On 30 August, the TCS Sydney Marathon 2026 took place in Sydney, Australia.
The Sydney Marathon joined the Abbott World Marathon Majors in 2025 as the seventh event in the prestigious global series, making this year its second edition as a Major.
Around 40,000 runners entered this year’s event, the largest field in the marathon’s history. Participants from around the world raced across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and through the city before finishing in front of the Sydney Opera House.
In the men’s marathon, Ethiopia’s Addis Gobena claimed victory in a new course record of 2:04:42. In the women’s race, Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir, an Olympic gold medallist at Tokyo 2020, took first place in 2:18:31.
The Sydney Marathon has maintained a sister-marathon relationship with the Nagoya City Marathon since 2012. Through the partnership, top-performing runners from each event are given the opportunity to take part in the other city’s race, helping strengthen ties between Nagoya and Sydney through sport.
This year, two runners were selected to represent Nagoya in Sydney: Eiichi Matsubara from Okazaki City and Wakana Onishi from Nakagawa Ward in Nagoya.
Matsubara placed 11th in the men’s half marathon at Marathon Festival Nagoya Aichi 2026, recording a time of 1:06:42. In Sydney, he competed in the full marathon, finishing in 2 hours 32 minutes and placing 88th overall.
Onishi placed 12th in the women’s Nagoya RUN event in a time of 32:33. In Sydney, she competed in the 5km event held on 29 August, completing the race in 23 minutes.
The two representatives were selected from the leading finishers in the half marathon and Nagoya RUN categories, with one runner chosen from each event. The selection criteria also required one male and one female runner, with one representative from Nagoya City and the other from elsewhere in Aichi Prefecture.
For both runners, one of the most memorable aspects of competing in Sydney was the extraordinary support from spectators along the course.
They described the atmosphere as being on an entirely different scale to races they had experienced in Japan, with cheering continuing throughout the course. Whenever they waved to spectators, people would enthusiastically wave back, creating a feeling that each runner was the star of the event.
DJ booths were also set up at various points along the course, with music adding to the atmosphere and helping runners push through the more challenging stages of the race.
For Matsubara and Onishi, the combination of music and constant encouragement from the Sydney crowds became an important source of energy throughout their respective races.
The day after the Sydney Marathon, Matsubara and Onishi paid a courtesy visit to Sydney Town Hall, where they met City of Sydney Councillor Robert Kok.
Councillor Kok congratulated the two runners on their performances and welcomed them to Sydney. The meeting provided an opportunity for the runners and Councillor Kok to reflect on their experience of the event and enjoy a friendly conversation, further highlighting the long-standing connection between Sydney and Nagoya through their sister-marathon partnership.
As the Sydney Marathon continues to establish itself as one of the world’s leading marathon events, its long-running partnership with the Nagoya City Marathon remains an important opportunity for sporting and cultural exchange between the two cities.
The sister-marathon relationship, which began in 2012, continued this year with Matsubara and Onishi experiencing first-hand the distinctive atmosphere of the Sydney Marathon and the remarkable support of the city’s spectators, while their visit with Councillor Kok provided another opportunity to strengthen the friendship between Sydney and Nagoya through sport.
