Eliud Kipchoge wins Melbourne Marathon in 2:09:10, breaks course record

Eliud Kipchoge won the Melbourne Marathon at the MCG on Sunday, October 11, 2026, finishing in 2:09:10 to beat the previous race record by two seconds; it was his first marathon victory in three years.

The 41-year-old Kenyan made his Melbourne debut and drew a large crowd at the MCG, delighting thousands of fans and marking his second visit to Australia after finishing ninth in the 2025 Sydney Marathon. Kipchoge is a two-time Olympic champion and former world record-holder, and he spent extended time with supporters and media after the finish.

Jimmy Whelan, a former Australian professional cyclist, remained with Kipchoge until about 30km before the Kenyan accelerated and pulled clear, with Kipchoge saying, "I [increased] the pace after 30km, to see whether I can run well and beat the [race record]. My plan went well." He crossed the line in 2:09:10, two seconds quicker than the old race mark, and could have been a few seconds faster but waved to the crowd on the half-lap inside the MCG.

Kipchoge then spent well over half an hour celebrating with fans along the MCG boundary fence, was mobbed by media at the finish and took the post-race attention in his stride. On the atmosphere, he said: "The crowd is so wonderful – I’ve never seen a crowd like this." He also told reporters, "I believe that my body is still peaking – still able to compete with the next generation. The oldest athlete is still competing but I am happy to run with the gen Zs."

Australia's Thomas Do Canto finished second in 2:10:35 and Whelan placed fifth. In the women's race New Zealand's Camille French won in 2:28:25 with Australia's Sinead Diver next in 2:28.49, while the half-marathon titles went to Australia's Seth O'Donnell and New Zealander Georgie Gregec.

Kipchoge said he had undertaken community work while in Melbourne and praised the city's sporting heritage, adding: "The experience is awesome – the culture of Melbourne is wonderful. The last four days, I’ve seen myself, sport can do wonder. It was four-in-one – with the tennis, finishing at the cricket, the Olympics were here in 1956, running on the Formula One track. "I will come back to Melbourne to watch the tennis, the Formula One next year, to see people of Melbourne playing cricket. This is the best track ever."

Earlier on Sunday a woman was taken to hospital after being struck by a car near Flinders Street station, about 200 metres from the marathon route; reports suggest police officers in the vicinity drew their weapons after the car, which was seen driving erratically, hit the woman at about 10.45am before performing a U-turn and driving away. The woman was taken to Royal Melbourne hospital and her condition is not known.

The Melbourne race formed the third leg of Kipchoge's world tour, a programme in which he will run a marathon on each continent, including Antarctica.