Addisu Gobena Wins the Sydney Marathon in a Thriller—and Smashes the Course Record

Addisu Gobena of Ethiopia, who was the runner-up at the Sydney Marathon in 2025, today had his chance to break the tape, finishing in a course-record time of 2:04:42.With a push in the final half mile, Gobena created separation from his countryman Chimdessa Debele to win by three seconds. Gobena still had the energy to leap into the air and pump his fists at the finish, while Debele bent over at the waist to catch his breath, unlaced his right shoe, and playfully kicked it in the direction of the photographers.Gobena, who is just 21 years old, and Debele, 22, will likely have many more battles.Tebello Ramakongoana of Lesotho was third in 2:04:57, nearly two minutes ahead of his time last year—when he also finished third. Ramakongoana just outsprinted Alphonce Simbu of Kenya, last year’s runner-up, who was fourth and also timed in 2:04:57.“I'm very happy,” Gobena said through a translator at the finish line. “Last year I came second. I learned from my mistake, and I went back home and I worked on my mistake to perform and break the record today.”Jeremy Ng//Getty ImagesThe race had a large pack together for much of the way and various men took turns surging to the front, testing the field. At 18 miles, Gobena took a turn out front and shook the pack down to 12 men, who quickly reeled him back in. He then bided his time. At about 24.5 miles, the pack had dwindled, but seven men remained in contention. It was only in the final mile of the race that Gobena and Debele created separation.For the win, Gobena earns $139,000 Australian dollars, which is about $100,000 in U.S. dollars. He also takes home a bonus of $35,000 Australian (about $25,000 U.S.) for breaking the course record. The previous record, from 2025, Sydney’s first year as one of the World Marathon Majors races, was 2:06:06.American Ethan Shuley, 28, finished 13th in 2:08:34. In February this year, Shuley ran 2:07:14 in Osaka, Japan, to put himself eighth on the U.S. all-time top-10 list.Men’s top 10Addisu Gobena (ETH) — 2:04:42Chimdessa Debele Gudeta (ETH) — 2:04:46Tebello Ramakongoana (LSO) — 2:04:57Alphonce Simbu (TZA) — 2:04:57Jemal Mekonnen (ETH) — 2:04:59Hailemariyam Kiros Kebedew (ETH) — 2:05:16Vincent Ngetich (KEN) — 2:05:28Dawit Wolde Arega (ETH) — 2:06:41Kennedy Kimutai (KEN) — 2:06:50Gilbert Kibet (KEN) — 2:07:13Sarah Lorge Butler is a writer and editor living in Eugene, Oregon, and her stories about the sport, its trends, and fascinating individuals have appeared in Runner’s World since 2005. She is the author of two popular fitness books, Run Your Butt Off! and Walk Your Butt Off!