The stage is set for an electric day of racing at the 2025 McGrath Launceston Running Festival, with what is likely to be the deepest distance-running fields ever assembled on Australian soil for both the Half Marathons and 10KM events to be held on Sunday 1 June.
As the only World Athletics Elite Label road race in the Southern Hemisphere, Launceston continues to attract global talent to its famously fast and flat course. This year, athletes will chase part of a $50,000 prize pool, along with time-based bonuses and potential course records.
Half Marathon Showdown
Leading the men’s field is Australian record holder Brett Robinson (59:57), who headlines a stellar line-up featuring a deep Japanese contingent including Tsubasa Ichiyama (1:00:22), Teruki Shimada (1:00:56), Hiroto Kuniyasu (1:01:30), Ryuichi Yoshioka (1:01:38) and Kento Otsu (1:01:43)
Recently crowned Australian marathon record holder Andy Buchanan (1:00:28) returns to the race with an elevated profile after becoming an Olympian last year and placing 11th in the London Marathon a little over a week ago.
The depth is so strong that organisers had to bring in Japanese rising star Kento Baba (1:00:26) to be the pacemaker. He’s part of the Japanese team for the World University Games half marathon in July.
Six-time Olympian and Mongolian record holder Ser-Od Bat-Ochir will also use the race as a lead up to his 12th straight run in the World Athletics Championships to be staged on the streets of Tokyo in September.
With 19 men having clocked under 64 minutes, the race promises to be one of the fastest in Australian history.
After a blistering Australian record over 10km on Saturday night, Launceston’s Sam Clifford also steps up to the longer distance, with the Tasmanian record of 62:39 clearly on borrowed time.
Other notables include Liam Adams (1:02:15), Ed Goddard (1:02:01), Olympic 1500m finalist Ryan Gregson (1:03:00) and Paralympic medallist Deon Kenzie who is debuting over the distance
In the women’s race, fans can expect fireworks as three of Australia’s finest line up: 10km course record holder and rising star Leanne Pompeani (1:09:01), 2022 Commonwealth Games marathon champion Jess Stenson (1:09:04) and 2016 Olympian Marathoner Milly Clark (1:10:48),
They’ll be challenged by Japan’s Yumi Yoshikawa (1:09:32) and fellow Australians Sarah Klein and Caitlin Adams.
Asian marathon champion Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh (1:10:32) of Mongolia rounds out a truly world class field.
Stacked Tamar Chiro 10km Fields
In the men’s 10km, local favourite and Olympic finalist Stewart McSweyn (28:03) headlines a strong line-up. He’ll be pushed by 2022 race winner James Hansen (28:20), Matt Buckell (29:27), Hamish Longworth (29:31) and a wave of emerging Australian talent including Luca Di Conza and Tynan Mims
On the women’s side, Ruby Smee (33:07) enters as the one to beat, facing a quality field that includes Kate Spencer (33:28), Charlotte Wilson (33:54), Melanie Daniels, Saskia Lloyd and Rebecca Lowe, all sub-34 contenders
Race Director Richard Welsh said the 2025 edition is shaping up to be the festival’s most competitive to date.
“This year we’ve significantly increased our funding into the elite athlete program, which is clearly shown in the fields we’ve assembled for June 1,” he said.
“This will be like nothing we’ve ever seen before: Launceston is ready for an unforgettable day of racing. This event continues to grow, and we’re proud to see it recognised globally with the World Athletics Elite Label.”
The McGrath Launceston Running Festival includes four events to choose from. The event has already surpassed its participation record of 2080 set last year.
