Haftu Strintzos has delivered one of many best performances within the historical past of the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon, changing into the primary Australian man in 20 years to win the occasion.
The 26-year-old Victorian received the 2026 males’s marathon in 2:06:20, smashing the course file and setting new Australian and Oceania information.
His victory ended a protracted look ahead to an Australian males’s champion on the Gold Coast, with Lee Troop the final to win the race in 2006.
The record-breaking run additionally capped an enormous weekend for Australian athletes. Madison de Rozario received her fifth Gold Coast Recreation and Sport Wheelchair Marathon title, whereas Abigail Nordberg was the primary Australian girl house within the marathon.
Ethiopia’s Almaz Kebebe received the ladies’s ASICS Gold Coast Marathon, and Japan’s Kota Hokinoue claimed the lads’s wheelchair marathon.
Greater than 43,000 individuals entered the forty sixth annual occasion throughout the weekend, making it one other main 12 months for the Gold Coast’s signature working competition.
Strintzos’ win was greater than a race victory. It rewrote the file e book and gave Australian marathon working one in all its greatest native moments in many years.
His time of two:06:20 minimize 73 seconds from the earlier ASICS Gold Coast Marathon file of two:07:33, set by Japan’s Yuki Takei in 2025. It additionally eclipsed Andy Buchanan’s Australian and Oceania mark of two:06:22, set in Valencia in 2024.
After crossing the end line, Strintzos collapsed to the bottom as the scale of the second started to sink in.
“It hasn’t fairly registered but, I’m certain it would quickly. It’s fairly a memorable second, a breakthrough second for me,” Strintzos stated.
“I’ve been working exhausting for this, grateful for all of the help I’ve received. Tremendous excited and extra to come back.”
Strintzos stated he felt robust on the 30km mark and trusted the plan he had mentioned together with his coach, Adam, earlier than the race.
“I felt fairly good by about 30km, I need to give a shoutout to the pacers, they had been spot on with their pacing,” he stated.
“I mentioned with my coach, Adam previous to the beginning of the race, relying on how I felt on the 30km mark, to simply go for it and take my possibilities and no matter occurs, occurs.”
“I knew I had it in me, and it was a matter of when, not if, and this was an ideal alternative for it with a high area.”
“The group and vitality had been wonderful. The final 10km was ecstatic, the vitality of the gang was unbelievable.”
The 2026 ASICS Gold Coast Marathon once more confirmed why the occasion is without doubt one of the metropolis’s main sporting and tourism drawcards.
Sunday’s marathon program introduced greater than 17,000 individuals onto the streets, following Saturday’s Tremendous Saturday occasions with 26,000 individuals.
Throughout the weekend, the occasion recorded greater than 43,000 entries, together with virtually 4200 worldwide individuals from 60 international locations. Organisers stated 82 per cent of individuals travelled from outdoors the Gold Coast, filling lodges, cafes and native streets.
Occasions Administration Queensland CEO Ben Mannion stated the workforce was thrilled with the record-breaking weekend.
“The ASICS Gold Coast Marathon is all about delivering nice experiences, and we’re thrilled with the weekend,” Mannion stated.
“Our individuals have lined greater than 1.1 million kilometres throughout the weekend.”
“It takes a variety of work behind the scenes to place this excellent occasion collectively, and the workforce at EMQ is extremely pleased with what we now have been capable of ship.”
“Our occasion may be very a lot tourism-focused, and it was fantastic to file numbers of worldwide and interstate individuals taking to the streets and filling cafes and lodges throughout the Gold Coast this weekend.”
“The problem is now engaged on how we are able to develop the occasion and discovering methods to be revolutionary so extra individuals can take pleasure in this occasion sooner or later.”
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Strintzos completed in 2:06:20, breaking the previous race file by 73 seconds and beating the Australian and Oceania mark by two seconds.
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Virtually 4,200 worldwide individuals got here from 60 international locations, whereas 82 per cent of all individuals travelled from outdoors the Gold Coast.
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4 Australian ladies completed inside the highest 10 of the ladies’s marathon.
Strintzos’ win carried a rare backstory. Born in northern Ethiopia, he spent his early childhood as a shepherd earlier than assembly Australian support employee Maria Strintzos, who later adopted him and introduced him to Melbourne.
He had not been launched to working earlier than arriving in Australia. That modified when a major faculty instructor inspired him to attempt Little Athletics.
From there, he earned a scholarship to Haileybury School in Victoria earlier than heading to Villanova College in america, the place he developed into one in all Australia’s high distance runners.
Strintzos has represented Australia on the Oceania Championships and World Cross Nation Championships. He additionally had robust Gold Coast kind earlier than Sunday, having received the Southern Cross College 10km run in 2024.
Earlier this 12 months, he received the Launceston Half Marathon and set a brand new Australian All-Comers file of 1:00:41. On Sunday, he turned that kind right into a career-shaping marathon win.
Japan’s Hidekazu Hijikata completed second in 2:07:20, additionally going below the previous race file. He stayed with Strintzos till the northern flip at 36.6km, earlier than the Australian made the transfer that determined the race.
“I needed to take first place, so a bit upset concerning the second place; nonetheless, that is my second-best time ever, so the way in which I dealt with the race itself, I’m fairly happy,” Hijikata stated.
“The group was cheering for the Australian very loud, the loudest crowd I’ve ever raced in entrance of. So I simply wanted to concentrate on myself. He [Strintzos] made a transfer, and that determined the end result.”
Japan’s Jinya Ozaki completed third in 2:07:48 in his first marathon.
“This was my first Gold Coast Marathon. It was good situations. I will likely be again subsequent 12 months,” Ozaki stated.
