Eliud Kipchoge had a pretty good Sunday in Melbourne, but a lot of runners behind him would probably describe theirs differently.

The two-time Olympic champion won the 2026 Nike Melbourne Marathon in 2:09:10, the fastest time in event history , while the broader two-day festival drew more than 60,000 participants. Camille French, of New Zealand, won the women’s side, in 2:28:25, just 11 months after giving birth to her second daughter.

But farther back on the course, runners were dealing with everything from water shortages and traffic jams to too few bathrooms—and, in a nearby incident, a stolen car that reportedly struck a woman and came frighteningly close to the race itself.

A water shortage was already causing problems on the course by the time the festival’s half marathon joined the action at 9:45 a.m., 3½ hours after the marathon set off. Plenty of marathoners were still racing, and some stations were rationing supplies after their water tanks ran dry, News.com.au reported .…