It's official! The Abbott World Marathon Majors will expand from six to seven races next year with the addition of the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS on 31 August 2025. The series is set to grow to nine races, including the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon and Shanghai Marathon in 2026 and 2027 respectively, subject to passing two years of assessments.

The coveted Six Star Medal – awarded to finishers in the original six races – will be retained and globe-trotting enthusiasts can use the 2025 TCS Sydney Marathon to start building towards a newly-struck Nine Star Medal that will be awarded to recognise the phenomenal achievement of completing all nine races in the new Abbott World Marathon Majors series.

The existing six races in the greatest marathon series in the world are the Tokyo Marathon, the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America, the TCS London Marathon, the BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and the TCS New York City Marathon. The most recent race to be admitted to the series was Tokyo Marathon in 2013.

Organisers have recognised the history and kudos attached to the original Six Star Medal and have confirmed it will still be available, even when the new Nine Star Medal is introduced.

The Sydney Marathon is the largest in Oceania, with a record 20,272 finishers on 15 September 2024, allowing it to pass its second year of assessment to become an Abbott World Marathon Major.
 
“I am thrilled that Sydney will become the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major,” said Abbott WMM CEO Dawna Stone. “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."
 
Wayne Larden, race director of TCS Sydney Marathon said: “Becoming the seventh Abbott World Marathon is just incredible for the event, the city of Sydney, and the State of New South Wales. 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."
 
The criteria used to assess candidates in the current evaluation process include every aspect of the runner experience from the Expo to the course, the standard of elite athletes recruited, all operational procedures, safety standards, and much more.

If you are keen to start planning your Abbott World Marathon Majors journey, your one-stop shop for bespoke tours, entries, and support is Marathon Tours & Travel – click here for more information. If the Sydney Marathon is on your bucket list, pre-register to join the 2025 Marathon Tours & Travel trip here.

Photo courtesy of Abbott World Marathon Majors