Melbourne Marathon LIVE: Legendary Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and women’s record holder Sinead Diver lead elite race day field

The starter gun has just gone off and the runners taking on the 42.2km distance are on their way.

We’ll expect the race leaders to be crossing the finish line in just over two hours.

This year represents the 48th edition of the Melbourne Marathon. The tradition started in 1978 with about 2,000 runners taking on a course that began in Frankston and finished outside Melbourne Town Hall.

The event has only grown since then – around 66,000 runners, walkers and rollers are taking to the streets and taking part in the events across the weekend. More than 16,000 additional participant spots were added this year alone!

The only year the marathon wasn’t run in person was 2020, where it went virtual due to COVID restrictions.

Good morning, and thank you for joining us as we capture the action at the Melbourne Marathon.

The 2026 event has shifted to a two-day festival, so only the marathon and half marathon races are taking place today:

6:15am: Nike Melbourne Marathon begins

9:45am: Nike Half Marathon begins

The marathon course has also changed, with a flatter and likely faster route. When compared to last year, there will be fewer turns, about 20 per cent less elevation gain and the course also avoids a hill at the 36 kilometre mark.

Between the marathon’s start on Batman Avenue and the iconic MCG finish, about 20,000 runners will take on the 42 kilometres and walk away with a finishers medal. An expected 66,000 participants will take part across the weekend events.

Perfect conditions on the start line right now, with a temperature of 15 degrees. It will heat up on course later today, with a sunny top of 25 degrees forecast. Good luck to everyone toeing the start line today!