In its first year as a Abbott World Marathon Major, the Sydney Marathon has landed a big fish for its elite field. Eliud Kipchoge, the former world record holder in the marathon and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, will line up for the race on Sunday 31 August, organisers announced on Thursday (13 March).
Kipchoge, 40, adds the Australian event to his 2025 race schedule, which also includes the London Marathon on Sunday 27 April.
‘Having [Kipchoge] race the Sydney Marathon in its first year as an Abbott World Marathon Major is a dream come true,’ said Sydney race director Wayne Larden in a press release. ‘His presence will elevate the event to new heights, bringing an unprecedented level of excitement, prestige and global attention.’
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2024 was a tough year for Kipchoge, who many consider the greatest marathoner of all time. That March, at the Tokyo Marathon, he went out hot but faded in the second half, finishing 10th in 2:06:50 – his lowest placing at a marathon in his career. Then, at the Olympic marathon in Paris, he was gapped by the lead pack after nine miles and dropped out at around mile 19, ultimately citing ‘waist pain’.
Kipchoge’s decision to race Sydney makes sense. In the past, he’s expressed his desire to race – and win – all of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. (So far, he’s won all but Boston and New York City. He’s never raced the latter.) With Sydney being announced as the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major last autumn, Kipchoge has a chance to race in a new part of the world on a course that doesn’t have much precedent. This will be the first year that he races in the masters category, too.
Plus, his life’s mission has been to spread the positive effects of running with the world. Kipchoge said in a press conference that he’s thrilled at the potential of reaching a new audience. ‘I’m excited to see the fans and I’m excited to sell the idea of making the world a running world – to sell the idea of marathoning to Australia as a running nation,’ he said.
Naturally, Kipchoge is also keen to see some of Australia’s most famous marsupials.
‘I especially want to see kangaroos,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to come to Australia and miss seeing kangaroos.’
The Sydney course is net downhill, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s lightning fast. There are plenty of rolling hills and the course gains 1,040 feet of elevation – about 200 feet more than Boston and New York City.
Larden told Runner’s World that Sydney has been trying to land Kipchoge well before its status as a AWorld Major – as far back as 2017. He said that conversations progressed when Sydney was admitted as a candidate race in 2022, and they became more serious once the marathon was confirmed as a major last November. Larden thinks that Kipchoge can help to grow the event and advance the Kenyan’s mission as a global ambassador for the sport.
‘His participation will definitely accelerate participation and demand for the Sydney Marathon,’ said Larden. ‘It will inspire the nation and get the running community excited about the opportunity to run with Eliud.’
Sydney already expects its largest field size by far this year. In 2024, there were approximately 25,000 entries. But, for the 2025 edition, nearly 80,000 runners entered the ballot and around 35,000 people are registered. The rest of the elite field is expected to be announced later this spring.
