The 41-year-old completed the 42.2-kilometre race in two hours, nine minutes and 10 seconds, beating the previous record by two seconds.
The emphatic victory marked Kipchoge’s first marathon win in three years and added another milestone to a career widely regarded as one of the greatest in long-distance running.
Speaking after the race, Kipchoge said: “Today was such a special day, not only running my third World Tour, but also winning in a new race record.
‘It makes me proud to run’
“It makes me proud to run with the younger generation and inspire the running community in Melbourne. Today was about more than sport.
“It was about the energy of the city, the huge support along the race route, running alongside so many other runners, and a stunning finish at the MCG. No words can describe that feeling. Thank you, Melbourne.”
Kipchoge is the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion, and was the world record holder in the marathon from 2018 to 2023, until that record was broken by the late Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
He is widely considered to be one of the greatest marathon runners of all time. Kipchoge claimed his first individual world championship title in 2003 by winning the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships and setting a world junior record for the 5000m.
At the age of eighteen, he became the senior 5000m world champion at the 2003 World Championships with a championship record, then followed by an Olympic bronze for Kenya in 2004 and a bronze at the 2006 World Indoor Championships.
A five-time World Championship 5000m finalist, Kipchoge took silver medals at the 2007 World Championships, 2008 Beijing Olympics, and 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Kipruto, Lokedi for Chicago Marathon
Meanwhile, 2022 London Marathon champion Amos Kipruto, former women’s marathon world record-holder Brigid Kosgei and two-time Boston Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi will be in the spotlight on Sunday as they spearhead Kenya’s charge for honours at the Chicago Marathon.
Kipruto will be hoping to finally land his maiden Chicago Marathon title after two successive podium finishes in the American city.
In 2024, he made his Chicago debut with a third-place finish after clocking 2:04:50. That race saw his compatriot John Korir storm to victory in 2:02:44, while Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa settled for second place in 2:04:39.
At last year’s edition, Kipruto improved on his debut performance, climbing one place higher to finish second in 2:03:54, behind Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, who stormed to victory in 2:02:23.
Alex Masai completed the all-African podium after clocking 2:04:37. Kipruto heads to Chicago buoyed by a strong 2026 campaign. He opened his season on April 26 at the London Marathon, where he narrowly missed out on a podium finish, settling for fourth place in 2:01:39.
The race, however, belonged to his training partner Sabastian Sawe, who stole the headlines by shattering the men’s marathon world record and becoming the first man in history to break the two-hour barrier in an officially recognised marathon, clocking 1:59:30.
Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha also dipped under the two-hour mark, finishing second in 1:59:41, while Kiplimo completed the podium in 2:00:28.
Following his exploits on the streets of London, Kipruto briefly switched his focus to the track, lining up in the men’s 5,000m at the National Police Service (NPS) Track and Field Championships on May 20, where he finished fourth in 14:02.12.
Andrew Alamisi won the race in 13:49.98, ahead of Stephen Kipkech, who clocked 13:55.22, and Naibei Mayebei, who completed the top three in 13:57.01. Kipruto will be joined by fellow Kenyans Daniel Mateiko and Masai.
In the women’s race, Lokedi will be making her maiden appearance on the streets of Chicago. Although she is unfamiliar with the Chicago course, Lokedi boasts vast experience competing in major marathons on American soil.
Her impressive resume includes back-to-back Boston Marathon titles in 2025 and 2026, the 2022 New York City Marathon crown, as well as runner-up finishes in Boston in 2024 and New York in 2025.
Lokedi arrives in Chicago in strong road-racing form this year. She opened her campaign with a second-place finish at the New York Half Marathon in 1:07:10 before successfully defending her Boston Marathon crown in 2:18:51.
Kosgei returns to a course where she produced one of the most remarkable performances in marathon history, smashing the women’s world record at the 2019 Chicago Marathon.
