The Sydney Marathon is a marathon held annually in Sydney, Australia each September. The event was first held on the 30th of April 2000 and called The Host City Marathon as a test event for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and has continued every year since, as a legacy of the 2000 Summer Olympics.[2] The marathon is categorized as a Platinum Label Road Race by World Athletics, and from 2025, as part of the World Marathon Majors.[3][4][5]
The Sydney Marathon also includes a 10K run, and a 4.2km (2.6mi) race.[6]
History
The Sydney Marathon started in April 2000, following the same course as the marathon during the 2000 Summer Olympics.[3][7] The women's race in 2001 was won by Krishna Stanton, who had never run a marathon before, and was doing the event as a result of a challenge from a friend.[7]
The 2020 in-person edition of the race was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with all entries automatically transferred to 2021, and all registrants given the option of also running the race virtually for free.[a][10][11]Moses Kibet won the 2022 race in 2:07:02, a new course record, and the fastest marathon time run on Australian soil.[3]
In July 2022, organisers of the race announced that they were applying to be added to the list of World Marathon Majors.[3] Following the 2023 event, Sydney Marathon achieved a pass, and moved forward to the next assessment step in becoming a World Marathon Major.[12] The marathon was confirmed as the seventh major on 4 November 2024 following the 2024 race.[5]
Course
The marathon course initially followed the same course that was used in the 2000 Summer Olympics.[7]
In 2010 the marathon course was changed to flatten it out which, according to the organisers, makes it "a faster, more scenic and spectator friendly course."[13]
To date, eight runners have competed in every Sydney Marathon, and have been dubbed "Blue Line Legends".[15]
In addition, runners who have completed at least 10 marathons are eligible to be inducted into the Bridge Club.[16][b]
Other races
In addition to the marathon, a half marathon, 10 kilometres (6.2mi) "Bridge Run", and a 3.5 kilometres (2.2mi) "Family Fun Run" are also held under the banner of the Sydney Running Festival.[17]
The Bridge Run was added in 2002, initially as a 10 kilometres (6.2mi) event, before being reduced to 9 kilometres (5.6mi) in 2005. The Bridge Run has since returned to being an AIMS certified 10 kilometres (6.2mi) distance.
↑ Before being cancelled, it was postponed to 8 November 2020, with all registrants given the option of obtaining a 75% refund or transferring their entry to another runner or to 2021.[9]
↑ The marathons do not have to be run on consecutive years.[16]
↑ "Archived copy". www.worldathletics.org. Archived from the original on 2 September 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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