Seven seas, seven continents, seven wonders of the ancient world, and now ... seven major marathons. Australia's Sydney Marathon will become the world's seventh major marathon, its organizers announced on Sunday, joining New York, Boston, Chicago, London, Berlin, and Tokyo. The New York Times reports the designation, which comes from Abbott World Marathon Majors, is "reserved for the most elite races" and took Sydney three years to secure.
Runner's World reports the race was evaluated on more than 100 criteria, including elements like runner experience and drink stations. One bar was having at least 20,000 finishers, which it did in this year's September race. The race began in 2000 with 1,200 finishers, reports CNN, and by 2022, that number had only reached 5,000. The New South Wales government says it expects to have 33,000 registrations for next year's race, which starts in North Sydney, crosses the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and ends at the Sydney Opera House. Runner's World calls it the "hilliest" of all the major marathons due to its 1,040-foot elevation gain, but notes that overall, it's "net downhill."
The addition will make things a little harder for those wanting to complete "what the world majors call its star program," per the Times. Currently, those who had completed all six majors are Six Star finishers; the addition of Sydney means the introduction of a Seven Star Medal. And it's possible it could end up being a Nine Star program, as Cape Town and Shanghai are also eyeing the designation. (More marathon stories.)
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