On Sunday morning at the New York City Marathon, officials announced that Australia’s Sydney Marathon has officially become the seventh race to join the prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors (WMM), a group that includes New York, Boston, Chicago, London, Tokyo and Berlin. , this achievement marks a significant milestone, as Sydney is now the first WMM event based in the Southern Hemisphere. The selection process was competitive, with Sydney emerging as the chosen city over two other strong candidates: South Africa’s Cape Town Marathon and China’s Chengdu Marathon.
We 🩷 this city #SydneyMarathon #MakeSydneyAMajor pic.twitter.com/Avo8bnEOdX
— Sydney Marathon (@sydmarathon) February 15, 2024
Earlier this year, the Abbott World Marathon Majors announced a goal to expand the series by adding a seventh race in 2025, and Sydney, Cape Town and Chengdu were identified as the leading contenders. With this addition, the WMM continues to expand its global reach, offering runners from around the world a new iconic destination marathon.
🚨 BREAKING..
The Sydney Marathon 🇦🇺 is now a World Marathon Major
It’s now going being to be 7 Marathon major marathons starting in 2025.
The other major candidates were;
✅ Cape Town Marathon 🇿🇦
✅ Chendu Marathon 🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/Yi8rK4kvs6— Lynne Wachira (@WachiraLynne) November 3, 2024
Adding Sydney to the WMM will make it easier for some runners, especially those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, to pursue the coveted Abbott Six Star Medal for completing all WMM races. Abbott has confirmed that the Six Star Medal program will remain intact but has suggested that new awards may also be introduced.
Sydney Marathon’s final assessment took place during the 2024 race, which also hosted the Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Championships. Held in September, this year’s race saw Morocco’s Othmane El Goumri crossing the finish line in two hours, eight minutes and 20 seconds to win his first marathon since 2019 (Dublin); on the women’s race, Betsy Saina, a Kenyan-born American marathoner, took the victory with a time of 2:26:47.
More than 17,000 participants ran in this year’s event, which takes in some of the city’s most famous landmarks, including crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge and finishing at the Sydney Opera House. This course has significant elevation changes that add both scenic appeal and a level of difficulty similar to the New York City Marathon.
