Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival

In 2026 Melbourne's 48th marathon festival ran over two days for the first time. The 10km, 5km, 3km and a 1km Mini Marathon for under-12s went on Saturday 10 October. The marathon and half marathon ran on Sunday 11 October. Event director Marcus Gale put registrations at more than 65,000. The organisers had added 16,000 places, including a marathon field of 20,000. Apart from the kids' Mini Marathon in Yarra Park, every race finished inside the MCG, which marked 20 years as the finish line.

A new marathon course

The marathon and half were moved onto a redesigned course for 2026. The organisers said it has about 20% less elevation and 30% fewer turns than the old route, and it was independently measured at 91m of total climb. Both races start on Batman Avenue below William Barak Bridge. The marathon heads south down St Kilda Road and loops Albert Park Lake, then runs out along the bay past Elwood and back. A tram-free zone between Anzac Station and Federation Square opened up the road on the run home. The course maps carry World Athletics' certified-course mark, and the race is listed as Melbourne Marathon on World Athletics' March 2026 register of certified road races, current to 2029.

Eliud Kipchoge won the 2026 marathon in 2:09:10. That was two seconds under the course record of 2:09:12, which Timothy Kiplagat Ronoh set on the old route in 2022.

How the 2026 race day worked

• Start times: wheelchair marathon 6:10am, marathon 6:15am, half marathon 9:45am (Sunday). 10km 7:00am, 5km 8:30am, 3km 9:15am, Mini Marathon waves from 11:00am (Saturday). Each start line closed 15 minutes after the gun.
• Cut-off: entry to the MCG finish closed at 2pm on Sunday, which gave marathoners 7 hours 45 minutes. On Saturday it closed at 10:30am.
• Pacers: marathon groups ran from 2:48 to 5:30 and half groups from 1:24 to 2:30.
• Fuel: Maurten Drink Mix 160 and water at the drink stations, plus gel stations at 25km and 33km of the marathon and 13km of the half.
• Bibs: there is no race-morning pickup. Bibs had to be collected from the MCG by the day before your race.

Getting an entry

The marathon, half marathon and 10km had all sold out before race week. No extra places were released, and you couldn't upgrade to a sold-out race at the Race Week Office. The 5km, 3km and Mini Marathon were not listed as sold out. The festival has been held on the second Sunday of October in each of the last three years (2024 to 2026). The 2027 date has not been announced yet. The official site already lists guaranteed-entry options for 2027.

How fast the field runs

Saturday's results show who actually races the shorter distances. In the 10km, 12,954 runners finished. The runner in the middle of the field took 1:02:51, and the last finisher came in at 2:21:48, so walking it is normal. The 5km had 6,136 finishers with a median of 34:45, and the 3km had 2,300 with a median of 25:58. Will McCann won the 10km in 28:48 and Liam Hinchcliffe the 5km in 14:34.

Getting there

The organisers recommend public transport. Jolimont, Flinders Street and Richmond stations are all a short walk from the MCG. In 2026, Yarra Park parking at Gate 5 (enter off Punt Road) cost $20, was card only and opened at 3:30am, with limited spaces. There are Drop & Go zones on Wellington Parade and Olympic Boulevard. Bag drop moved to the new Run Lab in Melbourne Park, opposite Garden Square. To get there, cross the Rod Laver footbridge from the MCG. Bags are taken on race morning only. Allow ten minutes to jog from the MCG to the start. Spectators get into the MCG stands free through Gates 3 and 4.