Ed Goddard all class in record run at Sydney Half Marathon

4 Sept 2022

Ed Goddard all class in record run at Sydney Half Marathon

Overcoming occasional rain showers, Ed Goddard recorded a record run to easily win the men’s 2022 Sydney Half Marathon conducted today around Homebush. In the women’s race, Marnie Ponton registered the fastest winning time for 15 years.

After a two year pause due to COVID, the Sydney Half Marathon returned with a record field of over 1200 entries, enjoying a new three-lap 7km course, which included running on the Sydney Athletics Centre blue track.

Red hot favourite, Ed Goddard, fresh off an epic bronze in the National cross country last weekend in Adelaide, was an unbackable favourite winning by over two minutes in 63:26 minutes. His time destroyed the 20-year-old race record of 64:18, set by Olympian Scott Westcott. It was Ed’s second fastest time in his 6-race career at the distance. He averaged 3 minutes for every kilometres, moving at nearly 20km/hour.

Ed, running for UTS Norths, also won the 32nd NSW Half Marathon Championship, first held in 1989.

Second across the line was Queenslander Aiden Hobbs in 66:00 minutes. A specialist steeplechaser, Aiden has been compiling an impressive 2022 winner season over all surfaces and up to the marathon.

Third and second in the NSW Championship was Run Crew’s Olympian Ben St Lawrence, in the same time as Aiden - 66:00 minutes. Third NSW athlete was UTS Norths’ Leo Petersen with 69:22.

In the women’s race, Bankstown’s Marnie Ponton held a slender lead over Rebecca Lowe for much of the race, eventually going on to take the win in 76:09 minutes, the fastest time in the race for 15 years and the third fastest of her career. Marnie held off Run Crew’s Rebecca Lowe who ran 76:20 to take 44 seconds off her PB set in this race last year.

Marnie became the 32nd NSW Half Marathon champion, a race which has been won on five occassions by Australian distance running legend Kerryn McCann.

Run Crew teammate Rosie Weber was third across the line in an 85 seconds PB time of 77:44 minutes. Rosie also claimed the State silver medal.

There was a battle throughout the race for the next five positions, places fourth to eight, with just 32 seconds separating the women at the finish. The battle for fourth to sixth we would later realise was for the NSW Half Marathon State Championship bronze medal. In the end Delta Running Project’s Rosy Cooper, would place fourth and win the State bronze in 79:28, ahead of teammate Liz Woolnough in 79:44, with Athletics NSW Board Member and Sutherland athlete, Lexy Gilmour sixth and fifth in the State title race clocking 79:48.

Also in the battle were Megan Tumminello – seventh in 79:50 and Samantha Danckert eighth with 80:00.

Other winners on the day were Cormac Ryan in the Wheelchair half marathon with 74:28, Benjamin Jagger in the men’s 7km (23:29) and Australian Cross Country medallists, Piper Simpson in the women’s 7km with 28:34.

Link to results: https://events.onetime.sport/event/1184?utm_source=Website

A special thank you to the Sydney Striders Club volunteers who acted as pacemakers.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Ed Goddard (courtesy of David Tarbotton)