Complete The World Marathon Majors

The adventure

The Abbott World Marathon Majors bring together the biggest names in road running, and each race has its own character: Tokyo's polished organisation and generous crowds, Boston's history and Heartbreak Hill, London's roar on Tower Bridge, Sydney's run across the Harbour Bridge, Berlin's record-breaking flat streets, Chicago's tour of 29 neighbourhoods and New York's journey through all five boroughs.

Collecting all seven takes years of ballots, charity places, qualifying times and long-haul trips, and that is part of the appeal. Each race weekend becomes a holiday, from ramen after Tokyo to deep-dish pizza after Chicago. When you finish the last one, the series awards you its special finisher's medal, and you join a growing worldwide group of runners who have completed the full set.

Why it’s epic

Sydney became the seventh major in 2025, joining Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
Berlin and Chicago are the fastest courses and between them have hosted many marathon world records.
New York is the largest marathon in the world, with more than 55,000 finishers in 2024.
Boston is the only major where most runners need a qualifying time.

What it is

The Abbott World Marathon Majors is a series of the world’s biggest city marathons: Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Sydney joined as the seventh major in 2025. Runners who finish all of them get a special finisher’s medal from the series.

How to do it

Entry is through each race’s ballot, a charity place, a qualifying time or an official tour operator. Boston is the odd one out: most runners need a qualifying time for their age group.

Top tip

Enter several ballots every year. A charity place guarantees entry if you can raise the minimum.

Need to know

Ballots are heavily oversubscribed, so enter every year and consider charity or tour operator places.
Each race has its own entry window and rules, so keep a calendar of when ballots open.
Berlin and Chicago are usually only a couple of weeks apart, so two majors in one autumn is possible.

Make it happen

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Why it’s on my list

Berlin and Chicago are done, two weeks apart in autumn 2026. London is next, in April 2027, and I’m running it for Shelter, the housing charity. If you’d like to support me, you can sponsor me on my fundraising page.