Leanne Pompeani added another win to her resume on Sunday, claiming victory in the women’s 10K at the 2025 Real Insurance Harbour 10, just five weeks out from her biggest challenge yet — the TCS Sydney Marathon, where she’ll line up in place of competing for Australia at the World Championships in Tokyo.
Clocking 32:27, Pompeani led home a quality field ahead of Caitlin Adams (32:48) and Jenny Blundell (34:02), using Sydney’s scenic 10K as a hard-earned checkpoint in the middle of her marathon build.
“I was not as fresh as I would usually feel, as I’m in the middle of a marathon block,” said Pompeani.
“This race fell in the middle of my training for the Sydney Marathon, so I was happy to do it as a warm-up, but it was hard.”
The decision to forgo the green and gold singlet and focus on the Sydney Marathon marks a new chapter for Pompeani. With Sydney joining the Abbott World Marathon Majors series for the first time this August, the Canberra-based runner has set her sights on delivering a career-defining performance on home soil.
“The next big thing for me is the marathon, which is five weeks from now. I’ll get back to training for three weeks before I start tapering.”
Pompeani is no stranger to success on the roads, and as one of Australia’s most consistent distance talents, she’s well-placed to shine when the marathon spotlight lands on Sydney this August.
Joining her on the start line at the marathon will be Sam Clifford, who also took out the men’s title in the Harbour 10, winning in 29:33 ahead of Ed Goddard (29:54). The Tasmanian star, and national 10K record holder, will make his marathon debut in Sydney.
“The Harbour 10 is always a good testing course, and you get to run along the best spots in Sydney”, said Clifford. “I am grateful to get the opportunity to run well and get the win this morning. I ran third in this event last year. I was very crook and it was cold, windy, so I made sure I was fit, ready to go and played to my strengths this year.”
“My next big goal is the Sydney Marathon, which is actually my marathon debut. The State of Tasmania record is 2:10:20, and I think with such a quality field for Sydney on the way, there’s no reason why I can’t run a time a bit quicker than that. Marathon training has been hard work, but I know I need to put in the work. If I just get to the start line, I am winning in my mind”
With over 7,000 runners, a reimagined event experience over a certified course, and two of Australia’s top talents fine-tuning their marathon fitness, the 2025 Real Insurance Harbour 10 served as more than just a race — it was a launch pad for what promises to be a historic Sydney Marathon in August.
