Records tumble as Batt-Doyle and Marks crowned Oceania Half Marathon Champions
Records fell as the 2026 Oceania Half Marathon Championships concluded alongside the ASICS Gold Coast Half Marathon, with Australia’s Isobel Batt-Doyle and Edward Marks claiming Oceania titles on one of the world’s fastest road racing courses.
Batt-Doyle produced a commanding performance to win the Oceania, Australian and Gold Coast Half Marathon titles in 1:07:29, setting the fastest half marathon ever run by an Oceania woman on Oceania soil.
The Australian controlled the race from the front to finish comfortably ahead of compatriot Caitlin Scott, while New Zealand’s Georgie Grgec completed the podium in third.
Batt-Doyle said she was pleased with both the execution of her race and the result.
“It was really good. I feel like I executed quite well for what I was hoping for. It would have been a perfect day to better my own Australian record and do that on Australian soil. But I’m really happy with the race, getting the win and having quite a dominant performance makes me really happy with the result and excited for the rest of the year.”
In the men’s race, Edward Marks announced himself on the international stage on debut over the distance, winning the Oceania and Australian Half Marathon titles in 1:00:57. His performance also earned second place overall in the Gold Coast Half Marathon.
Brett Robinson claimed silver in the Oceania Championships, while Liam Boudin rounded out an all-Australian podium with bronze.
Beyond the championship medals, athletes from across the Pacific delivered a series of outstanding national record performances.
Northern Mariana Islands athlete Nathania (Tania) Tan shattered her national half marathon record by more than eight minutes, stopping the clock in 1:20:13.
“It was really fun, the weather was beautiful and the vibes were high,” Tan said.
“The cheering along the course was really good. There were a lot of people all along the course. It was out and back, flat and fast, overall a good race.”
Solomon Islands distance running also celebrated a milestone day as Geejay Junior clocked 1:11:31 to break the national half marathon record that had stood since 2003. Fellow Solomon Islander Leony Pusua also ran inside the previous mark, recording 1:12:16.
Nauru’s Isaac Oppenheimer continued his remarkable run of national records, becoming the first Nauruan to compete over the distance on an AIMS-certified course and setting an official national half marathon record of 1:19:20.
All record performances remain subject to the national federation ratification process.
The road racing action on the Gold Coast continues Sunday with the wheelchair marathon and marathon events beginning from 6:05am.
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