Eliud Kipchoge announces third stop of his ambitious World Tour
Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 16.03.26. | 13:25
He will return to Australia for the second time in his career, having previously competed at the Sydney Marathon in 2025, where he finished ninth
Marathon great Eliud Kipchoge has confirmed he will compete at the Melbourne Marathon on Sunday, October 11, marking the third stop of his ambitious world marathon tour.
The two-time Olympic champion is undertaking a unique challenge to run seven marathons across all continents.
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Melbourne will serve as the Oceania leg of the tour as the 41-year-old continues his quest to race around the world.
Kipchoge will return to Australia for the second time in his career, having previously competed at the Sydney Marathon in 2025, where he finished ninth.
That race was his first time tackling the 42.2km distance on Australian soil and featured star attractions, including Dutch distance running star Sifan Hassan.
“Running brings people together across all borders,” Kipchoge said when confirming his participation.
“I am excited to return to Australia and experience the energy of the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival. The Australian running community is booming, and the passion I experienced here before will stay with me for a lifetime.
I saw that Australia is a real outdoor country with a big love for sports. That is why I can’t wait to come back, experience a new part of this great country, and run together with the people of Melbourne and all of Oceania,” he added.
Melbourne Marathon Festival event director Marcus Gale described Kipchoge’s participation as a major boost for the race and the broader Australian running community.
“Having Eliud Kipchoge join us at the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival is a landmark moment, not just for our event, but for the entire Australian running community.
Eliud is the greatest marathon runner of all time, and his decision to make Melbourne the official Oceania stop of his world tour is a testament to the strength and passion of our runners and the world-class experience we’ve built here.
We can’t wait to welcome him to the MCG finish line, and to share that moment with the tens of thousands of runners and spectators who make this event so special,” Gale said.
Organisers have also introduced significant adjustments to the course in a bid to make the race faster and improve logistics for the more than 60,000 participants expected across the marathon weekend.
The gradual climb along Birdwood Avenue near the Botanical Gardens has been removed, with runners now covering additional distance along the flatter Beach Road stretch.
Athletes will also run the route in the opposite direction, heading toward Elwood before returning via Port Melbourne, followed by a lap around Albert Park Lake on their way to the iconic finish at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Parts of the race will also take place along the circuit used for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, adding to the race’s unique appeal.
Kipchoge, a five-time Olympian and double Olympic marathon champion, previously held the marathon world record for more than five years before it was broken by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2023.
The Kenyan legend remains widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner in history. In 2019, he also became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours, clocking 1:59:40 during the special INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, an exhibition event that did not count as an official record.
Kipchoge’s personal best stands at 2:01:09, set when he broke the world record for the second time at the Berlin Marathon in 2022. By comparison, the Melbourne Marathon course record of 2:09:12 was set by fellow Kenyan Timothy Kiplagat Ronoh in 2022.
Before heading to Australia, Kipchoge will race in two other continents as part of his tour. He is scheduled to make his first-ever marathon appearance on African soil at the Cape Town Marathon on May 24, before travelling to South America for the Porto Alegre Marathon in Brazil on July 12.
The seven-stop challenge is expected to run over two years and could culminate in a historic final marathon in Antarctica.