What Happened at the Sydney Marathon? | Our Instant Reactions Podcast

Sydney just rewrote its record book, and we still can't decide whether it's a fast course. Instant reactions to the 2026 TCS Sydney Marathon, recorded within the hour: Alex straight from the finish chute at the Opera House, Katelyn tracking her athletes to new PBs, and Michael fresh off a three-hour solo live watch-along.

The two races gave opposite answers to the question every marathoner actually cares about. The men took nearly a minute and a half off the course record, with seven finishers inside the old mark and 21-year-old Addisu Gobena winning in 2:04:42, faster than anyone has ever run New York. The women went out hot and came home in pieces, with Peres Jepchirchir the last one standing at 2:18:31. So can you run fast in Sydney, or does this course eat you? We work through both cases.

Most of the episode is for the rest of us: what Katelyn's athletes' two- and seven-minute PBs say about how to race this course, why the 6:45 a.m. start should be a lesson for every major, the jet-lag protocol that actually worked, where Sydney lands in a power ranking of the majors for speed, whether the race is worth flying around the world for, and what it needs in year three to become running's great destination weekend. Plus the view from inside the finish chute, a broadcast shot like an action film, and a round of the shoe wars.

Coming up: our UTMB instant reaction with Jessy drops later today, then Berlin, then live events in Chicago and New York this fall. .com/newsletter

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