A car struck a woman near Flinders Street station on Sunday, about 200 metres from the Melbourne Marathon route. Police officers nearby drew their weapons as the driver left. The woman went to Royal Melbourne Hospital, but her condition wasn't known. Reports said the car had been seen driving erratically before it hit her at about 10.45am, made a U-turn and drove away.
The incident unfolded close to a race that drew thousands of fans to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The report gives no connection between the car incident and the marathon. It does record the immediate display of police power: officers drew their weapons. The woman's condition remained unknown.
A record at the MCG
Eliud Kipchoge won the Melbourne Marathon in two hours, nine minutes and 10 seconds, breaking the race record by two seconds. The 41-year-old Kenyan made his debut in the race and claimed his first marathon victory in three years. He finished at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where thousands of fans watched.
Kipchoge said he believed his body could still compete with younger runners. “I believe that my body is still peaking – still able to compete with the next generation. The oldest athlete is still competing but I am happy to run with the gen Zs.”
Jimmy Whelan, a former Australian professional cyclist, stayed with Kipchoge until about 30 kilometres. Then Kipchoge increased his pace and led to the finish. “I [increased] the pace after 30km, to see whether I can run well and beat the [race record]. My plan went well,” he said.
The spectacle and its audience
After finishing, Kipchoge spent well over half an hour celebrating with fans along the MCG boundary fence. “The crowd is so wonderful – I've never seen a crowd like this. Melbourne is really, really a sporting city,” he said. He waved during the half-lap inside the MCG and could have finished a few seconds faster.
The Melbourne visit marked the third leg of a world tour in which Kipchoge planned to run a marathon on each continent, including Antarctica. He also did community work in Melbourne and spoke about the city’s sporting heritage. “The experience is awesome – the culture of Melbourne is wonderful,” he said.
Kipchoge described the previous four days this way: “I've seen myself, sport can do wonder. It was four-in-one – with the tennis, finishing at the cricket, the Olympics were here in 1956, running on the Formula One track.” He said he would return the following year to watch tennis and Formula One and see people playing cricket. “This is the best track ever.”
Other finishers, same race
Australia's Thomas Do Canto finished runner-up in 2:10:35, while Whelan finished fifth. New Zealand's Camille French won the women’s race in 2:28:25, followed by Australia's Sinead Diver in 2:28.49. Australian Seth O'Donnell and New Zealander Georgie Gregec won the half-marathon titles.
Kipchoge had previously finished ninth in the 2025 Sydney Marathon. The report describes his community work but gives no further details about it, and records no organized community response to the incident near Flinders Street. It also reports no electoral or legislative proposals. The race record and the police weapons are the facts on the page; the woman's condition was still unknown.