Eliud Kipchoge wins Melbourne Marathon and breaks race record

Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge won the Melbourne Marathon on Sunday in a race record time of two hours, nine minutes and 10 seconds. The Guardian, RunBlogRun, and FTMQ News all reported his winning time, which broke the previous race record by two seconds on a new course. The Japan Times also reported that the victory was the first marathon win for the 41-year-old athlete since 2023. [1][2][3][8]

Thousands of supporters cheered Kipchoge as he finished the race at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. According to the Guardian, former Australian professional cyclist Jimmy Whelan ran alongside the two-time Olympic champion for much of the course before Kipchoge pulled ahead to secure the victory. [1]

The win marks the 17th marathon victory for Kipchoge, Athletics Illustrated reported. As FTMQ News reported earlier, the event took place on the same day an unrelated police incident occurred near the marathon route at Flinders Street Station, where a vehicle struck a pedestrian and fled. [4][8]

Kipchoge is a former world record-holder who won consecutive Olympic marathon gold medals in 2016 and 2020. Before transitioning to marathons in 2013, he competed as a 5,000-meter track specialist, earning an Olympic bronze medal in 2004 and a silver medal in 2008. [6][7]

Speaking after his victory in Melbourne, Kipchoge declared that his body is still peaking and expressed his happiness to keep competing against younger runners. [1]