Sydney added as World Marathon Major with two more cities eyed for status

The Sydney Marathon in Australia will become the seventh 26.2-mile race in the annual World Marathon Major series.

Sydney’s addition was announced during Sunday’s New York City Marathon, which is the last major marathon held every year.

The other annual majors are Tokyo each March (added in 2013), Boston and London each April, Berlin in September and Chicago in October. The Olympics, held every four years, and the world championships, held every two years, are also considered majors.

The next Sydney Marathon is on Aug. 31, 2025, taking place two weeks before the men’s and women’s marathons at the world championships in Tokyo.

The World Marathon Major series, which began in 2006, aims to add two more races to reach nine majors total annually.

The Cape Town Marathon and the Shanghai Marathon could join as early as 2026 and 2027, respectively, should each pass two years of candidacy assessments.

World Marathon Major criteria includes “every aspect of the runner experience from expo to race course, the standard of elite athletes recruited, all operational procedures, safety standards and much more.”