Dominic Ngeno won the Perth Running Festival marathon on Sunday 11 October in 2:16:53, and Antonina Kwambai won the women’s race in 2:28:08. In Nannup, Denmark’s Magnus Bak Klaris won the elite men’s title at the UCI Gravel World Championships in a four-man sprint, a day after Marianne Vos won the women’s race. In Melbourne, Eliud Kipchoge set a course record of 2:09:10.
- Perth marathon: Dominic Ngeno, 2:16:53; Antonina Kwambai, 2:28:08
- Gravel worlds, elite men: Magnus Bak Klaris (Denmark), 4:09:05
- Gravel worlds, elite women: Marianne Vos (Netherlands), 4:30:04
- Melbourne Marathon: Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya), 2:09:10, course record; Camille French (New Zealand), 2:28:25
- GC50 50 km: Tom Brimelow, 3:08:05; Jemima Cooper, 3:17:46
Perth Running Festival 2026 results
Ngeno, the pre-race favourite, won the marathon by 53 seconds from Ryoma Takeuchi, with Matt Smith third. Ngeno ran close to the course record without breaking it, PerthNow reported. For scale, last year’s winner, Paul Eyanae, ran 2:24:23, according to World Athletics. The marathon doubled as the WA State Marathon Championship.
Kwambai won the women’s marathon by more than 16 minutes, finishing fifth overall.
| Men’s marathon | Time |
|---|---|
| 1. Dominic Ngeno | 2:16:53 |
| 2. Ryoma Takeuchi | 2:17:46 |
| 3. Matt Smith | 2:19:50 |
| 4. Shotaro Maruyama | 2:23:12 |
| Women’s marathon | Time |
|---|---|
| 1. Antonina Kwambai | 2:28:08 |
| 2. Nera Jareb | 2:44:50 |
| 3. Brooke Williams | 2:48:08 |
Matthew Ramsden won the half marathon in 1:09:51, a minute clear of Reece Mabbs (1:10:51), with Will Clifton third in 1:11:56. Amy Buckingham won the women’s half in 1:21:55. In the 10 km, Max Shervington won in 31:13 and Rachel McCormick won the women’s race.
| Men’s half marathon | Time |
|---|---|
| 1. Matthew Ramsden | 1:09:51 |
| 2. Reece Mabbs | 1:10:51 |
| 3. Will Clifton | 1:11:56 |
Leading results are from WatchAthletics. Full results are on the Perth Running Festival site.
UCI Gravel World Championships 2026 results
This was the first Gravel World Championships held outside Europe, run on a gravel-heavy course in the Blackwood Valley around Nannup, in Western Australia’s south-west.
The elite men raced on Sunday over a loop of about 140 km with more than 3,700 m of climbing. Four riders broke clear in the last few kilometres: Bak Klaris, his Danish teammate Mads Würtz Schmidt, defending champion Florian Vermeersch of Belgium and Britain’s Connor Swift. Würtz Schmidt slid out on a corner with about 4 km left but got back on. Swift led out the sprint and Bak Klaris came past him to win, after spending most of the day working for Würtz Schmidt. Bak Klaris, a gravel specialist who paid his own way to the race, ends a run of current and former road pros winning the men’s title, Cyclingnews reported.
The best-placed Australian was Mark Chong, 20th, 9 minutes 12 seconds down.
| Elite men | Time |
|---|---|
| 1. Magnus Bak Klaris (Denmark) | 4:09:05 |
| 2. Florian Vermeersch (Belgium) | same time |
| 3. Connor Swift (Great Britain) | same time |
| 4. Mads Würtz Schmidt (Denmark) | same time |
| 5. Paul Voss (Germany) | +7s |
| 6. Keegan Swenson (USA) | +7s |
| 7. Martin Stošek (Czechia) | +8s |
| 8. Stan Dewulf (Belgium) | +40s |
| 9. Matthew Beers (South Africa) | +42s |
| 10. Peter Schulting (Netherlands) | +1:22 |
On Saturday, Vos won the elite women’s race alone by 27 seconds from Germany’s Rosa Klöser, who crashed in the finale after the pair attacked together. It’s Vos’s second gravel world title, after 2024. Australia’s Tiffany Cromwell was eighth in her final race before retirement, and Nicole Frain was 12th.
| Elite women | Time |
|---|---|
| 1. Marianne Vos (Netherlands) | 4:30:04 |
| 2. Rosa Klöser (Germany) | +27s |
| 3. Larissa Hartog (Netherlands) | +2:15 |
| 8. Tiffany Cromwell (Australia) | +7:15 |
Results are from Cyclingnews.
Melbourne Marathon 2026
Eliud Kipchoge won in 2:09:10, two seconds inside the course record, finishing 1 minute 25 seconds ahead of Australia’s Thomas Do Canto. Camille French of New Zealand won the women’s race in 2:28:25. Full top 10s and the half marathon are in our Melbourne Marathon 2026 results.
GC50 Run Festival 2026
Gold Coast runner Tom Brimelow won the 50 km, which doubled as the Australian 50 km road championships, in 3:08:05, nearly three minutes clear of Oliver Sheekey. Jemima Cooper won the women’s race in 3:17:46. See our GC50 2026 results.
Results still to come
These races also ran on 10 or 11 October, but their results hadn’t been published when we wrote this. We’ll add winners as they come in.
- Hume + Hovell Ultra (Tumbarumba, NSW, Saturday): 11 km to 100 km on the Hume and Hovell Track. Results page
- Capital Duathlon (Stromlo Forest Park, ACT, Sunday): the Australian Standard Duathlon Championships. Event page
- Natural Bodybuilding Australia Nationals PRO/AM (Victoria). NBA results
- Swimrun Australia Sydney North (Clontarf to Manly, Saturday). Swimrun Australia
- Max Adventure Race Blue Mountains (Glenbrook, NSW, Saturday). Max Adventure
- Queensland Tri Series Round 2 (Raby Bay, Sunday). The Event Crew
Planning your next race? See our October 2026 fitness events calendar and what counts as an average marathon time.
FAQ
Who won the Perth Running Festival marathon in 2026?
Dominic Ngeno won the men’s marathon in 2:16:53, and Antonina Kwambai won the women’s race in 2:28:08.
Who won the 2026 Gravel World Championships?
Magnus Bak Klaris of Denmark won the elite men’s race and Marianne Vos of the Netherlands won the elite women’s race, both in Nannup, Western Australia.
Where were the 2026 Gravel World Championships held?
In Nannup, in Western Australia’s south-west, on 10 and 11 October 2026. It was the first edition held outside Europe.
Did anyone break a course record this weekend?
Yes. Eliud Kipchoge set a Melbourne Marathon course record of 2:09:10. Ngeno came close in Perth without breaking it.
