Melbourne Marathon

Melbourne Marathon
Melbourne Marathon in 2013 at Princes Bridge
DateOctober
LocationMelbourne, Australia
Event typeRoad
DistanceMarathon
Primary sponsorNike
Established1978 (48 years ago) (1978)
Course recordsMen's: 2:09:10 (2026)
Kenya Eliud Kipchoge
Women's: 2:25:19 (2018)
Australia Sinead Diver
Official siteMelbourne Marathon
Participants17717 (2026)

The Melbourne Marathon is an annual marathon that has taken place in Melbourne, Australia since 1978. It is the main race within the Melbourne Marathon Festival. The race starts at Batman Avenue and ends at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, going through the South of Melbourne over the traditional 42.195 km marathon distance. A total of 3328 competitors completed the 2008 race. Another 17,000 people participated in Half Marathon (21.1 km), 10 

The 2019 running of the marathon saw an Australian record of 7037 finishers, 1880 of whom were female (27%). In 1978 approximately 4% of the 1947 finishers were female.

The 2020 event was cancelled on 9 September due to the COVID-19 crisis. A virtual marathon was run for the period 5 to 13 December.

In September 2021 it was decided to postpone the 2021 event until 11 and 12 December. The marathon and half marathon were run on Sunday the 12th, starting an hour earlier to escape the heat. The shorter events were held on the afternoon of Saturday the 11th.

The 2022 event returned to October with all events being run on Sunday. There were 6215 finishers in the marathon.

The marathon was owned by IMG from 2006 until 2025, when ownership was transferred to MARI.

Course

A variety of different courses have been used for the Melbourne Marathon. Since 2007 the event has started near the MCG and finished with a lap of the ground. The predominantly flat marathon course goes through scenic areas of Melbourne.

The 2026 course started at Batman Avenue, travelling South through St Kilda Road, going through St Kilda and around Albert Park Lake, before looping back to finish close to the start at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is normally run on the second Sunday in October.[citation needed]

Past winners

Key:   Course record   Country's championship race

Edition Year Men's winner Time (h:m:s) Women's winner Time (h:m:s)
1st 1978 Bill Scott (AUS)2:21:04  Elizabeth Richards-Hassall (AUS)2:53:38
2nd 1979 Andrew Lloyd (AUS)2:26:44  Jane Kuchins (AUS)3:12:35
3rd 1980 Andrew Lloyd (AUS)2:17:37  Rosemary Longstaff (AUS)2:46:16
4th 1981 Andrew Lloyd (AUS)2:19:03  Jackie Turney-Cook (AUS)2:42:12
5th 1982 Bill Rodgers (USA)2:11:08  Sue King (USA)2:37:57
6th 1983 Juma Ikangaa (TAN)2:13:15  Rhonda Mallinder (AUS)2:37:56
7th 1984 Juma Ikangaa (TAN)2:15:31  Margaret Reddan (AUS)2:43:40
8th 1985 Fred van der Vennet (BEL)2:12:35  Margaret Reddan (AUS)2:44:56
9th 1986 Richard Umberg (SUI)2:17:21  Tani Ruckle (AUS)2:36:06
10th 1987 Ric Sayre (USA)2:14:16  Jackie Turney-Cook (AUS)2:44:18
11th 1988 Thomas Hughes (IRL)2:18:14  Coral Farr (AUS)2:47:38
12th 1989 Takeshi So (JPN)2:18:13  Colleen Stephens (AUS)2:49:18
13th 1990 Russell Foley (AUS)2:20:35  Alevtina Chasova (URS)2:39:00
14th 1991 Victor Muzgovoi (URS)2:17:02  Irina Petrova (URS)2:39:57
15th 1992 Sławomir Gurny (POL)2:16:04†  Alena Peterková (TCH)2:33:02†
16th 1993 Jerry Modiga (RSA)2:15:07  Dominique Rembert (FRA)2:44:22
17th 1994 Manabu Kawagoe (JPN)2:19:02  Winnie Ng (HKG)2:47:37
18th 1995 Osamu Monoe (JPN)2:17:19  Lynn Clayton (AUS)2:38:50
19th 1996 Zerhun Gizaw (ETH)2:22:40  Sylvia Rose (AUS)2:41:53
20th 1997 Greg Lyons (AUS)2:15:49  Tracey Newton (AUS)2:48:32
21st 1998 Daniel Radebe (RSA)2:12:48  Sherryn Rhodes (AUS)2:37:56
22nd 1999 Michael McIntyre (AUS)2:25:04  Susan Hobson (AUS)2:33:27
23rd 2000 Jamie Harrison (AUS)2:25:53  Nelly Marmy-Conus (AUS)2:49:22
24th 2001 Todd Ingraham (AUS)2:23:58  Samantha Hughes (AUS)2:39:44
25th 2002 Phillip Sly (AUS)2:22:28  Sherryn Rhodes (AUS)2:47:08
26th 2003 Magnus Michelsson (AUS)2:14:00  Loretta McGrath (AUS)2:49:01
27th 2004 Magnus Michelsson (AUS)2:26:51  Billinda Schipp (AUS)2:54:01
28th 2005 Nick Harrison (AUS)2:23:30  Sherryn Rhodes (AUS)2:50:35
29th 2006 Kazunari Suzuki (JPN)2:23:43  Karen Natoli-Barlow (AUS)2:53:06
30th 2007 Rowan Walker (AUS)2:19:16  Hanny Allston (AUS)2:40:34
31st 2008 Asnake Fikadu (ETH)2:17:43  Mai Tagami (JPN)2:38:16
32nd 2009 Asnake Fikadu (ETH) 2:17:32 Lisa Flint (AUS)2:34:08
33rd 2010 Japhet Kipkorir (KEN)2:11:04  Mulu Seboka (ETH)2:32:20
34th 2011 Japhet Kipkorir (KEN)2:11:12  Irene Mogaka (KEN)2:35:12
35th 2012 Jonathan Chesoo (KEN)2:12:35  Lauren Shelley (AUS)2:36:29
36th 2013 Dominic Ondoro (KEN)2:10:47  Lisa Weightman (AUS)2:26:05
37th 2014 Dominic Ondoro (KEN)2:11:30  Nikki Chapple (AUS)2:31:05
38th 2015 Brad Milosevic (AUS)2:16:00  Jessica Trengove (AUS)2:27:45
39th 2016 Thomas Do Canto (AUS)2:20:53  Virginia Moloney (AUS)2:34:27
40th 2017 Isaac Birir (KEN)2:14:08  Celia Sullohern (AUS)2:29:27
41st 2018 Liam Adams (AUS)2:15:13  Sinead Diver (AUS)2:25:19
42nd 2019 Isaac Birir (KEN)2:16:31  Naomi Maiyo (KEN)2:35:34
2020postponed due to coronavirus pandemic
43rd 2021 Brett Robinson (AUS)2:14:33  Milly Clark (AUS)2:26:59
44th 2022  Timothy Kiplagat Ronoh (KEN) 2:09:12  Beatrice Cheptoo (KEN) 2:27:58
45th 2023  Reece Edwards (AUS) 2:14:35  Gemma Maini (AUS) 2:35:26
46th 2024  Jack Rayner (AUS) 2:11:49  Genevieve Gregson (AUS) 2:28:13
47th 2025  Jack Rayner (AUS) 2:15:02  Caitlin Adams (AUS) 2:30.26
48th 2026  Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:09:10  Camille French (NZL) 2:28.25

