More than 17,000 runners and walkers hit the streets for the Auckland Marathon today with nearly 3500 tackling the full 42.2km distance, the highest number of marathon entrants in more than a decade.
The event, now in its 34th year, brought athletes and everyday runners onto the streets of Tāmaki Makaurau under clear skies and in mild conditions.
Auckland’s Brigid Dennehy was a highlight in the women’s marathon, smashing a longstanding course record by more than three minutes.
Her winning time of 2:38:10 eclipsed the previous record, set in 2012, by 3 minutes and 19 seconds.
“It means a lot to win again, especially with Auckland being a home course and the home crowd out there – it’s very special,” said Dennehy, who also won the event on debut last year.
“It all went to plan. I had two amazing pacers, Jono and Luke, and the group running with us – it was definitely a team effort.”
Dennehy’s dominance was clear, with second-place finisher Alice Mason crossing the line in 2:48:11, just over 10 minutes behind. Odette Jennings rounded out the podium in 2:52:36.
In the men’s race, Daniel Balchin returned to the top of the podium, backing up his 2023 win with another commanding performance.
The Otago runner surged ahead in the final kilometres to finish in 2:19:55, avoiding the sprint finish that cost him the title last year.
“I’m absolutely stoked,” said Balchin.
“The Auckland Marathon is the biggest and most competitive marathon in New Zealand, so it’s awesome to have another title to my name.”
Rotorua’s Michael Voss finished second in 2:21:01, just three seconds ahead of Auckland’s Cam Graves.
