Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, 41, wins Melbourne Marathon in course record

The two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge won the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival in Australia on 11 October 2026 in a course record of 2:09:10, Capital FM reported. It is his first marathon victory since the Berlin Marathon in 2023.

The previous course record was 2:09:12, set by Kenya's Timothy Kiplagat Ronoh in 2022. ABC News reported that Kipchoge, 41, beat the old mark by two seconds. Australia's Thomas Do Canto was second in 2:10:35 and his compatriot Reece Edwards third. Kipchoge finished inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Kipchoge led a three-man group through halfway in 64:18, and Do Canto fell back around the 22km mark, according to a press release from the DSM-Firmenich Running Team published by the US running site Run Blog Run. Kipchoge made his winning move shortly before 27km, opened a gap on the Australian James Whelan and ran the final 15km alone.

Kipchoge waved to the crowd on the final half-lap inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground and would otherwise have finished a few seconds quicker.

Organisers changed the marathon route for 2026. The running website Marathon Handbook reported in April a 20 per cent reduction in total elevation, the 36km climb removed and fewer turns.

"Today was such a special day, not only running my third World Tour, but also winning a new race record," Kipchoge said in the release. After the race he said: "I believe that my body is still peaking, still able to compete with the next generation."

Kipchoge won Olympic marathon gold in Rio in 2016 and in Tokyo, where the Games were held in 2021, The Star reported. He held the marathon world record from 2018 to 2023; his personal best of 2:01:09 was set at the Berlin Marathon on 25 September 2022. In 2019 he became the first man to run a marathon under two hours in the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, a run that did not count as an official world record. At Berlin in September 2023 he won in 2:02:42, his fifth title there.

He had not won a marathon since. He finished 10th in Tokyo in March 2024 in 2:06:50, did not finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics and was sixth in London on 27 April 2025 in 2:05:25.

On 11 October President William Ruto praised Kipchoge as one of the greatest marathon runners ever. Ruto said the win was "an inspiration to all". Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano thanked him for "flying Kenya's flag high across the globe". Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said: "We could not be prouder of you as a nation."

Melbourne was the third stop on his world tour of seven marathons on seven continents over two years. He finished 16th in 2:13:29 at the Cape Town Marathon on 24 May, his first marathon in Africa, and 12th in 2:18:42 at Porto Alegre in Brazil on 12 July. The release called Melbourne his 17th marathon win.

As of April, the remaining four stops were expected in 2027 and no dates had been announced.