Japan once more confirmed its robust hyperlink with the Gold Coast Marathon, with seven Japanese runners ending inside the lads’s high 10.
The ladies’s marathon added one other robust worldwide storyline to the day, with Ethiopia’s Almaz Kebebe successful in 2:24:53.
The 20-year-old held her composure by the closing phases to assert the largest victory of her profession. Her time was 31 seconds outdoors the ladies’s race file of two:24:22, set by Japan’s Yuki Nakamura in 2024.
“This can be a large victory for me, that is unbelievable,” Kebebe stated.
“The tempo was actually good, after which the opposite runners got here for me earlier than I chased them. I’m actually completely happy, it’s a shock for me.”
“The Gold Coast is wonderful. It’s a lovely place. Thanks to all of the followers for supporting us.”
Kenya’s Antonina Kwambai completed second in 2:25:41 after arriving as one of many elite favourites.
“I’m feeling very excited, it was time. It was my first time on the Gold Coast. It was a really good course, and working with pacers was good,” Kwambai stated.
“I just like the Gold Coast, it’s wonderful. Nice course, flat course, nice seashores. It was fantastic.”
Japan’s Kaede Kawamura was third in 2:28:00.
“I used to be aiming for a greater time, and I slowed down on the finish of the race, however total very completely happy to have come third at present,” Kawamura stated.
Australia additionally had a robust exhibiting within the ladies’s race. Abigail Nordberg, a two-time Sydney Half Marathon winner, was the primary Australian girl house after inserting fourth in a private finest time of two:30:22.
Milly Clark completed sixth in 2:31:18, Simone McInnes positioned ninth in 2:34:46, and Riine Ringi completed tenth in 2:36:19.
The wheelchair marathon introduced extra standout performances, led by Japan’s Kota Hokinoue and Australia’s Madison de Rozario.
Hokinoue received the lads’s Gold Coast Recreation and Sport Wheelchair Marathon in 1:39:02, including one other Gold Coast victory after his 2023 win. He had completed second in 2024 and 2025.
“It feels nice, frankly, very completely happy to be the first-place winner once more,” Hokinoue stated.
“I needed to race Sam and Jake [previous winners], however they weren’t right here, so I mainly needed to race on my own.”
“I used to be aiming for a PB, but it surely didn’t occur this 12 months. Very proud of the win although.”
Australian rookie Tristan Orchard completed second in 1:48:13, virtually 10 minutes behind Hokinoue. The end result was particularly significant as a result of it was Orchard’s first race utilizing a racing chair.
“I did it a few instances in my day chair, so a little bit bit faster, so incredible. From the beginning, Koda simply went, and you possibly can inform he’s on one other degree,” Orchard stated.
“I’m actually completely happy. I can’t actually describe it to be trustworthy, I’ve been working fairly exhausting to get right here, hopefully it’s solely up from right here.”
Invoice Chaffey, a two-time race winner on the Gold Coast, accomplished the lads’s podium in 1:52:22.
“It’s my native race. I stay at Tweed Heads, so I’m just about a Gold Coaster, and that is only a incredible race,” Chaffey stated.
“I received damaged at present at 29km, Tristan simply pulled away from me, and I simply couldn’t preserve going with him.”
Within the ladies’s wheelchair race, de Rozario once more confirmed her class on one in all her favorite programs. The five-time Paralympian received in 1:57:03, claiming her fifth Gold Coast Wheelchair Marathon title.
Her profession consists of two Paralympic gold medals, eight Paralympic medals, 4 Commonwealth Video games gold medals, and a number of London Marathon wins. She was additionally the primary Australian girl to win the wheelchair division of the New York Metropolis Marathon.
“The vitality on this course is one in all my favourites on the planet, I believe it’s one of many causes we at all times attempt to come again,” de Rozario stated.
“The way in which it’s designed, you get to see so most of the runners as nicely, which is without doubt one of the most lovely elements of the marathon that we don’t at all times get to expertise within the elite area.”
“I used to be feeling fairly flat on the market at present, to be trustworthy, 15km I used to be actually combating for it, simply to get by to 42km.”
On claiming her fifth Gold Coast title, de Rozario stated the milestone felt particular after the race.
“You don’t give it some thought if you’re on the market, but it surely’s good,” she stated.
“There are such a lot of legends in our sport, and to form of like come wherever close to a number of the numbers is at all times thrilling.”
Sharnie Digby completed second within the ladies’s wheelchair race in 2:59:30. She additionally competed within the 10km and 5km wheelchair races on Saturday, finishing a giant weekend with a podium end.
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Haftu Strintzos received the lads’s ASICS Gold Coast Marathon in 2:06:20, setting new course, Australian and Oceania information.
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Madison de Rozario received the ladies’s Gold Coast Recreation and Sport Wheelchair Marathon in 1:57:03, her fifth Gold Coast title.
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Abigail Nordberg was the primary Australian girl house, ending fourth in 2:30:22 with a private finest.
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Tristan Orchard positioned second within the males’s wheelchair marathon in 1:48:13, in his first race utilizing a racing chair.
Strintzos’ file run offers Australian marathon working a serious new marker, and it locations him firmly among the many nation’s main distance runners.
His Gold Coast victory additionally offers the occasion a robust Australian storyline heading into 2027, after a 20-year look ahead to an area males’s champion.
For organisers, the main focus turns to rising the occasion after file entries, robust interstate journey and a serious worldwide turnout.
With Australian information, elite wheelchair racing and runners from 60 international locations, the Gold Coast Marathon has set a excessive customary for its subsequent version.
