Sydney Marathon 2026 A Race I’ll Never Forget

4:26:21. A 22-minute marathon PB. Sydney Marathon done. 💗🏅🇦🇺

I’m still not entirely sure it has sunk in.

After months of training, countless long runs, a ridiculous number of conversations about shorts, shoes and gels, several UK heatwaves and then travelling halfway around the world to get here, I ran the Sydney Marathon — and took 22 minutes off my marathon PB.

But strangely, the time isn't even the thing I'm most proud of.

I'm proud of how I ran it.

I had a plan. I stayed patient. I respected the course and when things got hard — because obviously they did — I kept my head and kept running.

And I finished strongly.

For me, that's the biggest win of all.

The Night Before… AKA Absolutely No Sleep

Let's get this bit out of the way first.

I basically didn't sleep.

Jet lag had other ideas about my carefully planned pre-marathon night and, despite doing everything I could, sleep just wasn't happening.

Not ideal when you're about to run 42.2 kilometres.

There comes a point, though, when you can't change it. I reminded myself that I'd rested, I'd tapered and one bad night's sleep wasn't going to undo months of training.

So I got up, ate breakfast, got myself ready and headed to the start.

The Plan: Don't Get Carried Away

I'd talked about 4:15 as my dream goal for Sydney, but I knew from the start that this wasn't a course where I wanted to obsess over every kilometre split.

Sydney is hilly. Really hilly.

My priority was to run by effort, stay controlled through the first half and not make the classic marathon mistake of spending energy early that I'd desperately want back at 35K.

And for once 😂, I actually did exactly what I'd planned.

I kept it steady.

There were plenty of moments when I could have pushed harder, particularly early on, but I kept reminding myself:

Not yet.

Looking back at my splits afterwards, I'm so pleased with how consistent they were. I wasn't chasing pace up the hills or panicking when a kilometre came in slightly slower. I just kept ticking them off.

And then came one of those running moments I'll remember forever.

Running Over Sydney Harbour Bridge

Wow.

Running across the Sydney Harbour Bridge was every bit as incredible as people told me it would be.

The views were absolutely stunning. Sydney spread out around us, the harbour below and the Opera House sitting off in the distance.

There was something slightly surreal about it.

I'd thought about this race for so long. I'd pictured Sydney, the bridge and that Opera House finish countless times during training.

And suddenly I was actually there.

Running across the Harbour Bridge.

I'm running the Sydney Marathon!

For a little while, it genuinely felt magical.

And then Sydney decided we'd enjoyed ourselves quite enough. 😂

Oh. My. God. The Hills.

Let's discuss this course.

BRUTAL.

Sydney is now one of the World Marathon Majors and it certainly doesn't give that medal away easily. The long out-and-back section seemed to go on forever. There were times when I genuinely wondered if we'd ever turn around. You can see the runners ahead of you heading back in, I tried not to look at them if I am honest.

And the hills!

Every time you thought you'd finished with them, another one appeared.

My watch recorded 316 metres of elevation gain, and by the latter stages you absolutely knew about every single one of them, and whoever decided there should be a hill at 40K…

We need to talk.

Forty kilometres into a marathon is not the moment anyone needs an additional character-building exercise. 😂

Locking In

The crowds were fantastic and there was some brilliant support around the course, but there were also quieter sections. Those were the moments when I really had to lock in. No crowds carrying you along. No distractions. Just me, my legs and the job I'd come to do.

And actually, I'm quite proud of those sections.

My heart rate gradually climbed as the race progressed, as you'd expect, but my pace remained remarkably consistent. Through 25K, 30K and 35K, I was still running my race.

I hadn't blown up. I hadn't gone out too quickly. I was tired — obviously — but I was still in control.

There were two quick bathroom stops along the way, which cost me a few minutes and interrupted the rhythm a little. At the time I didn't dwell on them.

Stop. Sort it. Get moving again.

But they are relevant when I look back at that original 4:15 goal.

40K — And Exactly Who I Needed to See

Then came 40K.

Legs tired. Heart rate high.

Oh, and did I mention THE HILL? 😂

And suddenly…

My family. ❤️

There they were.

After all those kilometres, seeing them at exactly that moment was incredible.

It's difficult to explain what seeing someone you love does to you towards the end of a marathon. You can spend kilometres inside your own head, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, and then suddenly you hear your name and see familiar faces.

Instant energy.

That was the boost I needed.

Because apparently, after nearly four hours of running, my legs weren't quite finished.

I Actually Got Faster

This is probably my favourite part when I look at the stats.

At 37K I ran 6:06/km. 38K: 6:01. 39K: 5:52.

Then, after getting over that final horrible section:

42K: 5:47/km.

And the final 500 metres?

5:32/km.

My heart rate had climbed into the 170s by then. I was absolutely working.

But I could still run.

I hadn't survived the marathon.

I'd raced it all the way to the end.

The Opera House Finish

And then there it was. The Sydney Opera House.

That finish is something else.

After all those months of training, the long runs, early mornings, heat, nerves, excitement, endless preparation and 42.2 kilometres of Sydney…

I crossed the line.

4:26:21.

A 22-minute PB.

I honestly couldn't believe it.

Then came the medal, the photo in front of the Opera House and that slightly dazed post-marathon feeling of did I actually just do that?

Yes.

I bloody did. 💪🏼

The People Who Ran It With Me Without Running It

And then I discovered something afterwards that made the whole thing even more special.

While I was running around Sydney, my husband, sister and bestie were back home tracking me — until 2:30 in the morning.

Just wow.

They'd watched that little dot move around Sydney while I was completely oblivious.

Alongside my family who were there on the course and gave me that desperately needed boost at 40K, I had this whole other support crew thousands of miles away following every kilometre.

That got me.

Because marathon running can look like an individual sport.

One runner. One bib. One finishing time.

But you don't really do these things alone.

There are the people who listen to you talk endlessly about training. The people who ask how the long run went. The ones who tolerate the early nights, the gels everywhere and the weekend plans organised around running.

And then there are the slightly mad ones who stay awake until 2:30am watching you move around a map in Australia.😂❤️

I am incredibly lucky.