source : the age
Two years ago, after Raul Carrera tore up his meniscus, doctors told him he would never run again. On Sunday, the Arizona native proved them wrong when he crossed the finish line at the Sydney Marathon.
Slumped over the barricade, tears streaming down his face, Carrera sobbed. “I am here. I did it.”
“There were times I really wanted to quit,” Carrera said. “I got to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and thought I wasn’t going to make it, but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.”
Under a clear azure sky, they came in their thousands, the atmosphere electric. One did not need to be a runner to be swept up in marathon mania. Spectators on the sideline whooped, cheered and whistled to energise the passing throng. Among the runners were famous faces including Olympian Emma McKeon, three-time Grand Slam singles winner Ash Barty and Olympian boxer Harry Garside.
McKeon, a six-time Olympic gold medallist and one of the best freestyle swimmers in Australian history, finished in a time of 4:41:30.
After Sydney gained World Marathon Major status, this year, 123,000 people entered the ballot, vying for just 40,000 spots. With no priority given to local runners, thousands missed out. Some showed up anyway.
“You got my ballot spot – enjoy it,” read one sign.
Jenny Tran, who missed out on an entry, ran along the sidelines to cheer on her friend. “It’s so empowering. Everyone is so positive,” she said, adding that she planned to try and sneak onto the track for the final two kilometres.
In the elite field, Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir was crowned the women’s champion, finishing in 02:18:31 to add Sydney to her major victories in Boston, New York and London.
In the men’s division, 21-year-old Ethiopian Addisu Gobena – a javelin thrower until 2023 – shattered the course record by almost a minute and a half, crossing the line in 2:04:42.
At the 12km mark, in the shadow of the Cahill Expressway, runners were met with energy shots, blasting music and an emcee amping up the crowd.
“It’s wonderful. It is early, but it feels like the middle of the afternoon,” said spectator Christian Torres from Mexico. “My job is to cheer on my friend and other people. As a runner, it cheers you up a lot and gives you a boost.”
As runners exited the Sydney Harbour Bridge, one woman waved a homemade poster: “Welcome to Sydney. That’ll be $8.50.” Another crowd-pleasing sign spotted in the crowd: “Pain is temporary but Strava is forever.”
For spectators like Nicolas Soares, simply watching the runners was enough to get his heart pumping. “Everything is beautiful. It’s a perfect day for running. Not too hot, not too cold. It’s beautiful”, he said.
The marathon split the city like a river. With roads closed for the steady stream of athletes, pedestrians lined up to be ushered across the track. For a few seconds, they too were part of the marathon.
At the Opera House finish line, best friends Charlotte Forelich and Shannon McIvor wept after completing their first – and last – marathon, propelled through Sydney’s famously punishing hills by what McIvor called “radical delusion”.
“I am in pain,” Forelich said. “It was amazing, but it was mentally very challenging. I think I stopped at 30 kilometres for a little cry, but I’m still here.”
Emotions were high for spectators. Rosslyne Wilson, mother of runner Michael Wilson, had tears streaming down her face as her son crossed the finish line.
“He has done an amazing job. He is so hard on himself. He is so brilliant,” she said.
The proud mother told the Herald her son had recently run 100 kilometres around a Bendigo athletics track to raise money for bowel cancer.
Amid the lycra was the occasional costume. Phil Brent, dressed head to toe as a turtle, broke a Guinness World Record for “fastest marathon dressed in a reptile costume”. He had just a single training run in the outfit. “I ran around my local area at nighttime. I didn’t want anyone to see me,” Brent said.
Perched on her partner’s shoulders, Central Coast woman Tayla Mackay was on top of the world.
It was the 25-year-old’s second marathon, and she smashed her personal best. Despite being “very sore and very tired”, Mackay was buzzing. “I cried when I saw my mum. I think I’m going to have to do all the world majors now.”
But for now, Mackay was off to a much-awaited destination: the pub.
That’s it folks the 2026 Sydney Marathon is officially closed.
After seven and a half hours of racing, the city begins its pack down.
No figures yet on how many finishers have crossed the line, but there has been plenty of blood, sweat and tears.
And because we love to celebrate a friend, here’s more of our colleague Abby Seaman who has finished her first Sydney Marathon.
She’s a three-time grand slam singles champion, and now Ash Barty is a Sydney Marathon finisher.
The 30-year-old finished the race in a time of 4:16:40.
No media for Barty, she was whisked away shortly after finishing, but we did manage to snap a pic of her at the finish line.
Two years ago doctors told Raul Carrera he would never run again.
Today, the Arizona native crossed the Sydney Marathon finish line.
Collapsing on the barricade, tears streaming down his face, Carrera said was in disbelief.
“There were times where I just really wanted to just quit, but I just kept on going. I got to Mrs Macquarie Chair, and I thought I wasn’t gonna be able to make it, but I just kept [going], just one foot after the other,” Carrera said.
He has a daily saying that pushed him through.
“Success is not owned; it is rented, and the rent is due every day. You gotta be putting the work [in] every single day. Gotta be putting in those daily deposits,” he said.
Australia’s most decorated Olympian, Emma McKeon, has crossed the finish line.
McKeon, a six-time Olympic gold medallist and one of the best freestyle swimmers in Australian history, finished in a time of 4:41:30.
She knows what it takes to be the best, but today’s race was a little different to what she is accustomed to.
“Oh my god, it’s so different. I didn’t really know what to expect to be honest,” McKeon said after the race.
“Once we passed the 28km it was just unchartered territory for me. I’ve done 28km in my training, and it was just curiosity… Around the whole course, everyone is just cheering you on so much, and I feel like every time you run past a big group of loud cheerers, you just get goosebumps, and I think that’s what got me through.”
