Runners dig deep to smash goals at The Canberra Times Marathon Festival 2025 (2025)

The 38-year-old teacher from Port Kembla won the event in 2021 and notched up his second win after overcoming some injuries.

"It's been really rocky. I'm just really happy to be out competing again, not quite at my best, but at a fairly high level and that's exciting," he said.

A group of four runners led the marathon up to kilometre 36. Then Gough and runner-up Danny Soglanich broke away from the pack.

Gough strode out in front during the last five kilometres. He finished the course in two hours and 30 minutes.

He said he owed a debt of gratitude to his wife, Kate, for being patient with the hours of training and physio required to prepare for the event.

"I'm lucky as a teacher. I work at a great school in Port Kembla called Five Island Secondary College, and it's a wonderful school with super supportive staff and so that helps as well."

Soglanich, 36, said it was his first time placing in a marathon. He finished just 12 seconds behind Gough.

"I had to dig deep and stick it out the end. So yeah, I'm proud of myself."

Nina Rillstone was the first female to cross the finish line in 2 hours and 51 minutes.

The New Zealander who calls Sydney home set herself a goal of finishing another marathon before her 50^th birthday in two days' time.

The last marathon she ran was in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a competitor for New Zealand.

"It's nice to know you can still pull one out. Age is no excuse to stop is it?"

The data analyst said it was a challenging course but she felt lots of encouragement from bystanders and fellow runners.

"I have a time that's a lot faster than today, but I am also nearly 20 years older," she said.

"It was definitely the hardest second half of a marathon I'd ever done."

Running coach Sean Hanrahan was proud of the more than 60 runners he had trained for The Canberra Times Marathon Festival 2025.

Hanrahan was living with undiagnosed ADHD for many years and struggled with depression.

"I only got diagnosed three or four years ago, and running was something that made me happy," he said.

"I was about 102 kilos, and I just lost all that weight and got the buzz for it."

Through his business, Running 4 Happiness Project, Hanrahan helps other Canberrans find their passion for running.

One of his clients was back running at the festival after a fight with breast cancer. Another runner ran his personal best in the marathon after suffering a back injury.

"It's become more of a family than anything else."

Canberra Times Marathon Festival top three results

Marathon men:

Marathon women:

Half marathon men:

Half marathon women:

10k men:

10k women:

5.4k men:

5.4k women: