Kenyan Timothy Kiplagat Ronoh has broken compatriot Dominic Ondoro’s course record in claiming his first Melbourne Marathon title on Sunday.

Ronoh ran two hours, nine minutes and 12 seconds, going under the 2:10:47 that Ondoro set when he took the first of his two successive Melbourne wins in 2013.

Fellow Kenyan Cornelius Kibet Kiplagat took second on Sunday in 2:10:24 and Melbourne’s Reece Edwards completed the podium in 2:14:41.

Beatrice Cheptoo made it a Kenyan double when she won the women’s race in 2:27:58, shading Adelaide Olympian Izzi Batt-Doyle with her 2:28:10.

It was Batt-Doyle’s marathon debut after she ran in the 5000m at the Tokyo Olympics, while Ethiopian Yenebeba Maru Ejigu was third in 2:28:54.

International competitors raced in the marathon for the first time since 2019.

Commonwealth Games marathon champion Jess Stenson won the half-marathon in 1:12:22 and Jack Rayner took out the men’s race for the second successive year in 1:02:16.

The 44th Melbourne Marathon festival attracted more than 34,500 entrants over distances ranging from the 42.195-kilometre marathon to a 3-kilometre walk.

-AAP