Sinead Diver and Jack Robinson shattered long-standing Australian marathon records yesterday to create a historic day for Australian distance running.
Brett ran 2:07.31 at the Fukuoka International Marathon in Japan, breaking Robert de Castella’s 36-year-old record by 20 seconds.
Hours later Sinead clocked a scorching 2:21.34 in Valencia, Spain, to smash the 16-year-old record of Benita Willis by more than a minute.
Despite dealing with a stitch throughout his run, Brett lowed his own Personal Best time by more than two minutes, averaging 3.01 per kilometre over the 42.1km course.
Finishing fourth in a quality field, Brett said he was thrilled to achieve a record he had been chasing for many years.
“It’s such a great feeling. I’ve gone for this record a few times now, and it’s funny – I always talk about going for it before a race but I didn’t mention it to anyone this time around,” he said.
“I went about my own business and I finally got it. I knew I was capable of it.
Congrats @brettrobinson91 - very happy to pass the Aust Record & fastest Aust marathoner to you 👏👏. Thrilled you did it @ Fukuoka with such a competitive result! https://t.co/csbcJQ4jls
— Rob de Castella (@deek207) December 4, 2022
“The current crop of Australian athletes are smashing records at the moment, and this was one of the last long-standing ones for us to tick off, so it means a lot to me to finally get this today.”
The 31-year-old also paid credit to teammate Jack Rayner who helped pace Brett through the first half of the race.
“It was so good having Jack pace. He did a great job. Having one of my best mates around helped me a lot this week and it makes it more special.”
Soon after Sinead set a new Australian record, lowering her own Personal Best by almost three minutes, as she finished 11th in the world class field in Valencia, Spain.
“I have wanted this for so long and I wasn’t sure if I was good enough to get it,” Sinead said.
“I’ve had a few goes at it now, this was my third crack at it and every time I line up, it takes a lot. Things have to really fall into place so I’m beyond delighted that it’s happened.
“Benita (Willis) is Australia’s best runner of all-time so it’s an honour to now have this record. I couldn’t be prouder today.
Huge congrats @diversinead on your Aussie marathon record today! An honour to hold it for so long & couldn’t have gone to a better athlete / person! Just absolutely amazing!
— Benita Willis (@BenitaWillis) December 4, 2022
“I was very conscious of how I was feeling, but this is my 14th marathon and every one of them is different. The only thing that is the same is that you go through good and bad but it was so great to get one that was fast and one that I could focus in on for the record.”
The record-setting day carried extra significance for the pair, as Sinead and Brett are training teammates under Nic Bideau in Melbourne.
“It’s really special to get this record on the same day as Brett,” Sinead said.
“I actually didn’t know if I wanted to know if he got it when I woke up this morning so I didn’t look at my social media or anything but as we were walking over to the start line, someone asked if I had heard about his record, and I got a rush of excitement. I was so happy to know it before I started running.”
