Sydney was buzzing this weekend as thousands of runners took over the streets for the 2025 Sydney Marathon, now officially part of the prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors. From sunrise stretches on the Harbour Bridge to record-breaking finishes at the Opera House, the city turned it on for pros, locals, and first-timers alike.
By Monday, sore legs were hobbling up stairs and finisher medals were still proudly swinging from runners’ necks. Among them, marathon icons Eliud Kipchoge and Sifan Hassan took the spotlight at the Sydney Opera House, speaking as part of Nike’s Road to Running Royalty Strava Challenge.
Hassan claimed the women’s title in a blistering 2:18:22, the fastest marathon ever run by a woman in Australia, and made history as the first female winner of Sydney’s debut as a World Major. Reflecting on her race, she shared how she pushes through pain during the toughest moments.
“I trick myself,” she said. “Accepting pain is the only road to success.”
Despite her dominant performance, Hassan admitted to battling self-doubt at the start line.
“I have self-doubt, yes of course — every day, like every human being,” she said.
But through mental strength (and a bit of trickery), she turned that doubt into belief — proving, once again, that mindset is everything.
“As humans, we are stronger than we think.”
Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge may have missed the men’s podium, but his wisdom landed as powerfully as ever.
“I always say running is life. If you run you become fit. If you run you become calm. If you run actually your mind becomes more fitter than anything else,” he said.
“Running has actually taught me patience, it has taught me consistency, it has taught me respect, it has taught me discipline and above all it has taught me how to be human.”
As Sydney cements its place on the global marathon map, it’s clear the race is about more than records or rankings. It’s about resilience and the shared belief that putting one foot in front of the other, no matter how painful, can lead to something pretty special.
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