Spartans

Qualification

Spartans are runners who have completed 10 or more Melbourne Marathons and are recognised today by their distinctive green, gold, red, maroon or navy running singlets. Every Spartan has their own personalised race number. The singlet is worn with pride by all Spartans as a sign of their dedication to marathon running and the Melbourne Marathon in particular. Club records reflect over 1400 males and 150 females who have qualified as Spartans. Most come from Victoria but there are many from other states with at least two from Japan.

Legends and Hall of Fame members

Spartan Legends prior to the 2007 Melbourne Marathon

Spartan Legends are a select group of runners who have completed every Melbourne Marathon since the beginning. After the 45th running there were three remaining Spartan Legends. Runners who have completed at least 30 marathons are eligible for the Melbourne Marathon Hall of Fame. The runners marked with an asterisk in the following list completed the first 30 marathons.

Name Completed runs
Jim Hopkins 46
Peter Battrick * 37
Frank Biviano * 40
John Dobson 45
David Foskey 45
Neville Gardner * 41
Bruce Hargreaves 43
Manuel Karageorgiou * (deceased) 39
Peter Ryan * 37
Wayne Thompson 45
Roger Weinstein 43
Ian Campbell 42
Bryan Flegg 41
Chas Harcoan 44
Antony Martin 37
Dennis Nish 41
Richard Tann 37
Ken Bowes 40
Laurie Glover (deceased) 34
Conor McNeice 34
John Burt 35
John Dean * 33
Brian Gawne 32
Grayson Summers 42
Carlo Iovenitti (deceased) 37
Steven Lightowler 40
Jack Gubbins (deceased) * 30
Keith Hunter 30
Brian Walsh 34
Clarke Whitehand 30
Shirley Young (deceased) * 30
Hugh Creamer 33
Russell Harris 34
Con Zanetidis 36
Stephen Barker 36
John Kaparelis 34
Brett Thiele 32
Jim Yatomi-Clarke 34
Andy Moore 36
Peter Moore (deceased) 31
Duncan Bartley 34
Lorraine Allen 34
Eric Heine 34
Francis Kaszmarek 31
Trevor Marsh 31
Greg Payne 31
Jay Fleming 31
Ken Watt 31
Clarke Whitehand 31
Greg Moore 32

Wheelchair Spartans

The Melbourne Marathon has always included wheelchair entrants. Two have attained Spartan status: Dean Callow who has completed 12 and Ian Gainey who has now completed 31 races and was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2022 Annual General Meeting.

References

  1. ↑ By George, it's time to get fit for the Melbourne Marathon![link removed]
  2. ↑ MARI Group Portfolio
  3. ↑ "Nike Melbourne Marathon". Melbourne Marathon. Archived from the original on 19 August 2026. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  4. ↑ Results: Melbourne Marathon Festival 2021. (11 December 2021). Watch Athletics. Retrieved 21 December 2021, from https://www.watchathletics.com/page/2735/results-melbourne-marathon-festival-2021
  5. ↑ Results: Melbourne Marathon Festival 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022, from https://www.multisportaustralia.com.au/races/melbourne-marathon-2022
  6. ↑ Results: Melbourne Marathon Festival 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2025, from https://www.multisportaustralia.com.au/races/melbourne-marathon-2024
  7. ↑ Results: Melbourne Marathon Festival 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025, from https://www.multisportaustralia.com.au/races/melbourne-marathon-2025
List of winners