World records in the marathon are ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics.
The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishers in 2019 and 98,247 applicants for the 2017 race. Along with the Boston Marathon and Chicago Marathon, it is among the pre-eminent long-distance annual running events in the United States and is one of the World Marathon Majors.
Joan Benoit Samuelson is an American marathon runner who was the first women's Olympic Games marathon champion, winning the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She held the fastest time for an American woman at the Chicago Marathon for 32 years after winning the race in 1985. Her time at the Boston Marathon was the fastest time by an American woman at that race for 28 years. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 2000.
The Chicago Marathon is a marathon race held every October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the six World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is the fourth-largest race by number of finishers worldwide.
Francois Robert "Rob" de Castella is an Australian former world champion marathon runner.
The Paris Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the city of Paris, France. It is the largest running event in France in terms of finishers and the marathon with the second-most finishers in the world, behind the New York City Marathon.
William Henry Rodgers is an American runner, Olympian, and former record holder in the marathon. Rodgers is best known for his four victories in both the Boston Marathon, including three straight from 1978 to 1980, and 4 straight wins in the New York City Marathon, between 1976 and 1979.
The Canberra Times Marathon Festival is an annual marathon held in the city of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The marathon was established in 1976 and is the oldest city marathon in Australia. The marathon was initially held on November before being moved to April in 1979.
The Amsterdam Marathon is an annual marathon (42.195 km) in Amsterdam in the Netherlands since 1975. The road race has a Platinum Label from World Athletics. During the event, there are also a half marathon race (21.097 km) and an 8 km race in the program.
The Zurich Barcelona Marathon, formerly the Marathon Catalunya and later the Marató de Catalunya, is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195 km (26.219 mi) usually held in March in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, and first held in 1978 in Palafrugell, Catalonia. The marathon is categorized as a Silver Label Road Race by World Athletics.
The Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon is an annual marathon race which takes place in Madrid, Spain, in late April. The event was first held in 1978 and has since gained IAAF Gold Label Road Race status and had over 15,000 runners participate in the 2017 edition. A 10 km road race was added in 2010 and a Half Marathon road race was added in 2012.
The Granollers Half Marathon is an annual road running competition over the half marathon distance (21.097 km) which takes place in February in the city of Granollers in Catalonia, Spain.
The Empúries Marathon is a long-distance run (42.195 km) which takes place in Empúries, the ancient Greek and Roman colony, next Sant Martí d'Empúries and L'Escala in Girona (Catalonia). The first edition of the marathon was held in 2003 to mark the collaboration of the City of L'Escala with the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona 2004.
Mule Wasihun Lakew is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in road running events up to the marathon distance. He was a team silver medallist at the 2016 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Mule placed third at the 2019 London Marathon. He holds a marathon best of 2:03:16 hours.
The Valencia Marathon is an annual marathon road running event hosted by Valencia, Spain, since 1981. It is categorized as a Platinum Label Road Race by World Athletics. The race is organised by the Valencian sports club SD Correcaminos, which also organises the annual Valencia Half Marathon.
Helen Bekele Tola is an Ethiopian–Swiss long-distance runner. She finished second at the 2019 Tokyo Marathon, and third at the 2021 Berlin Marathon. She has also won the Annecy and Barcelona Marathons, as well as multiple other long-distance events. Born in Ethiopia, she now lives in Switzerland.
Serkalem Biset Abrha, also known as Abrha Serkalem Biset, is a runner from Ethiopia who competes in long distance running and has won several major international marathons.
Cristóbal Garrido Pinto, known by the stage name Sharonne, is a Spanish drag queen, actress, and singer. Sharonne was the winner of season 2 of Drag Race España.
eDreams Mitja Marató de Barcelona by Brooks or Barcelona Half Marathon is an annual half marathon arranged in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Organised by RPM Sports and ASO, it is held in February and in 2023 attracted 21,477 runners, with 33% of the registered participants coming from abroad representing 101 nationalities. The half marathon is categorized by World Athletics as a Gold Label road race since 2018.
New York City, NY 
