A record crowd of 400,000 spectators lined the streets of Sydney today as 36,296 participants from more than 140 countries crossed the finish line at the Sydney Opera House, the largest crowd in the history of the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS.

TCS Sydney Marathon Race Director Wayne Larden said: “What you saw today was a city that has fallen in love with this event.

"Four hundred thousand people on the streets, Guinness World Records and personal bests being set on the same course, an Olympic swimmer and a Wimbledon champion finding out what 42 kilometres feels like. That is what a marathon does. It puts everybody on the same road."

Former world number one tennis player Ash Barty ran her first marathon and crossed the line in 04:16:40 alongside her sister, the pair finishing hand in hand in front of the Sydney Opera House to one of the loudest receptions of the day.

She was not the only Australian sporting great taking on a first. Australia’s most decorated Olympian Emma McKeon completed 04:41:30 in what was not just her first marathon but the first running event of her life, swapping the pool for the pavement in front of a home crowd.

Nedd Brockmann produced his greatest ever marathon performance, stopping the clock at 02:21:48 and taking 8 minutes and 18 seconds off his previous best of 02:30:06. He was followed by Olympian boxer Harry Garside who also banked a personal best, running 02:36:36 to the delight of spectators lining the course.

Bondi's lifeguards swapped the sand for the streets and posted times most weekend runners would happily claim. Jackson Doolan led the tower home in 03:28:39, quick enough to have finished inside the top 15 per cent of the field. Trent Maxwell followed in 03:47:00 and Luke Faddy completed the trio in 04:29:19, all three covering rather more ground than a standard shift on North Bondi. Bragging rights at the tower belong to Doolan until at least next August.

Two of rugby league's toughest competitors went head-to-head on the streets of Sydney, a decade after helping deliver Cronulla’s historic 2016 premiership. Former Cronulla Sharks Hooker Michael Ennis, claimed bragging rights in the friendly battle as the quicker of the pair in 03:33:53. His captain, Paul Gallen, crossed in 05:00:26, adding 42.195 kilometres to a post-football career otherwise spent in the boxing ring.

No group embodies the event's history like the Blue Line Legends. The six runners have completed every TCS Sydney Marathon since the inaugural race in 2001, and they take their name from the blue line painted on the road to guide the marathon field at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Twenty six editions later, all six crossed the finish line once again.

Six Guinness World Records were set on the Sydney course. The fastest of them belonged to Toby Fuller, who ran 03:18:01 to claim the fastest marathon by a man with multiple myeloma, while Chris Fyvie set the record for the fastest marathon by a man with a subcutaneous defibrillator in 03:36:27.

The remaining four were claimed in costume, and none of them slowly. Kent Ohori ran 03:28:27 dressed as a can, Phil Brent went 03:45:52 as a reptile and Rebecca Joyner took the women's record for the fastest marathon dressed as a scout in 03:55:37. Nilhari Bhandari completed the set in 04:07:06, running the distance in traditional Bhutanese dress.

The TCS Sydney Marathon is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. The event is owned by Australian Athletics and managed by Pont3.

Learn more: TCS Sydney Marathon boosts visitor economy

Fastest marathon ever run on Australian soil

The TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS delivered the fastest race in Australian history today, with three of the four race records smashed and the men's field producing a podium faster than any seen on Australian soil.

Addisu Gobena (ETH) returned to Sydney a year after finishing second and left with the record, breaking the tape in 02:04:42 to take 1 minute 24 seconds off the race record of 02:06:06 set by Hailemaryam Kiros in 2025. It is the fastest marathon ever run by a male athlete in Australia.

Chimdessa Debele Gudeta (ETH) finished second in 02:04:46 and Tebello Ramakongoana (LES) third in 02:04:57, completing a third consecutive Sydney podium for the Lesotho record holder. All three men finished inside the previous race record, alongside four others. All three broke 02:05:00, a barrier no athlete had approached in this country before today. Reigning World Marathon Champion Alphonce Simbu finished 4th with 2:04:57.

"Fifteen seconds covered the podium in a race that reset every benchmark we had," said Wayne Larden, Race Director, TCS Sydney Marathon. "Five men under 2:05 on Australian soil would have been unthinkable a few years ago. Sydney's course, our crowds and the calibre of field we now attract as an Abbott World Marathon Major have made it real."

Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) came to Sydney as the reigning World Champion and raced like it, crossing the line in 02:18:31 to win by 3 minutes 40 seconds in the most commanding victory in the event's history. The Olympic champion finished just nine seconds outside Sifan Hassan's 2025 race record of 02:18:22, adding Sydney to a list of Abbott World Marathon Majors titles that already includes Boston, London and New York. Irine Cheptai (KEN) was second in 02:22:11 after a determined solo chase, with Shure Demise Ware (ETH) third in 02:22:33.

Daniel Romanchuk (USA) produced the standout performance of the day in the men's wheelchair race, winning in 01:26:50 and lowering the race and Australian all-comers record of 01:27:15 set by Marcel Hug in 2025. Six-time Paralympic champion David Weir (GBR) marked his TCS Sydney Marathon debut with second place in 01:31:33, holding off Luo Xingchuan (CHN) by two seconds in a sprint to the Opera House.

Manuela Schär (SUI) claimed the most historic victory of the day. Her winning time of 01:42:04 took 2 minutes 48 seconds off Susannah Scaroni's course record of 01:44:52, and the win made her the first athlete in history, across all classifications, to win on all eight Abbott World Marathon Majors courses.

Eden Rainbow-Cooper (GBR) was runner-up for the second year running in 01:47:17, more than six minutes faster than her 2025 performance, with Paralympic great Tatyana McFadden (USA) third in 01:51:08.

The Australian Marathon Championships returned to the TCS Sydney Marathon this year with the richest prize purse in Australian marathon running. Andy Buchanan (AUS) took the national title on debut in Sydney in 02:10:14, the first marathon he has run on home soil. It is the fastest time by an Australian at the TCS Sydney Marathon. World Championships representatives Tim Vincent (AUS) and Liam Boudin (AUS) followed in 02:13:54 and 02:14:58.

Tokyo Olympian Ellie Pashley (AUS) claimed the women's national title in 02:28:28, ahead of Amelia Clark (AUS) in 02:29:47 who was a late addition to the field after entering the event on Friday, and Caitlin Scott (AUS) too 3rd place in 02:31:11.