Olympians, celebrities take to city’s streets for major running event

The male leaders of the Melbourne Marathon are making their way back towards the CBD along Marine Parade in Elwood, having just passed the 25 kilometre mark.

Australia’s Jack Rayner and Japan’s Jo Fukuda are still toughing it out together at the front of the race.

About 30 seconds back in third is Fraser Darcy, who was the fourth Australian to cross the line at the Sydney Marathon earlier this year.

Some of Melbourne’s major thoroughfares have been closed to make way for the city’s runners today.

Closures around the CBD and Southbank span parts of Flinders Street, St Kilda Road, Kavanagh Street, Wellington Parade, Domain Road, Jolimont Road, Brunton Road. Roads should re-open by 2.30pm.

Further south, closures are affecting Beaconsfield Parade, Fitzroy Street in St Kilda, Marine Parade and Ormand Esplanade. These roads should re-open by 2pm.

Crossing the line to fireworks, Ellie Pashley has won the 10km race at the Melbourne Marathon Festival on Sunday.

Pashley represented Australia at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and came 23rd.

She’s followed by Stella Radford in second and Tiana Cetta in third – it’s an all-Australian podium.

Adam Goddard has won the 10km race at the Melbourne Marathon Festival, in a time of 28:39.

The 22-year-old won the South Australian 14km City-Bay race earlier this year, so is clearly in excellent form.

He was followed by Yohanes Dagnaw in second, running a full minute behind Goddard, and Lebanese athlete Zayd Al Sayd in third.

Waiting to run the half marathon, which starts at 7.30am, was Robyn Kelm, a retired hairdresser and farmer from Horsham, in north-western Victoria.

She said she is used to getting up at 6am to go to the gym, so being here early is “not a problem”.

She stayed overnight in a CBD hotel.

There to support Kelm was her sister-in-law and friend of 40 years Glenda Anderson, whose sons Ben and Scott are running the marathon today.

“I’ve also got three grandchildren running the 10km,” Glenda said.

Robyn said running, which she got into over 15 years ago, is “good for my mental health and it’s an achievement.

“It’s something I never dreamed I could do many years ago,” she said.

“But my nephews started running and I did the Surf to Surf 10km run at Warrnambool and it was amazing.”

Ross Malcomson, who lives with Motor Neurone Disease, or MND, will be pushed by three family members in a modified wheelchair along the 42.2km course.

The plan is that at the end of the race, Ross will walk across the finish line at the MCG.

Ross said his twin sons Trent and Kane, both 39, and his daughter’s partner Caleb Plumridge, 37, who have trained hard for the marathon had “stepped up” to be involved. He said preparing for and running the marathon had been a great family experience and fundraiser.

“I’m very proud of them,” Ross said. “They’re such a determined lot.”

The family, from Port Melbourne, have also so far raised $56,000 from sponsor donations to benefit the charity MND Victoria. Trent said Ross’s original goal was $450 so donors’ generosity had been “incredible”.

Trent said since his father was diagnosed with the incurable degenerative disease a year ago, MND Victoria has helped the family with carers, counselling and equipment hire.

Ross, 68, who was a keen footballer and swimmer when younger, said he had always wanted to run a marathon, having grown up in Frankston where the first Melbourne Marathon starting line was in 1978.

John Dobson, 74, of Eltham, who is one of three people running today who has run every Melbourne Marathon since it started in 1978, said at the start line that he was nervous but confident he would finish the full 42.2km.

Dobson, a cancer survivor who suffers from osteoarthritis, says the marathon is part of his identity, and having 12 relatives cheering from the sidelines encouraged him to keep going.

“I do it for myself as well, but the backing I’ve got is unreal,” he said. “I can’t disappoint anybody.”

Dobson, a retired bricklayer, said it didn’t enter into his head that it might be his last marathon.

It’s part of my life. I just love doing it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. People out there are looking at me and saying, ‘if he can do it, I can do it’.

However, he said while “in years gone by I was worrying about what time I’d do”, in the last three years he’d mainly been thinking about whether he would finish it.

Dobson says his arthritis “grinds you to a slow pace but you just keep moving”.

He loves how other runners pat him on the back during the race and say ‘good on you mate’ after they see his singlet that tells them Dobson has done every Melbourne Marathon.

He is armed today with salt tablets for cramps and glucose tablets for energy, and was aiming for a time of five hours, 30 minutes, about the same as last year’s event.

The sun has come up beside the Yarra River in Batman Avenue and just about to start the 10km run are Sam Bingley of Hampton and his son Ed, 12.

Sam’s wife Prue Bingley is already off on the 42.2km marathon.

It’s Ed’s first time running the 10km event, but his dad says he very fit, playing basketball, football, cricket and tennis.

Father and son have been training together for months on the beach at Hampton and Sandringham.

Sam has previously run two marathons and two half marathons.

The 10km kicks off at 7am.

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