Australia has a new national marathon queen.
On a cool, calm morning in Spain, Jessica Stenson delivered one of the greatest road-running performances in Australian history, smashing Sinead Diver’s national record to run 2:21:24 and become the fastest Australian woman ever over 42.195km.
The Commonwealth Games champion, coached by Adam Didyk, finished fifth overall in the women’s field, producing a race defined by control, rhythm and astonishing even pacing — a metronomic display that never wavered more than 11 seconds per 5km split.
Stenson’s fastest 5km (the opening segment) was 16:41, and her slowest (35–40km) was 16:52, with every intermediate split sitting inside that range. She passed halfway in 70:37, just over 90 seconds slower than her half marathon PB of 69:04, before closing with a 70:47 second half to seal the record with authority.
Stenson’s run sliced 10 seconds off Diver’s previous record of 2:21:34 set on the same course in 2022.
A breakthrough years in the making
Racing her third marathon of 2025, the 38-year-old showed precision far beyond the usual chaos of big-city marathons. Sitting calmly in a well-organised pack through the early kilometres, Stenson held her splits with remarkable discipline before gradually tightening the screws in the final 7km.
Her final surge, as she fought fatigue and chased the clock, carried a sense of inevitability: the culmination of two decades of consistency, resilience and world-class championship racing.
When she crossed the line and saw the clock, the emotion was palpable.
“I just got off the phone to Sinead — she called me right away and we just cried,” Stenson said.
“She was so happy for me, and it was so nice to connect after the race.”
Stenson said she arrived in Valencia knowing she would have to commit fully to the record attempt:
“Everyone always says Valencia is magic, but I was nervous because I knew I was going to have a crack at the record — and that it was going to hurt. I expected a lot of mental pain. Instead, I found my flow.”
The camaraderie between Australia’s leading marathoners remains one of the sport’s most compelling threads.
“I’m so grateful for Sinead and the standard she set,” Stenson said.
“In the final kilometre I was thinking about her, knowing what was possible. I have the highest respect for her.”
The race was taken out by Joyciline Jepkosgei from Kenya, who set a world leading time of 2:14:00.
Australians shine across Valencia’s record-friendly roads
Valencia has become a proving ground for Australian breakthroughs, and 2025 was no exception.
Versatile South Australian Isobel Batt-Doyle continued her impressive rise, finishing seventh woman in 2:23:35, another world-class performance in a season of range and consistency. Batt-Doyle’s first half was 70:49, before slowing to a 72:46 second half.
The performance was her fourth fastest ever, behind her 2:22:59 set on the same course last year, 2:23:27 the year prior, and 2:23:29 in Nagoya earlier this year.
Genevieve Gregson clocked 2:28:51 to finish 22nd just five months after giving birth to her second child.
The first Australian man home was Thomas Do Canto who ran 2:11:14 bettering his 2023 PB to finishing 40th in the men’s race and 57th overall. Ryan Gregson ran 2:17:21 while Haftu Strinzos’s Australia record ambitions took a back seat, finishing in 2:26:20 after a 63:29 first half. Former national record holder Brett Robinson failed to finish.
