Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge has declared that his body is “still peaking” after setting a course record at the Melbourne Marathon at the age of 41.
The Kenyan crossed the finish line in 2:09:10 to claim his 17th career marathon victory and his first win over the distance since the Berlin Marathon in 2023.
Kipchoge’s performance underlined his determination to remain competitive against a younger generation of runners, even as he pursues a new challenge away from the traditional marathon circuit.
“I believe that my body is still peaking ; still able to compete with the next generation,” Kipchoge said.
“The oldest athlete is still competing but I am happy to run with the Gen Zs.”
The race offered a distinctive setting, with part of the course running along Melbourne’s Albert Park Formula One circuit before finishing inside the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Kipchoge said the atmosphere and the opportunity to finish inside the famous cricket venue made the experience particularly memorable.
“On the course, it was really wonderful. I enjoyed seeing people standing, cheering, and shouting my name,” he said.
The Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival brings together elite athletes, recreational runners and participants of different ages and abilities for a major running event in Melbourne. The 2026 festival is expected to attract approximately 66,000 participants across all events over two days, including 20,000 runners in the full marathon. The festival features multiple distances, with participants finishing inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). (Photo by Ye Myo Khant/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
He added that the combination of the motor-racing circuit and the cricket ground made the event different from the marathons he has contested throughout his career.
Australian Thomas Do Canto finished second in 2:10:35, while compatriot Reece Edwards took third place.
New Zealand’s Camille French won the women’s race in 2:28:25, ahead of Australia’s Sinead Diver and Ireland’s Nichola Sheridan.
The Melbourne race was the third stop on Kipchoge’s global marathon tour, an ambitious project aimed at completing a marathon on all seven continents, including Antarctica, over two years.
Each race is intended to raise funds for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, which supports initiatives in education, environmental sustainability and health.
Kipchoge remains one of distance running’s most decorated athletes. He won Olympic marathon gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, claimed a world championship title and secured 12 World Marathon Major victories.
He also made history in Vienna in 2019 when he became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours, recording 1:59:40 under specially arranged conditions. The performance was not recognised as an official world record.
At 41, Kipchoge’s latest victory adds another milestone to a career that continues to inspire runners beyond the elite level.
