Olympians Olivia Sandery and Rhydian Cowley have been crowned the inaugural Australian champions in the Marathon Race Walk, lighting up an eventful morning in Canberra for the Chemist Warehouse Winter Series.
The 42.195km bout saw the Canberra skies throw down fierce sun and at times heavy rain, but through it all Sandery (SA) and Cowley (VIC) remained calm to stand on the top step of the podium after over three hours of racing.
At 22-years-old, Sandery was a comprehensive winner by a margin of almost 20 minutes following the withdrawal of training partner and race leader Elizabeth McMillen (SA) not long after halfway, leaving the Olympian to coast to victory in a time of 3:35:58.
“My goal was to feel comfortable and in control, and I managed to do that. Things can fall apart quickly if you go out too fast or haven’t got your fuelling right, so I’m happy with today,” Sandery said.
“It’s a long way, so even if someone does get ahead of you, there is usually time to catch up. I will be looking more at the 10km and Half Marathon because those are the distances for the Commonwealth Games and World Championships going forward.”
Hannah Bolton (NSW) clinched the silver medal when stopping the clock in 3:55:19, finishing ahead of Alanna Peart (VIC) who took home bronze in 3:56:50.
Olympic medallist Cowley added another Australian title to his resume as his experience shone, biding his time before putting his rivals to the sword in the last 10km – completing the marathon circuit in 3:19:58.
“It wasn’t easy today, just from where I’m at in my preparation after a long season. Some of it is just the training age and experience, one thing I’ve learned is that you have to stay calm and conserve your mental energy,” Cowley said.
“There was a point at about 30km where I thought that if I could get to 35km and then pull out, that would be good enough, but I got to that point and thought I guess I’m winning.”
Dylan Richardson (NSW) and Mitchell Baker (ACT) both launched attacks in an attempt to become the first ever national champion in the event, with Baker fighting valiantly in the lead before cramps struck in the final six kilometres.
The local picked himself up to secure bronze in 3:25:46, behind silver medallist Richardson in 3:22:17.
In the Half Marathon Race Walk events, Declan Tingay (WA) and Samantha Findlay (SA) landed on top after 21 laps with times of 1:31:40 and 1:47:41 respectively.
The 2025 Australian Athletics Marathon Race Walk Championships were held as part of the Chemist Warehouse Winter Series, with full results available HERE.
By Lachlan Moorhouse, Australian Athletics
Posted 29/11/2025
