Izzi Batt-Doyle to pace elite field at Sydney Marathon

Two-time Olympian Izzi Batt-Doyle will serve as a pacer for world champion and Tokyo gold medallist Peres Jepchirchir during the upcoming Sydney Marathon. Batt-Doyle is scheduled to lead the field through the first 25km of the course.

Following a controversial omission from the Australian marathon team for the Paris Games, where she instead competed in the 5000m, Batt-Doyle has shifted her focus toward the marathon. She aims to position herself as a lead player for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Batt-Doyle, who holds a personal best of 2:22:59, views the pacing role in the major marathon event as a valuable training opportunity to gain confidence at the front of an elite field.