Kipchoge Ends Three-Year Marathon Wait With Record Melbourne Win

Kenyan marathon great Eliud Kipchoge has returned to the top of the podium, winning the Melbourne Marathon in a course-record time of 2:09:10 at the age of 41.

The two-time Olympic champion broke away from the leading group in the final 10 kilometres of Sunday’s race, held on the 11th of October, 2026. His time was two seconds faster than the previous course record of 2:09:12, set by compatriot Timothy Kiplagat Ronoh in 2022.

The Melbourne win was Kipchoge’s first marathon victory since the Berlin Marathon in September 2023, and the 17th of his career over the distance. It also marked his debut in the Melbourne race.

Kipchoge celebrated with the crowd at the finish inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where he waved to spectators before completing the final lap. After the race, he said his body was “still peaking” and described the course as a special place to run.

At 41, Kipchoge remains one of the most decorated distance runners in history. He won Olympic marathon gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and previously held the men’s marathon world record. His Melbourne performance showed that he can still compete at the highest level, despite a three-year gap since his last marathon victory.

The race also fits into Kipchoge’s broader World Tour project: a plan to run marathons on all seven continents, including Antarctica, over two years. Melbourne was another stop on that journey.

Kipchoge’s record run added a high-profile chapter to the Melbourne Marathon, with the Kenyan taking two seconds off the previous mark on a redesigned course described as flatter and less winding. His victory brought international attention to the event and renewed focus on his enduring career.

For Kipchoge, the result was more than a return to winning: it was a reminder that experience, discipline and patience can still deliver extraordinary performances in distance running.

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