Melbourne Marathon 2025 live updates: Olympians, celebrities take to city’s streets for major running event

Good morning, and thanks so much for joining us as we follow all the action from the Melbourne Marathon today.

For an estimated 42,000 Melburnians, this will be anything but a lazy Sunday morning.

Here’s a quick guide to the day ahead:

6.30am: Nike Melbourne Marathon begins
7am: Sri Lankan Airlines 10km run begins
7.25am: Nike Wheelchair Marathon begins
7.30am: Nike Half Marathon begins
11.15am: Dairy Farmers 5km run begins
11.45am: Chobani fit walk begins

The starting line for the main event is on Batman Avenue just north of Rod Laver Arena. A mere 42 kilometres later, the runners will find themselves back close to where they started, with the finish line on the hallowed turf of the MCG.

Today’s participants will hopefully avoid forecast rain as they come to terms with the physical challenge they’ve set themselves.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a cloudy day with a high chance of showers, but those will most likely arrive in the afternoon and evening. It should reach a temperature of 20 degrees.

At Olympic Park – not far from where runners will begin running the marathon distance in about 10 minutes – it’s a fresh 10 degrees.

This is the 47th annual Melbourne Marathon. The first one in 1978 started in Frankston and ended at Melbourne Town Hall. The only year it didn’t go ahead was 2020, when COVID and lockdowns hit Melbourne hard.

This year there are 13,000 registered participants in the marathon, as a result of “continuous efforts to optimise the course and enhance the runner experience” according to organisers.

This year’s course takes in Flinders Street, Southbank, St Kilda Road, Albert Park, St Kilda, Elwood and Port Melbourne.