Sydney Marathon Joins Abbott World Marathon Majors Series

The Sydney Marathon, which takes place on August 31, 2025, will become the seventh major race in the Abbott World Marathon Majors series, joining races in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City as part of the international series.

The Sydney Marathon is the largest marathon in Oceania and saw a record 20,272 finishers during its 2024 race on September 15. The most recent race to be admitted to the series was the Tokyo Marathon in 2013.

“I am thrilled that Sydney will become the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major,” said Dawna Stone, Abbott WMM chief executive officer. “The team in Sydney has been working towards this day, every day, for more than three years and to see the improvement in their operations and event experience to the point where we can now call them a major has been deeply impressive.”

Criteria used to assess candidates in the current evaluation process includes the runner experience, standard of elite athletes recruited, operational procedures, safety standards and more. Marathons in Cape Town and Shanghai, which are currently in the candidacy process, could join the series in as early as 2026 and 2027, respectively, should they pass two years of assessments.

The current Six Star program will remain in place for runners striving to complete the original six Abbott World Marathon Major races. Sydney will form part of the journey toward the new Nine Star medal should Cape Town and Shanghai be added to the series; Sydney finishers can start counting the race toward their Nine Star in 2025.

“Becoming the seventh Abbott World Marathon is just incredible for the event, the city of Sydney and State of New South Wales,” said Wayne Larden, race director of the Sydney Marathon. “We could not have achieved the incredible growth and uplift in delivery to make it into the majors if it wasn’t for the support of the NSW Government and Destination NSW plus our key partners TCS and Asics. Our team are first rate and have put in so much work to make this happen. It is really special for all of us.”