Eliud Kipchoge announces that the Melbourne Marathon is the third stop on his Seven Continents World Tour

Written by RT Juneau

The greatest marathon runner in history returns to Australia. Eliud Kipchoge has confirmed he will take part in the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival in October 2026, making it the Oceania stop on his ambitious seven-continent marathon world tour.

GOAT COMES TO MELBOURNE

Eliud Kipchoge, the 41-year-old Kenyan icon who has redefined the boundaries of marathon running, will take part in the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival next 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.

This is his second visit to Australian territory. Kipchoge ran the 42.2km race in Australia for the first time last year at the Sydney Marathon, which was hosting its inaugural edition as the world’s premier marathon race. He lined up alongside Dutch star Sifan Hassan in what was a historic moment for Australian distance running.

“Running brings people together across all borders,” Kipchoge said in a statement. “I’m excited to return to Australia and experience the energy of the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival.”

“The Australian running community is thriving and the passion I experienced here before will stay with me for life. I have seen that Australia is a true outdoors country with a great love for the sport. That’s why I can’t wait to come back and experience a new part of this great country and run with the people of Melbourne and the whole of Oceania.”

A profession without equality

Kipchoge’s biography reads like fiction. Born on November 5, 1984 in Kapsisiwa, Kenya, he entered the world stage as a teenager, winning the 5,000m World Championship title in Paris in 2003 when he was just 18 years old, beating the legendary Hicham El Guerrouj and Kenenisa Bekele in the process.

His transition to the marathon was smooth and historic. Amazing highlights:

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 September 25, 2022, is a mark he held for just over a year before the late Kelvin Kiptum ran 2:00:35 in Chicago.
Two sub-hours: 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. This time is not counted as an official world record due to the use of rotary defibrillators and a pace car, but it remains one of the most extraordinary sporting achievements in history.
Marathon wins: London (four times), Berlin (four times), Chicago, Tokyo, Hamburg, Rotterdam and others. At his peak, Kipchoge won ten consecutive marathons over seven years.

His 5,000m personal best of 12:55.72 and world championship silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka underscore the pure speed that has cemented his dominance in the marathon.

World tour

Kipchoge’s World Tour Seven Continents Marathon marks a new chapter for the veteran. Having already competed on multiple continents throughout his career, the Tour formalizes his ambition to leave footprints in every corner of the world. Melbourne became the Oceania stop, following the earlier stages of the tour.

At 41, Kipchoge is no longer chasing world records. His final years of competitive racing saw results that, by his exceptional standards, were disappointing. He finished outside the top spots in the 2024 Paris Olympic Marathon and struggled in the 2024 Berlin Marathon. But records and placements are no longer the point. The Kipchoge World Tour is about legacy, about inspiring runners on every continent, and about celebrating the sport to which he gave everything.

New course for Melbourne

Kipchoge will be welcomed by the revamped Melbourne Marathon course. Event organizers recently announced significant changes to the track designed to achieve faster times. The back hill on Birdwood Avenue around the Botanic Gardens was removed, and replaced by an additional stretch 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 the Albert Park Lake circuit on the way back to St Kilda Road and the MCG finish line. It is the biggest change in course in two decades.

Melbourne Marathon Festival events director Marcus Gill described the announcement as a historic moment.

“Having Eliud Kipchoge join us at the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival is a historic moment, not just for our event, but for the entire Australian running community,” Gale said.

“Elliod is the greatest marathon runner of all time, and his decision to make Melbourne the official Oceania stop on his World Tour is a testament to the strength and passion of our runners and the world-class experience we have built here. We can’t wait to welcome him to the marathon finish line.”

What it means for Australian running

The Australian running community has exploded in recent years. Marathon participation is at an all-time high. The Sydney Marathon’s elevation to world marathon status in 2025 indicates that Australia is now a serious player on the world marathon circuit. Kipchoge’s decision to return this time to Melbourne strengthens this position.

For the tens of thousands of runners who will take on the Melbourne track with Kipchoge in October, running alongside the greatest marathon runner of all time is the opportunity of a lifetime. No exaggeration required.

Key details

It happened: Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival
date: October 2026
location: Melbourne, VIC (Finish Line MCG)
PB Kipchoge: 2:01:09 (Berlin, 2022)
Olympic golds: Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024
Sub-checkpoint 2:00: 1:59:40 (INEOS 1:59 Challenge, Vienna, 2019)
World tour stops: 3 of 7 (Oceania)

References