At 41 years old, long-distance running icon Eliud Kipchoge has defied age expectations once again, clinching victory at the 2025 Melbourne Marathon and setting a new course record, as the two-time Olympic champion says his athletic career is far from over.
The Kenyan running great crossed the finish line with an official time of 2 hours 9 minutes and 10 seconds, securing his 17th career marathon win and his first major victory since the 2023 Berlin Marathon. This win also marks his 12th victory at a World Marathon Major, extending his own record for the most titles at the elite level of the sport.
In post-race comments, Kipchoge expressed unwavering confidence in his continuing ability to compete at the highest level against a new generation of runners. “I believe that my body is still peaking – still able to compete with the next generation,” he said. “The oldest athlete is still competing but I am happy to run with the Gen Zs.”
The 2025 Melbourne Marathon course offered a unique scenic experience for competitors: a portion of the route ran along Albert Park, the home of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix, with the final stretch and finish line located inside the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), one of Australia’s most iconic sporting venues. Kipchoge stopped to greet and wave to cheering fans packed into the MCG, clearly soaking in the warm energy of the crowd.
“On the course, it was really wonderful, I enjoyed seeing people standing, cheering, and shouting my name,” Kipchoge added. “It was actually different – running on a beautiful course, but also running on the Formula One track, and above all else, finishing on a cricket ground. It makes me proud to run with the younger generation and inspire the running community in Melbourne.”
On the men’s side, Australian runner Thomas do Canto took second place with a time of 2:10:35, while his compatriot Reece Edwards claimed the third spot on the podium. In the women’s competition, New Zealand’s Camille French secured the win in 2:28:25, followed by Australia’s Sinead Diver in second and Ireland’s Nichola Sheridan in third.
This Melbourne race is the third stop on Kipchoge’s ambitious two-year seven-continent marathon world tour, a project that will see him run a full marathon on every continent, including Antarctica, before the tour wraps up. Beyond athletic achievement, the tour carries a philanthropic mission: every race on the itinerary raises funds for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, which works to expand access to education, advance environmental sustainability, and improve public health outcomes for marginalized communities.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest long-distance runners in human history, Kipchoge’s legacy is unmatched in modern distance running. He has claimed two Olympic marathon gold medals, plus a silver and bronze in the Olympic 5000m event, a world marathon title, two official world records, and now 12 World Marathon Major victories. In 2019, Kipchoge made global sporting history when he became the first person ever to run a marathon in under two hours, clocking an unofficial time of 1:59:40 in a specially organized event in Vienna, Austria.