Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
World marathon champions Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya and Alphonce Simbu of Tanzania are set to lead the elite fields at the TCS Sydney Marathon, a World Athletics Platinum Label road race scheduled for Sunday, 30. The event is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, which Sydney joined in 2025, the year course records were set by Hailemaryam Kiros and Sifan Hassan. The marathon starts in North Sydney, crosses the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and finishes at the Sydney Opera House.
Jepchirchir leads the women's field less than a year after winning the world marathon title in Japan by outsprinting Tigst Assefa, finishing in 2:24:43. The Tokyo 2021 Olympic champion ran a personal best of 2:14:43 for second place in Valencia in December. After missing the London Marathon earlier this year due to a stress fracture, Sydney marks her return to the marathon distance. Her victories include New York (2021), Boston (2022), and London (2024).
Among Jepchirchir's main competitors in Sydney is compatriot Irine Cheptai, who transitioned to the marathon with success, including a debut win in Hamburg in 2024 and a personal best of 2:17:51 after finishing third in Chicago the same year. Cheptai placed fourth in Boston 2025 and sixth in this April's Boston Marathon, clocking 2:20:54.
Tanzania's Magdalena Shauri, who holds a national record of 2:18:03 set in Chicago in October, is also among the contenders. Uganda's Stella Chesang, the 2018 Commonwealth 10,000m champion, won the Osaka Women’s Marathon earlier this year in 2:19:31 and has a personal best of 2:18:26 set in Valencia 2024. She finished 12th representing Uganda at last year's World Championships marathon.
Ethiopia's Shure Demise arrives in Sydney in form, having won the Paris Marathon in April with a course record 2:18:34 using a negative split. Fellow Ethiopian Haven Hailu won the 2026 Seoul Marathon in March, finishing in 2:19:09.
On the men's side, Tanzania’s Alphonce Simbu will compete against a field featuring former Boston and London Marathon champion Sisay Lemma, defending Sydney champion Hailemaryam Kiros, and several athletes with marathon times under 2:05.