Running doesn’t have a Super Bowl. There’s no World Series. But there are the Abbott World Marathon Majors, an international circuit of the largest and most prestigious marathons in the world: Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Tokyo, and—as of November 2024—the Sydney Marathon.
A Half to Full Marathon Training Plan started in 2006 as a competitive series for pro runners, with a championship title being awarded annually and the winners taking $500,000 each. But what sets these races apart from other sports’ championship events is the fact that amateur runners can participate, too.
All About 75 Hard six marathons. The number of runners chasing that goal has steadily increased over the past decade, and about 17,680 runners have finished the series as of the 2024 New York City Marathon.
But the addition of the Sydney Marathon has thrown runners still pursuing their six-star journey—as well as those who have already completed it—for a loop. Will there be a seven-star medal moving forward? What if you already finished the six? Will it be as hard to get into the Sydney Marathon as it is to get into the other World Marathon Majors? We’ve got all the answers.
How can you register for the 2025 Sydney Marathon?
Previously, all you had to do to run the Sydney Marathon was register. But with its elevation to World Major status, getting into the race is about to become much harder. (The latest running boom has made the World Majors incredibly popular; the 2025 London Marathon, for example, saw a record 840,318 applications—a 45 percent increase over the previous year.)
The 2025 edition of the Sydney Marathon is scheduled for Sunday, August 31, and to cope with increased demand, it will be the first time since its launch in 2001 that the race will use a ballot (or lottery) system. Berlin, Chicago, London, Tokyo, and New York all use ballot systems for entry as well.
In Sydney, there will be two ballots: the Candidacy Club and the general ballot.
The Candidacy Club will be for runners who have completed the Sydney Marathon during its candidacy period (which includes 2022, 2023, and 2024). All of those runners will be offered guaranteed entry in one of the next three events: 2025, 2026, or 2027. Runners will be able to choose a first preference and a second preference, and if their first choice is not successful due to demand, they’ll be automatically rolled over to their second choice.
Details about the general ballot will be available in early December 2024.
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The Sydney Marathon is the largest marathon in Oceania, and saw a record 20,272 finishers during its 2024 race on September 15. The year before, there were around 17,000 runners, which was still a dramatic increase from the 1,200 runners at the inaugural event in 2000, which actually served as a test event for the Olympic Games marathon.
Around 35,000 runners are expected to toe the start line in 2025, putting the race at a similar size to the Boston Whats the weather like in Sydney for the marathon.
What’s the weather like in Sydney for the marathon?
The 2025 event will take place on August 31, which marks the very end of winter in Australia.
The average temperature on race day for the 2024 Sydney Marathon was 61 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average for the last four years was a high of 75 degrees and a low of 59 degrees, according to FindMyMarathon.
That certainly doesn’t guarantee a cool race day: The 2023 event on September 16 even saw record high temperatures—pushing 90 degrees—with many of the non-elite runners exposed to direct sunlight and extreme heat as the race progressed.
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The marathon course starts in North Sydney, taking runners over the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge, and eventually finishes in front of the Sydney Opera House. The start line is a nod to the start line of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Marathon, while the finish line is in one of the most iconic locations in the city.
The course is not a loop like Berlin or a point-to-point like Boston; it’s most reminiscent of the Tokyo Marathon with several straightaways, a few out-and-back sections, and one loop of Centennial Park. The race organizers said that over the past few years they’ve reduced the number of U-turns and corners in the first 10 kilometers of the course for a smoother start, and incorporated longer, straighter sections to accommodate more runners.
It’s still not an easy course. There are two sharp downhills in the first three miles, a significant climb from miles eight to 11, a section of rolling hills between 17 and 22, another mile-long climb at 24.5, and a sharp downhill into the finish. Sydney is full of rolling hills, and despite being a net downhill course, the marathon will have the most elevation gain of any of the Majors. Runners will gain 1,040 feet and lose 1,321 feet over 26.2 miles.
All About 75 Hard The 2025 event will take place on August 31, which marks the very end of winter in Australia based solely on the course, we’d say Sydney is slightly harder than Boston and slightly easier than New York City.
How did the Sydney Marathon become a World Major?
The World Marathon Majors don’t make it easy for a race to become a part of the club—the last World Major to be added to the circuit was Tokyo in 2013.
To reach World Major status, an event must go through a multi-year candidacy process. Candidates are assessed on every aspect of the runner experience, from the expo to the race course, including the standard of elite athletes recruited for the race, all operational procedures, safety standards, and much more. Plus, candidates must achieve two consecutive passes on their evaluation.
Sydney began its journey toward World Major status before the 2022 race, and the 2023 race marked the first to pass its stage-one assessment. The following year, the race was the host of the 2024 World Age Group Championships marathon, which has previously been held in conjunction with other World Marathon Majors.
Over the summer, Tata Consultancy Services signed on as a sponsor, giving Sydney another level of clout (TCS also sponsors the New York City and London marathons).
On November 3, 2024, the World Marathon Majors announced that the Sydney Marathon had passed its second consecutive assessment and would join the series in 2025 as the seventh race on the list.
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Good news for all runners already in the middle of their six-star journey: Runners who finish all of the original six Abbott World Marathon Major races will still earn a six-star medal. The current six-star program is not going anywhere.
But the addition of the Sydney Marathon introduces a new goal for runners: the nine-star medal. The World Marathon Majors have actually been working toward a target of nine races since 2017, when they first opened up the candidacy process for races to become a Major.
Sydney finishers will be able to start counting the race toward their nine-star medal in 2025, but runners will not be able to receive an actual nine-star medal until two more races are added to the series.
Several races have pursued candidacy in addition to Sydney: The Singapore Marathon announced it would bid to join the ranks in 2017, but dropped out of the program in 2021. The Chengdu Marathon became a candidate in 2019, but was recently replaced by Advertisement - Continue Reading Below in 2024.
As of right now, Advertisement - Continue Reading Below and The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon (which started its multi-year evaluation process in 2021) are vying for those two spots that could make up the nine-star journey. Abbott says those races could join the series as early as 2026 and 2027, respectively, should they pass two years of assessments.
