The GOAT hanger: Legendary athlete Eliud Kipchoge to run in the Sydney Marathon

Eliud Kipchoge, the Kenyan widely regarded as the greatest marathoner in history, will run in the Sydney Marathon as a marquee star in August and organisers hope the two-time Olympic gold medallist will draw huge crowds to the course.

It’s the first time the Sydney race will be held as an Abbott World Marathon Major event, after last year earning entry into an exclusive club of six global races: London, New York, Tokyo, Chicago, Boston and Berlin.

In recruiting Kipchoge, Sydney has landed the biggest fish possible to not only mark the occasion but also help ensure the race is stocked with an elite field of the world’s best marathoners as well. Over 50,000 runners are set to race across the Harbour Bridge and through the city course on August 31.

The acronym GOAT is overused in modern sport but Kipchoge is the genuine article, and with an array of statistics to back it up. The Kenyan has won 15 of 19 marathons in his career, including back-to-back Olympic gold in Rio and Tokyo, and 11 World Marathon Majors. Kipchoge broke the world record twice and held it between 2018 and 2023, and he has run three of the 10 fastest marathons ever.

In 2019, Kipchoge became the only man to ever run the 42.195km distance in under two hours in a special event with a pacing team and other forms of assistance that meant it didn’t count as a world record.

Eliud Kipchoge celebrates his “record” marathon time in Vienna in 2019.Credit: EPA

“The only comparison would be Usain Bolt,” Sydney Marathon race director Wayne Larden said.

“When he raced, the stadiums were full. That’s probably the best analogy in athletics terms.

“But Eliud is [the greatest], there is no question he is the greatest marathoner who ever lived. And he is a really great guy, he is a genuine person who is trying to do good in the community. So it is massively exciting for us to have him running in Sydney.”

Larden and Sydney Marathon officials first began courting Kipchoge in late 2022, when Sydney was being evaluated as a candidate to become the next World Marathon Major. After getting the nod last year a deal was secured, with the help of an appearance fee, which is standard for stars in major races.

Kipchoge hasn’t raced since the 2024 Paris Olympics last year, when he withdrew after 30km and didn’t finish for the first time in his career. He will run in the London Marathon next month, and then in Sydney.

The 40-year-old said he was excited to visit Australia for the first time and was motivated by his desire to inspire the world to take up running. That – and a lifelong desire to see a kangaroo in real life.

“Running in Australia is a big opportunity for me,” Kipchoge told reporters in a conference call.

Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge crosses the line to win the Berlin Marathon in 2022.Credit: AP

“I have never stayed there. I have been selling my ideas in Africa, in Europe, in America and South America, and in Asia. But winning a race in that part of the world is crucial to me.

“I have been saying all the time I want to go across the world and run in every big city, and spread my inspiration to everybody, to make them run. So it will be a fruitful day.”

Like many of 50,000 runners who’ve won a spot at the North Sydney start line, Kipchoge is also keen to tick off another World Marathon Major – people who have run them all are known as six-star medallists. Kipchoge has run in five of the races – and won in four – and says he won’t be in Sydney for a fun run.

“I have won in Chicago, I have won several times in Berlin, London, Tokyo. But this would be another title on my neck, to win in Sydney,” he said. “The course is wonderful.”

Kipchoge poses with the Olympic gold medal in 2021.Credit: AP

The hope of Sydney Marathon organisers is that Kipchoge’s presence in the race will act as a magnet for other elite stars, and crucially, for big crowds too.

“The strategy for us, and the reason why we wanted Eliud so much, is because he is one of the few athletes in the world who has genuine mass appeal,” Larden said.

“We wanted to have someone in the race who could bring people out of their houses. And it’s one of our objectives to grow the spectator numbers, and head towards those numbers you see in London and New York City, which is a fabulous part of those events.”

Sydney’s undulating course is known as tough, and though Larden says some of the elevation has been “smoothed out” in another re-design for August’s race, there is no real prospect of Kipchoge threatening the world record.

But the Sydney course record of 2:06:18 is well and truly in play.