Written by RT Johno
The greatest marathon runner in history is returning to Australia. Eliud Kipchoge has confirmed he will race the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival in October 2026, making it the Oceania leg of his ambitious seven continent marathon world tour.
The GOAT Comes to Melbourne
Eliud Kipchoge, the 41 year old Kenyan icon who has redefined the boundaries of marathon running, will line up at the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival this October. The announcement makes Melbourne the third stop on Kipchoge’s world tour, a project that aims to see him complete a marathon on every continent.
It marks his second visit to Australian soil. Kipchoge raced the 42.2 km distance in Australia for the first time last year at the Sydney Marathon, which was staging its inaugural edition as a World Marathon Major. He lined up alongside Dutch superstar Sifan Hassan in what was a landmark moment for Australian distance running.
“Running brings people together across all borders,” Kipchoge said in a statement. “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.”
A Career Without Equal
Kipchoge’s resume reads like fiction. Born on 5 November 1984 in Kapsisiywa, Kenya, he burst onto the global stage as a teenager, winning the 5000m world championship title in Paris in 2003 at just 18 years old, defeating the legendary Hicham El Guerrouj and Kenenisa Bekele in the process.
His transition to the marathon was seamless and historic. The highlights are staggering:
Olympic Gold: Berlin 2024 and Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021), making him a two time Olympic marathon champion.
World Record: 2:01:09, set at the Berlin Marathon on 25 September 2022, a mark he held for just over a year before the late Kelvin Kiptum ran 2:00:35 in Chicago.
Sub Two Hours: The INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna on 12 October 2019, where Kipchoge ran 1:59:40 to become the only human to break the two hour marathon barrier. The time did not count as an official world record due to the use of rotating pacemakers and a pace car, but it remains one of the most extraordinary athletic achievements in history.
Marathon Wins: London (four times), Berlin (four times), Chicago, Tokyo, Hamburg, and Rotterdam among others. At his peak, Kipchoge won 10 consecutive marathons across a seven year stretch.
His 5000m personal best of 12:55.72 and a world championship silver medal at the 2007 Worlds in Osaka underscore the pure speed that underpinned his marathon dominance.
The World Tour
Kipchoge’s seven continent marathon world tour represents a new chapter for the veteran. Having already competed on multiple continents throughout his career, the tour formalises his ambition to leave footprints in every corner of the globe. Melbourne becomes the Oceania stop, following earlier legs of the tour.
At 41, Kipchoge is no longer chasing world records. His last years of competitive racing have seen results that, by his own extraordinary standards, were disappointing. He finished outside the top places at the Paris 2024 Olympics marathon and struggled at the 2024 Berlin Marathon. But records and placings are no longer the point. Kipchoge’s world tour is about legacy, about inspiring runners on every continent, about celebrating the sport he has given everything to.
A New Course for Melbourne
Kipchoge will be greeted by a revamped Melbourne Marathon course. Event organisers recently announced significant route changes designed to produce faster times. The gradual hill on Birdwood Avenue around the Botanical Gardens has been removed, replaced with extra distance along the flat surface of Beach Road.
Athletes will also run in the opposite direction along Beach Road, heading towards Elwood first before returning to Port Melbourne, then completing a lap of Albert Park Lake on the way back to St Kilda Road and the MCG finish line. It is the biggest course change in two decades.
Melbourne Marathon Festival event director Marcus Gale described the announcement as a landmark moment.
“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,” Gale said.
“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.”
What It Means for Australian Running
The Australian running community has exploded in recent years. Marathon participation is at all time highs. The Sydney Marathon’s elevation to World Marathon Major status in 2025 signalled that Australia is now a serious player on the global marathon circuit. Kipchoge’s decision to return, this time to Melbourne, reinforces that status.
For the tens of thousands of runners who will share the Melbourne course with Kipchoge in October, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to run alongside the greatest marathoner who has ever lived. No exaggeration required.
Key Details
Event: Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival
Date: October 2026
Location: Melbourne, VIC (MCG finish line)
Kipchoge’s PB: 2:01:09 (Berlin, 2022)
Olympic Golds: Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024
Sub 2:00 barrier: 1:59:40 (INEOS 1:59 Challenge, Vienna, 2019)
World Tour stop: 3rd of 7 (Oceania)