A record-breaking 50,000 runners crossed the finish line this year in the Melbourne Marathon Festival, shattering last year's attendance record by 8,000.

Olympic athletes, AFL legends, social media influencers and everyday Australians braved the early start in the pursuit of glory on Sunday morning — crossing the finish line at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Melbourne's Jack Rayner won the men's marathon for the second year in a row with a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes and 2 seconds.

His time was just under 10 minutes shy of the fastest recorded time in Australia , which was set this year by Ethiopian Hailemaryam Kiros at the Sydney Marathon, who finished the race with a time of 2 hours, 6 minutes and 6 seconds.

Rayner said he was at home sick yesterday, but "wouldn't have missed it [th

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