- Peppers Silo Half Marathon
- Tamar Chiro 10km
- The Athlete’s Foot 5km
- Liv Eat Mile
| Men Half Marathon | PB | Bib Name |
| Brett Robinson | 59:57 | ROBINSON |
| Tsubasa Ichiyama | 1:00:22 | ICHIYAMA |
| Kento Baba | 1:00:26 | BABA |
| Andy Buchanan | 1:00:28 | BUCHANAN |
| Teruki Shimada | 1:00:56 | SHIMADA |
| Hiroto Kuniyasu | 1:01:30 | KUNIYASU |
| Ryuichi Yoshioka | 1:01:38 | YOSHIOKA |
| Kento Otsu | 1:01:43 | OTSU |
| Ed Goddard | 1:02:01 | GODDARD |
| Joel Tobin-White | 1:02:03 | TOBIN-WHITE |
| Liam Adams | 1:02:15 | ADAMS |
| Isaac Heyne | 1:02:27 | HEYNE |
| Liam Boudin | 1:02:32 | BOUDIN |
| Ser-Od Bat-Ochir | 1:02:37 | BAT-OCHIR |
| Ryan Gregson | 1:03:00 | GREGSON |
| Oliver Chignell | 1:03:22 | CHIGNELL |
| Jinya Ozaki | 1:03:42 | OZAKI |
| Sam Clifford | 1:03:51 | CLIFFORD |
| Jacob Cocks | 1:03:57 | JACOB |
| Andre Waring | 1:04:16 | WARING |
| Bailey Murzeki-Hince | 1:05:04 | BAILEY |
| Tom Bowers | 1:05:33 | BOWERS |
| Alastair Christy | 1:06:25 | CHRISTY |
| Matthew Schaumberg | 1:06:39 | SCHAUMBERG |
| Fraser Darcy | 1:07:29 | DARCY |
| Lachlan Scott | 1:07:46 | SCOTT |
| Luke Mitchell | 1:07:50 | MITCHELL |
| Pat Hennessy | 1:08:10 | HENNESSY |
| Sam Hopper | 1:09:09 | HOPPER |
| Alex Shaw | 1:09:30 | SHAW |
| Tipo Packman | 1:10:00 | PACKMAN |
| Jack Maxwell | 1:11:19 | MAXWELL |
| Samuel Maurer | 1:11:20 | MAURER |
| Phil McConnon | 1:11:35 | MCCONNON |
| Daniel Wood | 1:13:00 | WOOD |
| Deon Kenzie | Debut | KENZIE |
| Women Half Marathon | PB | Bib Name |
| Leanne Pompeani | 1:09:01 | POMPEANI |
| Jess Stenson | 1:09:04 | STENSON |
| Yumi Yoshikawa | 1:09:32 | YOSHIKAWA |
| Khishigsaikhan Galbadrakh | 1:10:32 | GALBADRAKH |
| Milly Clark | 1:10:48 | CLARK |
| Sarah Klein | 1:11:38 | KLEIN |
| Caitlin Adams | 1:12:33 | ADAMS |
| Vanessa Wilson | 1:12:59 | WILSON |
| Bree Golub | 1:16:26 | GOLUB |
| Isobel Hume | 1:16:27 | HUME |
Tamar Chiro 10km
| Men 10km | PB | Bib Name |
| Stewart McSweyn | 28:03 | MCSWEYN |
| James Hansen | 28:20 | HANSEN |
| Matt Buckell | 29:27 | BUCKELL |
| Hamish Longworth | 29:31 | LONGWORTH |
| Luca Di Conza | 29:32 | DI CONZA |
| Nick Earl-Jones | 29:43 | EARL-JONES |
| Luke Hince | 29:57 | HINCE |
| Tynan Mims | 30:03 | MIMS |
| Thomas Dowd | 30:06 | DOWD |
| Matt Hansen | 30:12 | MATT |
| Michael Marantelli | 30:19 | MARANTELLI |
| Jordan Skelly | 30:22 | SKELLY |
| Nick Dewar | 30:44 | DEWAR |
| Isaac Shaw | 30:47 | SHAW |
| Lachlan Hall | 30:54 | HALL |
| Sam Bunnage | 30:57 | BUNNAGE |
| Jacob Gardner | Debut | GARDNER |
| Marco Els | 31:20 | ELS |
| Harm Schaap | 31:30 | SCHAAP |
| Matt Patton | 31:36 | PATTON |
| Jess Dunsmore | 31:42 | DUNSMORE |
| Angus Lennecke | 32:20 | LENNECKE |
| Cameron Sayce | 32:45 | SAYCE |
| Paul Luttrell | 33:19 | LUTTRELL |
| Jimmy Hortle | 33:22 | HORTLE |
| Women 10km | PB | Bib Name |
| Ruby Smee | 33:07 | SMEE |
| Kate Spencer | 33:28 | SPENCER |
| Charlotte Wilson | 33:54 | WILSON |
| Melanie Daniels | 34:00 | DANIELS |
| Rebecca Lowe | 34:05 | LOWE |
| Saskia Lloyd | 34:12 | LLOYD |
| Annabelle Eastman | 34:59 | EASTMAN |
| Amy Fawcett | 35:14 | FAWCETT |
| Lilly Ellis | 35:19 | ELLIS |
| Brooke Williams | 35:34 | WILLIAMS |
| Jennifer Clancy | 35:37 | CLANCY |
| Nerissa O’Donnell | 36:03 | O’DONNELL |
| Eloise Doherty | 36:20 | DOHERTY |
| Olivia Twining | 36:25 | TWINING |
| Kaitlin McIntosh | 37:15 | MCINTOSH |
| Erin Pottharst | 38:14 | POTTHARST |
| Lucie Spurling | Debut | SPURLING |
Entries are available at launcestonrunningfestival.com.au until 15:00 Saturday 31 May or until sold out. There are four events, all on the one day of Sunday 1 June;
- Peppers Silo Half Marathon – 8:00am
- Liv Eat Mile – 8:30am
- Tamar Chiro 10km – 10:15am
- The Athlete’s Foot 5km – 10:35am
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