Eliud Kipchoge sets Melbourne Marathon race record
Australia’s Thomas Do Canto finished second, while New Zealand’s Camille French won the women’s race.
Eliud Kipchoge won his first Melbourne Marathon in record time, completing the 42.2km race in two hours, nine minutes and 10 seconds. The Kenyan runner lowered the event’s previous best by two seconds, finishing at the MCG.
The two-time Olympic champion pulled clear with less than 10km remaining. Several thousand spectators were at the MCG, where he waved to the crowd during the final half-lap before reaching the finish line.
Thomas Do Canto took second place with a time of 2:10:35. In the women’s event, Camille French finished first in 2:28:25.
Kipchoge, 41, is a former world record holder whose previous marathon victory came in 2023. He spent several minutes with fans near the MCG boundary after finishing. His second Australian visit forms part of a world tour involving a marathon on each of the seven continents, with Antarctica among the destinations.
