Travelling around the world to join marathons and other sporting events is a big deal. — Pixabay
The Sydney Marathon has been elevated to join the Abbott World Marathon Majors running series, placing it alongside landmark international events including the London (England) and New York (United States) marathons.
The event in September this year had a record of more than 20,000 finishers, up from around 5,000 just a few years ago, making it the biggest marathon ever held in Australia.
Becoming the seventh World Marathon Major event will make it a sought-after race for endurance runners worldwide trying to run the whole series to earn their “stars”, and help it to attract the best marathoners for its elite field.
“This milestone represents a new chapter for Australian athletics as the sport evolves to embrace recreational runners and inspire the athlete inside of everyone,” Athletics Australia CEO Simon Hollingsworth said in a statement earlier this week.
It’s expected to boost the New South Wales state visitor economy by A$300mil (RM864mil) over a decade, the government said in September.
“Becoming a World Marathon Major is not just about the prestige of the Sydney Marathon joining the big six – Tokyo (Japan), Boston (US), London, Berlin (Germany), Chicago (US) and New York. It is about becoming a bucket-list city for runners around the world,” Tourism Minister John Graham said in September.
It comes after the harbour city experienced a running boom in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, with thousands more residents pounding the pavement and joining clubs in search of fitness and community.
Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in South Africa and Shanghai Marathon in China are also in the candidacy stage and could become “majors” as early as 2026 and 2027 respectively if they meet requirements.
The Sydney Marathon will next be held on Aug 31, 2025.
“We cannot wait to see our community embrace this race as a Major and start planning their visits to run the streets of one of the finest cities in the world,” AbbottWMM CEO Dawna Stone said in a statement. – Bloomberg
