Priscah Cherono, 46, Sets Age Record
Priscah Cherono, aged 46, set the fastest marathon ever by a woman 46 or older with a 2:23:49 run at the TCS Sydney Marathon, where Peres Jepchirchir won
Peres Jepchirchir won the 2026 TCS Sydney Marathon in 2:18:31, a victory margin of three minutes and forty seconds. The men's race was won by 21-year-old Addisu Gobena in 2:04:42, leading a field where seven men broke the old course record of 2:06:06.
Sydney Marathon Results
The event saw several notable performances across age groups.
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Women's Winner | Peres Jepchirchir (2:18:31) |
| Victory Margin | 3:40 |
| Men's Winner | Addisu Gobena (2:04:42) |
| Men's Runner-Up | Chimdessa Debele (2:04:46) |
| Age of Men's Winner | 21 |
| Age of Men's Runner-Up | 22 |
| Age of Early Women's Leader | 46 (Priscah Cherono) |
| Cherono's Finish Time | 2:23:49 (6th place) |
Priscah Cherono's Age-Defying Run
Priscah Cherono, a 46-year-old Kenyan, led the women's race until nearly the 28-kilometer mark before finishing sixth in 2:23:49. Cherono, best known for winning a 5000-meter bronze medal at the 2007 World Championships, made her World Marathon Major debut in Sydney. She entered with a personal best of 2:25:17.
Her run in Sydney was aggressive. She passed the 5-kilometer mark in 15:34 and the 10-kilometer mark in 31:37, building a 16-second lead. She reached the halfway point in 67:59, which was 36 seconds faster than her half marathon personal best of 1:08:35. The report notes this split was only seven seconds off the masters world record for the half marathon.
Cherono faded in the second half, running 75:50. Her final time of 2:23:49 is the fastest marathon ever run by a woman aged 46 or older. It surpasses Edna Kiplagat's 2:25:07 from Abu Dhabi in 2025. However, it is not the fastest by a woman over 45, as Australia's Sinead Diver ran 2:21:34 in Valencia in 2022.
Youth Dominates Men's Race
The men's race was dominated by young athletes. Winner Addisu Gobena, 21, improved from his runner-up finish in 2025 and set a significant personal best, lowering his mark from 2:05:01. Runner-up Chimdessa Debele, 22, ran 2:04:46, two seconds off his personal best.
Gobena's win is notable. With a pre-race personal best of 2:05:01, he is reportedly the first man with a personal best over 2:05 to win an Abbott World Marathon Major since 2024, when John Korir won Chicago with a 2:05:01 best.
The LetsRun.com report included a table of the personal bests of the previous twelve World Marathon Major winners entering their races.
| Race | Winner | Entry PB |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Boston | John Korir | 2:02:24 |
| 2026 London | Sabastian Sawe | 2:02:05 |
| 2026 Tokyo | Tadese Takele | 2:03:23 |
| 2025 NYC | Benson Kipruto | 2:02:16 |
| 2025 Chicago | Jacob Kiplimo | 2:03:37 |
| 2025 Berlin | Sabastian Sawe | 2:02:05 |
| 2025 Worlds | Alphonce Simbu | 2:04:38 |
| 2025 Sydney | Hailemariyam Kiros | 2:04:35 |
| 2025 Boston | John Korir | 2:02:43 |
| 2025 London | Sabastian Sawe | 2:02:05 |
| 2025 Tokyo | Tadese Takele | 2:03:24 |
| 2024 NYC | Abdi Nageeye | 2:04:45 |
Of those twelve winners, six had a personal best of 2:02, three had a 2:03 best, and three had a 2:04 best.
Sydney's Course Profile
The Sydney course, which became a World Marathon Major in 2025, is described as a hybrid of other major courses. It is hilly, with 1,027 feet of elevation gain, which is more than the approximately 810 feet in New York. Like Boston, it is a net downhill course, dropping 272 feet overall. Like Chicago, it is a loop course eligible for records and allows pacemakers. The report states this explains why Sydney's course records are most similar to New York's.
Peres Jepchirchir's victory marked her fourth World Marathon Major win, adding to Olympic and World Championship gold medals. She won her first marathon since the 2025 World Championships, having withdrawn from the London Marathon earlier due to a stress fracture.
