Where the marathon is run
The six World Marathon Majors plus a handful of other races worth knowing.
The Abbott World Marathon Majors are the six biggest annual marathons: Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York City, and Tokyo. They share an elite series and have the deepest fields. Sydney joined as a seventh major in 2025.
Boston Marathon
Run since: 1897 · Held: Patriots' Day (third Monday in April) · Field: ~30,000
The world's oldest annual marathon. Point-to-point from Hopkinton to Copley Square in Boston, with a net elevation drop that disqualifies it from world records — but a course profile (the rolling Newton Hills, including Heartbreak Hill at mile 20) that makes it one of the hardest of the Majors. Famous for tough qualifying standards: most entries require a sub-3-hour-ish qualifying time depending on age and gender.
London Marathon
Run since: 1981 · Held: Late April · Field: ~50,000
Greenwich start, finish on The Mall. Famously crowded along the Thames, with deafening support at Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf. Entry is via a heavily-oversubscribed lottery, charity bond, championship qualifier, or "Good for Age." Has hosted multiple women's world records.
Berlin Marathon
Run since: 1974 · Held: Late September · Field: ~50,000
The fastest of the Majors. The course is flat, the September weather is reliably cool, and the asphalt is good. Eight men's world records have been set in Berlin between 2003 and 2022. Finish is through the Brandenburg Gate.
Chicago Marathon
Run since: 1977 · Held: Mid-October · Field: ~50,000
Loop course through 29 neighborhoods. Flat, with predictable autumn conditions. Has hosted multiple world records and the current men's record (Kiptum, 2:00:35). Start and finish in Grant Park.
New York City Marathon
Run since: 1970 (city-wide since 1976) · Held: First Sunday of November · Field: ~55,000+
The largest marathon in the world by finishers. Starts on Staten Island, crosses the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, runs through all five boroughs, and finishes in Central Park. Bridges and undulating streets make it harder than it looks; the support along First Avenue is unforgettable.
Tokyo Marathon
Run since: 2007 · Held: Late February / early March · Field: ~38,000
The youngest of the original six Majors and the most recently added (2013). Loop course through central Tokyo with finish near Tokyo Station. Famous for its organisation, its enthusiastic and orderly crowd support, and its lottery entry.
Sydney Marathon
Run since: 2000 · Major status: 2025 onwards
Promoted to the seventh Abbott Major from 2025. Course finishes at the Sydney Opera House, with the iconic crossing of the Harbour Bridge in the middle of the race.
Other notable marathons
Comrades
South Africa. ~89 km between Pietermaritzburg and Durban — technically an ultramarathon, but the world's most famous one.
Athens Authentic
Run on the original 1896 course from Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium. Hilly second half. Held annually in November.
Two Oceans (half + full)
Cape Town. Spectacular coastal scenery via Chapman's Peak.
Valencia
Spain. Flat, fast, December — increasingly the destination for sub-2:05 attempts outside Berlin.
Marathon du Médoc
France. Wine-tasting stations, costumes, and a world unto itself.
Great Wall Marathon
China. ~5,000 steps. As hard as it sounds.
Next: Training — how to actually prepare to run one of these.