and Nichola Sheridan third in 2:29:13.
A message to the next
Kipchoge celebrated at the MCG boundary fence and told reporters, "The crowd is so wonderful – I’ve never seen a crowd like this," as he waved on the half-lap inside the stadium. Kipchoge added, "I believe that my body is still peaking – still able to compete with the next generation," and said he was happy to run with the Gen Zs. Jimmy Whelan stayed with Kipchoge until about 30km, and Kipchoge then increased the pace after 30km to see whether he could beat the race record.
Kipchoge described the course as different because it combined the Formula One track with a finish on a cricket ground, and he said, "It was actually different - running on a beautiful course, but also running on the Formula One track". The Melbourne Marathon was the third leg on Kipchoge’s world tour, in which he hopes to run a marathon on all seven continents, including Antarctica, over two years.
Tour, course changes, and next stops
Race organizers rebuilt the course for this year by cutting about 20 percent of the total climbing, taking out the hill near 36K, and reducing the number of turns. The course changes were designed to make the route faster and smoother, with the organizers removing the long climb around the 36th kilometer and reducing the number of turns. Kipchoge’s world tour now moves on to Europe, North America, Asia and Antarctica, with all four stops planned for 2027, after Melbourne became the first race on the tour he has won.
Kipchoge said he wanted to "run a beautiful race," and he also said, "I come here to win, I come here to inspire people, I come here to tell people to come out of their homes and run," in the days before the start. The Melbourne Marathon finished with a half-lap inside the MCG, and Kipchoge used the final lap to wave to the stands before the finish.