The World Marathon Majors explained

There are hundreds of marathons around the world each year, but a small group gets most of the attention. The Abbott World Marathon Majors are the races where the fastest professionals meet and where many amateur runners dream of a place. This guide covers which races are in the group as of October 2026, when each usually runs, how ordinary runners get in, and how the elite races and series work.

The short version

• As of October 2026, there are seven World Marathon Majors: Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
• Cape Town has been confirmed as the eighth, with its first race as a Major in May 2027. Shanghai is a candidate.
• The usual calendar runs from Tokyo in late February or early March to New York on the first Sunday of November.
• Most runners get in through a ballot or lottery, a charity place or a travel package. Boston is the exception: most of its runners qualify on time.
• The elite races also count toward a season-long series, with separate standings for the wheelchair races.

The seven Majors and when they usually run

Tokyo (late February or early March). The first Major of the year and the only one in Asia for now. The general-entry lottery is heavily oversubscribed.

Boston (April). The oldest of the group, first run in 1897. It is held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday in April, on a point-to-point course from Hopkinton into the city. Boston is known for its qualifying times.

London (late April). One of the largest marathons in the world, with a big charity presence. Its ballot drew more than 1.3 million applications for the 2027 race, so most applicants miss out.

Sydney (late August). The newest Major. Its first race as part of the group was in August 2025.

Berlin (late September). A flat course with a long record of fast times, including many world records over the years.

Chicago (October). Usually the second Sunday of the month. A flat loop through the city's neighborhoods, also known for fast times.

New York (first Sunday of November). A course through all five boroughs, with bridges that make it harder than it looks on paper. It closes the year's calendar.

How the group grew

The series began in 2006 with five races: Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Tokyo joined in 2013, and Sydney became the seventh in 2025.

In June 2026, Cape Town was confirmed as the eighth Major and the first in Africa. Its first race as a Major is scheduled for May 2027. Shanghai, held in December, is the remaining candidate and will be evaluated again at its 2026 race.

The best-known prize for amateur runners is the Six Star Medal, awarded to anyone who finishes the original six: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. It still covers only those six. Finishers of the newer races receive a star toward a planned Nine Star Medal, which depends on both Cape Town and Shanghai joining. There is no Seven Star Medal.

How runners get in

Demand is far higher than the number of places at every Major, so there are several routes in. Exact rules, standards and dates change each year, so check each race's official site before you plan around them.

Ballots and lotteries. The main route for most runners. You apply in a window, usually many months before race day, and places are drawn at random. Odds at the most popular races are low. The windows come at different times of year: London's ballot opens soon after each year's race, while Berlin and Chicago take applications in the fall for the following year.

Qualifying times. Boston is built around time standards that vary by age and gender. Meeting the standard is not enough on its own: when more qualifiers apply than there are places, the fastest relative to their standard get in first, which sets a cutoff each year. For the 2027 race, Boston also added a random draw for around 1,000 qualifiers who missed the cutoff. Several other Majors, including Berlin, Chicago, London and New York, offer a limited number of places to runners with fast enough times, though the standards are generally tougher and not all of them guarantee entry.

Charity places. Every Major works with charities that hold guaranteed entries. In return, you commit to raising a minimum amount for the charity.

Travel packages. Runners from outside the host country can often buy a place as part of a package from an official tour operator, usually alongside hotel nights.

Other routes. Some races reward loyalty or local participation. New York, for example, has a program for members of its organizing club who race and volunteer during the year, and Chicago has offered places to runners who complete its series of shorter races.

How the elite races work

Each Major has an invited field of professional runners, plus elite wheelchair races. On race day, the wheelchair races usually start first, and the elite running fields set off ahead of or alongside the first wave of the mass race. Elite runners compete for prize money and course records as well as the win.

The elite races also count toward the Abbott World Marathon Majors series, which runs on the calendar year from Tokyo to New York. In 2026:

• Points go to the top five finishers at each Major: 25 for a win, then 16, 9, 4 and 1.
• In years when they are held, the Olympic marathon and the World Athletics Championships marathon also count.
• In the running races, an athlete must start at least two qualifying races to be eligible, and the champion is the athlete with the most points at the end of the year.
• The wheelchair series counts each athlete's best five results from the seven Majors.

How to follow a Major on race day

• Check the start time in your time zone. For viewers in the Americas, Tokyo and Sydney start in the afternoon or evening of the day before, and London and Berlin in the early hours of race day.
• Watch the second half. Elite races often stay in a large group until the later miles, when the real moves are made.
• Track runners you know. Most Majors have an official app for tracking individual runners by name or bib number.

Frequently asked questions

How many World Marathon Majors are there?

Seven as of October 2026: Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Cape Town becomes the eighth with its race in May 2027.

What is the Six Star Medal?

A medal for runners who have finished all of the original six Majors: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York, in any order and over any number of years.

Do you have to qualify for every Major?

No. Boston relies mainly on qualifying times. The others mostly fill their fields through ballots, charity places and travel packages, with a limited number of time-based places.

Which Majors are fastest?

Berlin and Chicago are both flat and known for fast finishing times. Boston and New York have more hills, and Boston's point-to-point course means its times are not eligible for world records.

Following marathons with Get Your Sports Here

Running news is spread thin across sports sites, which makes it easy to miss a Major until it's over. A Get Your Sports Here briefing can cover the races and elite runners you pick, with each fact linked to its source. If you would rather see the biggest races only when they happen, the general rundown picks up major events across all sports.