MEDIBANK MELBOURNE MARATHON FESTIVAL 2017 OFFICIAL RESULTS MEDIBANK MELBOURNE MARATHON FESTIVAL THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING OCTOBER 15 Melbourne delivered a glorious day for the 40th birthday edition of the Medibank Melbourne Marathon Festival. With almost 33,000 participants 2017 MEDIBANK coming together for Australia’s largest marathon festival. MELBOURNE MARATHON Congratulations must go to Isaac Birir and Celia Sullohern who took EXECUTIVE SUMMARY victory on the day in the Marathon recording times of 2hr14mins08secs and 2hr29min27secs both minutes from the course records. I would like to record our sincere appreciation to all of our sponsors, with particular thanks to title sponsor Medibank and long term partners ASICS and Active Feet. In 2017, we were joined by SriLankan Airlines as our title sponsor of the events largest race the Half Marathon and welcomed back The Coffee Club as the title sponsor of the 10km race. The Festival’s key media partners, the Nine Network and Herald Sun combined to provide significant exposure for the event, whilst on the ground the Festival delivered more activations, more exhibitors and more entertainment with bands, DJ’s and broke new ground with a live stream of all the action delivered on the official event App. The Medibank Melbourne Marathon Festival was profiled by Snapchat in a curated ‘Live Story’ which reached over 4 million active daily Australian Snapchat users. The event benefited from a broad reach on Social Media, through both brand & user-generated content. Almost 200,000 users engaged with our Facebook page on Race Day. The Melbourne Marathon Festival app was the 12th most popular app on the App Store ranking above WhatsApp, and the #1 app in the Sports category, ranking above both TAB and Sportsbet. Once again The Medibank Melbourne Marathon maintained the record of the largest Marathon and Half Marathons in Australia and is set to raise in excess of $1.3 million dollars for charity. We also acknowledge CPEC, our official premier charity partner, for their incredible support of our event and the work they do with so many kids in need. The 40th edition was also the scene for seven inspirational Melbourne Marathon Spartan Legends participating in their 40th consecutive Melbourne Marathon with six successfully completing the distance on the day and I would encourage all to visit the event website to learn more about their stories. In closing I wish to thank and congratulate, all the winners, the IMG team that deliver this fantastic event, the volunteers who work tirelessly on the front line and behind the scenes, the Spartans, our trusty suppliers and of course last but certainly not least all of our participants who contributed to a wonderful day at the 2017 Medibank Melbourne Marathon. I look forward to seeing you all at the finish line next year. Marcus Gale Event Director 2017 MEDIBANK MELBOURNE MARATHON FESTIVAL RESULTS GUIDE 3 2017 MEDIBANK MELBOURNE MARATHON FESTIVAL Melbourne turned on a beautiful morning for the 40th edition of the Medibank Melbourne Marathon. When the Marathon started at 7am it was 11°C and it was still only 16°C at 1pm. On top of that there was little or no wind. After last year’s unusually blustery conditions, it was a godsend and set runners on a path to PB heaven. Race historian and Herald Sun journalist Chris Muirden wraps up the day. A Day of Records Medibank Melbourne Marathon • Celia Sullohern’s winning time of 2:29.27 makes her the 10th fastest Australian of all-time. Celia is the sixth successive Aussie female to taste victory in Melbourne. • Of 16 women to break 3 hours, the oldest was Sydney’s Fiona Yates, who came 8th in a PB 2:50.31. The keen Park Runner is 43. • Caroline Campbell became the first female over the age of 75 to complete the Melbourne Marathon. Her time was 5:39.19 • Melbourne Midday Milers club member Garth Calder clocked a PB 2:48.58 to be one of 261 athletes to break 3 hours. Not bad for a 55-year-old. • Former Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes clocked 2:35.11 to become the fastest former AFL/VFL player in history. Melbourne’s previous fastest time of 2:52.45 was set by St Kilda Brownlow Medal winner Ross Smith in 1982. • There were 7043 registered participants in the marathon, the largest in Australia this year. SriLankan Airlines Half Marathon • Just four weeks after winning the Sydney marathon, Makda Haji, took 21 seconds off Lisa Weightman’s race record to win in 70min39sec. • Olympians Jess Trengove (71.48) and Eloise Wellings (72.23) ran faster times than when they won in Melbourne in 2011 and 2016 respectively. • Brett Robinson continued his recovery from