At Sydney Marathon’s debut as an Abbott World Marathon Major this year, Leanne Pompeani delivered a breakthrough run – 7th overall, first Australian home, and the fastest marathon ever by an Aussie woman on home soil (2:24:47 ).

In this episode, Leanne relives the race in detail: from going head-to-head with Jess Stenson and Lisa Weightman in the Aussie battle, to their emotional finish-line hug. She opens up about her rollercoaster lead-up – a calf tear, a truncated eight-week block, and a bout of influenza – and why she chose Sydney over an Australian singlet in the World Championships marathon team.

We also talk about one of her other big performances at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Bathurst in 2023, where she courageously fought it out with the world’s best, almost right to the finish line, but ended up in the medical tent with severe heatstroke.

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Leanne Pompeani is one of Australia’s leading distance runners, with achievements spanning the track, cross country, and the roads. She made headlines recently at the 2025 Sydney Marathon where she was the fastest Aussie woman across the line.

She’s also a multiple national champion, a City2Surf winner, and has represented Australia at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships twice. In 2023, she became Australia’s fastest female debutant over the marathon distance in Nagoya (2:24:53 ), which was the first glimpse into her bright future as a marathoner.

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This episode is sponsored by Mikro Coffee Roasters. Head to mikro.coffee and use code RUNWITHIT10 for 10% off.

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Follow us on Instagram:

@leannepomp 

@runwithit.pod

@elisebeacom

@mikrocoffeeroasters

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Graphic design by Kate Scheer