Ed Marks, Sarah Klein take 2025 Mountain to Surf fun run honours as Marks breaks 19-year-old record
A longstanding record held by running legend Steve Moneghetti was overwhelmingly broken in Friday’s Mountain to Surf, though its new owner was reluctant to take the record as fully his own.
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Mountain to Surf winner Ed Marks was hesitant to lay claim to a new course record, putting his own footnote on a performance which smashed a nearly two-decade record set by Commonwealth Games gold medallist Steve Moneghetti.
The Melbourne runner blitzed Friday’s 8km course in Lorne in 21 minutes and 49 seconds – more than a minute faster than Moneghetti’s 2006 course record of 22.52.
Runner-up Tom Bowers also bettered Moneghetti’s longstanding achievement, running a 22.47, while reigning champion and Ocean Grove triathlete Seb Asher finished third in 23.30.
“It feels good, but honestly the course was a bit longer when Moneghetti ran it,” Marks said post-win.
“I think he ran about 200 metres more, so in my mind I can’t really say I got his record.
“I feel like he’ll always have the record for the Mountain to Surf but to run a really fast time, it feels great.”
It’s the 23-year-old’s second Mountain to Surf title, first breaking through in 2020 before missing recent editions with other commitments.
“I definitely forgot how tough the hills were, that second hill definitely hurts,” he said.
The Melbourne Uni engineering student enjoyed a strong 2024, placing 24th overall (and second in the Australian team) at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Serbia in March.
Meanwhile, a potential three-peat and chance to break the women’s course record will fuel Sarah Klein’s 2026 Mountain to Surf aspirations.
The 39-year-old marathon runner went back-to-back in the open women’s race, her time of 25:12 just under a minute quicker than her 2024 win but eight seconds short of course record holder Anna Thompson’s 25.04 also set in 2006.
“I didn’t realise I was so close to it,” Klein said.
“I was almost a minute quicker than I was last year which was good.
“I’ll have to come back (in 2026).”
Runner-up Amy Robinson (25:12) gave Klein plenty of competition early though fell short by 22 seconds, with Annabelle Eastman in third (28: 46).
Klein, who is eyeing a 5km personal best in the coming months, said Robinson had pushed her to pick up the pace.
“She has a really strong kick so I was trying to put a bit of distance on her while we still had a couple kilometres to go so it didn’t come down to a sprint finish,” the Victorian said.
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Originally published as Ed Marks, Sarah Klein take 2025 Mountain to Surf fun run honours as Marks breaks 19-year-old record
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