stress fractures in April to win the half in a PB 64.01. Aged 89, Spartan Antony Martin dropped down in distance and completed the half in 3:35.41. Sydney’s Jacqueline Calandra, now 75, clocked 2:38.46. • Postcards’ Brodie Harper clocked 1hr48min. • All up 11,208 entrants registered in the Half Marathon – Australia’s second largest Half for 2017. The Coffee Club 10km Run • King Island’s Stewart McSweyn dominated the new 10km course in 29.33, almost a minute clear of Reilly Shaw (30.31). • Old Xavs national cross country champion Alex Paterson beat Lake Macquarie’s national 10km track champion Bridey Delaney to be first female home in 33.41. • Louisa Abram clocked 37.59 to be 13th female home at the age of 55. • A total of 8897 people registered to run the tough course that now includes an extra hill near the Shrine because of Melbourne tunnel roadworks. ASICS 5.7km Run • Echuca teenager Archie Reid (17.51) and NZ middle distance runner Ellen Schaef (18.56) flew around the rejigged 5.7km course to be first home. 4 2017 MEDIBANK MELBOURNE MARATHON FESTIVAL RESULTS GUIDE The Race Kenyan duo Isaac Birir and John Langat had the race to themselves and broke away immediately, covering the first 5km in 15min20sec before easing back to go through the half way mark in 66.23. Langat, just 20, had beaten 38-year-old Birir in the Annecy Marathon in April, and pulled away at around 36km and led by up to 50m but hamstring cramps saw him tire in the final two kilometres. That enabled Birir to pass him just after the 41km mark in Wellington Parade South and he ended up winning by 19 seconds. Sydney’s Matthew Cox, running with his Run Crew teammates Matthew Hudson and David Byrne, covered the first half in 68:40, but when Byrne’s Achilles played up and Hudson’s pace duties ended, Cox was alone in third place from 24km. He finished in a PB 2:18.42. Another Sydney Run Crew runner Keith Macpherson led a group of six runners through the half way point in 69.40 that included Queensland-based African Isias Beyn and Kiwis Nick Horspool and Ciaran Faherty. Beyn and Horspool would finish fourth and fifth. The first Victorian was Knox 32-year-old Craig Appleby, who finished sixth in 2:24.36, but had to run solo from early in the race, while Perth-based Chilean Francisco Sanzana also moved through for seventh. Rio Olympian Scott Westcott acted as pacemaker for the sub 2:30 group that included his protégée Celia Sullohern. More than 10 runners hovered behind the pair for the first 10km including Ethiopian female Belaynesh Shifera, who eased back at that point and ended up second. Perth’s Rochelle Rodgers moved up from sixth at the half way mark to finish third in 2:43.50, passing NZ athlete Margaret Campbell in the final kilometre, while first Victorian female home was Old Xavs Sophie Ryan in 2:44.57. Magnificent Seven There were seven Spartan Legends who started this year’s event having completed all of the past 40 Melbourne Marathons. But the biggest cheer at the start was reserved for the youngest Legend, Manny Karageorgiou who has been having chemotherapy and needed a medical clearance to start. Karageorgiou, 61, bravely made it to Flinders St and met his son Pana, before calling it a day soon after. The other six Legends all made it to the finish with 64-year-old Wayne Thompson first home in 3hr 38min 24sec. David Foskey, Roger Weinstein, Manny Karageorgiou, Nev Gardner, Bruce Digger Hargreaves, John Dobson (at rear), Wayne Thompson, Frank Biviano (Manny did not complete the course as he has been ill. Nev missed the 7 hour cut in 2016 by minutes so was not officially classified as a finisher) 2017 MEDIBANK MELBOURNE MARATHON FESTIVAL RESULTS GUIDE 5 The Winners Isaac Birir choice. I’ve put an application Age: 38 in for permanent residency and Resides: Westminster, Perth hopefully they can see from Winning time: 2:14.08 today’s result that I have the talent. Melbourne has given me a great Birir is a Kenyan who moved to opportunity. It’s a plus for me.” Perth from Kapsabet in November last year. Birir started running late, Birir, who speaks fluent English, but has run a 61.34 half in Nice in said before the race he was 2014. warming to Australia and had even watched the AFL Grand Final at His first marathon was in Annecy the MCG two weeks before the in 2016, which he won in 2:14.28, so race. “When I heard the crowd (at his Medibank Melbourne Marathon the MCG) cheering, I was flying,” he win was a PB. said of the final lap. He is married to wife Joycline, who He has joined Tony Chamberlain’s wanted to migrate to Australia and running group in Perth and whilst chose to study early childhood he misses the benefits of altitude development in Perth.