Post-race Strintzos was quick to give credit to the expert pacing trio of 2:06:00 runner Tsubasa Ichiyama, who paced Yuki Takei's 2:07:33 CR last year, 2:07:14 American Ethan Shuley, and 2:07:34 runner Shinsaku Kudo who paced Gold Coast 2 years ago. The trio kept things going slightly hotter than the 3:01 target pace, on track for 2:06:50 most of the way. Ichiyama stopped at 25 km and Kudo at 30 km, and at that point it was down to Strintzos, 2:06:26 runner Hidekazu Hijikata, and the debuting Jinya Ozaki.
Shuley was tasked with going to 30 km but, critically, kept it going for another 2 km over the only significant hill on the Gold Coast course. Just as Strintzos did in Launceston, when Shuley stepped off at 32 km Strintzos got to work, splitting 14:33 between 30 and 35 km to kill off both Ozaki and Hijikata. From there it was a one-man show, Strintzos digging deep after 40 km to clear Andy Buchanan's NR by just 2 seconds with a 5-minute+ PB and 1:13 CR 2:06:20 for the win. His victory made him the first Australian to win the Gold Coast since Lee Troop way back in 2006.
Hijikata held on to 2nd in 2:07:20, the 2nd-best time of his career, with Ozaki clocking a quality 2:07:48 in his first marathon. Japanese athletes took 5 of the next 7 spots, with PBs from Ryoma Takeuchi, Kaisei Sugiyama, Naoki Tomita and Ryuichi Yoshioka. Benson Tunyo Murkomen was the only one of the 5 invited African marathoners to finish the race, 6th in 2:09:18, while American Patrick Cullen rounded out the top 10 with a 2:12:15 PB.
In the early going the women's race featured 2 Kenyans, 2 Ethiopians and 2 Japanese athletes, with the Australian leaders holding back with Mongolian Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh. Steady on mid-2:23 pace, the lead group shook down to 20-year-old Almaz Kebebe, Antonina Kwambai, and Kaede Kawamura before Kebebe broke away.
Where Strintzos was able to split 1:03:30/1:02:50, Kebebe struggled to hold onto the projected finish time after the pacers stopped, going 1:11:59/1:12:54 to win just off the CR in 2:24:53. Kwambai was 2nd in 2:25:41 and Kawamura 3rd in 2:28:00 to make it an evenly international podium. Abigail Nordberg was the top Australian at 4th in a 2:30:22 PB.
ASICS Gold Coast Marathon
Gold Coast, Australia, 5 July 2026
Men
1. Haftu Strintzos (Australia) - 2:06:20 - NR, CR
2. Hidekazu Hijikata (Japan) - 2:07:20
3. Jinya Ozaki (Japan) - 2:07:48 - debut
4. Ryoma Takeuchi (Japan) - 2:08:20 - PB
5. Kaisei Sugiyama (Japan) - 2:09:03 - PB
6. Benson Tunyo Murkomen (Kenya) - 2:09:18
7. Naoki Tomita (Japan) - 2:09:28 - PB
8. Ryuichi Hashimoto (Japan) - 2:10:18
9. Ryuichi Yoshioka (Japan) - 2:10:26 - PB
10. Patrick Cullen (U.S.A.) - 2:12:15 - PB
11. Mizuki Higashi (Japan) - 2:12:48
12. Sydney Gidabuday (U.S.A.) - 2:12:49 - PB
13. Ilham Tanui Ozbilen (Turkey) - 2:13:09
14. Hiromasa Kumahashi (Japan) - 2:13:39
15. Tomohiro Kaijo (Japan) - 2:15:11 - PB
-----
DNF - Dominic Ngeno (Kenya)
DNF - Enyew Nigat (Ethiopia)
DNF - Elisha Rotich (Kenya)
DNF - Abayneh Degu Tsehay (Ethiopia)
Women
1. Almaz Kebebe (Ethiopia) - 2:24:53
2. Antonina Kwambai (Kenya) - 2:25:41
3. Kaede Kawamura (Japan) - 2:28:00
4. Abigail Nordberg (Australia) - 2:30:22 - PB
5. Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (Mongolia) - 2:30:46
6. Milly Clark (Australia) - 2:31:18
7. Aika Murakami (Japan) - 2:32:32
8. Nichola Sheridan (Ireland) - 2:33:26 - PB
9. Simone McInnes (Australia) - 2:34:46
10. Riine Ringi (Estonia) - 2:36:19 - PB
11. Alexandra Lyndon (Australia) - 2:36:22 - PB
12. Danette Sheehan (Canada) - 2:37:20
13. Joyline Chemutai (Kenya) - 2:38:15 - PB
14. Natasha Richards (Australia) - 2:41:40 - PB
15. Mazie Russel (Australia) - 2:42:43
-----
DNF - Lensa Debele Jaleta (Ethiopia)
© 2026 Brett Larner, all rights reserved
Comments