What the Abbott World Marathon Majors are
The Abbott World Marathon Majors are the circuit of the world's most prestigious marathons. For many years there were six: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. In 2025 the group became seven with the entry of the TCS Sydney Marathon, in Australia. They are road races, all at low altitude (none of them takes place in a high-altitude city), which helps explain why so many records fall on this circuit.
Each race has its own personality: course, weather and entry method change quite a bit from one city to another. Below, the verified summary of each one. One note applies to the entire text: dates, prices and qualification criteria are revised every edition. Always check the race's official website before planning.
Tokyo (March)
Month and weather: first Sunday of March (the 2026 edition was on March 1). Cold to mild weather, with a start typically between 5 and 12 degrees Celsius, a good condition for running hard.
Course: urban and mostly flat, with a small bridge climb in the first kilometers and low total elevation gain. A good race to chase a personal best.
How to get in: a highly competitive lottery (draw), with a historical acceptance rate around 8 to 12 percent. There are also spots through charity affiliations and official tour operator packages.
Approximate cost: about 230 USD for foreigners in the 2026 edition (a value revised upward relative to previous years). SOURCE: marathon.tokyo
Boston (April)
Month and weather: third Monday of April, on Patriots' Day. Unpredictable weather, from cold with wind to warmer days.
Course: point to point, with a net drop in altitude from start to finish, which sounds easy but deceives. The Newton hills begin around km 26 and culminate in the famous Heartbreak Hill, a short climb near km 33, precisely where muscle glycogen tends to run out.
How to get in: Boston is the only Major whose main door is the qualifying time (BQ), which varies by age and sex. Reaching the BQ gives you the right to register, but does not guarantee the spot: when there are more applicants than places, only the fastest below the standard get in (in recent years it has taken running a few minutes faster than the BQ). Official BAA standards for 2027:
- 18 to 34 years: men 2h55, women 3h25
- 35 to 39: men 3h00, women 3h30
- 40 to 44: men 3h05, women 3h35
- 45 to 49: men 3h15, women 3h45
- 50 to 54: men 3h20, women 3h50
- 55 to 59: men 3h30, women 4h00
- 60 to 64: men 3h50, women 4h20
- 65 to 69: men 4h05, women 4h35
- 70 to 74: men 4h20, women 4h50
- 75 to 79: men 4h35, women 5h05
- 80 or older: men 4h50, women 5h20
There are also charity spots. Approximate cost: about 260 USD in the 2026 edition. SOURCE: baa.org
London (April)
Month and weather: late April (2026 was on April 26). British spring, usually mild but variable.
Course: flat and fast for the most part, one of the most popular in the world for roadside crowds.
How to get in: a combination of the ballot (with a historical chance below 2 percent and a record of more than 1.1 million applicants for the 2026 edition), charity spots (about half the participants enter that way), Good for Age and Championship for those with a proven strong time. Approximate cost: registration through the ballot of 79.99 GBP, or 49.99 GBP if you donate the amount to the charity linked to the race. SOURCE: londonmarathonevents.co.uk
Berlin (September)
Month and weather: late September (2026 scheduled for September 27). Mild autumn, typically cool and stable conditions.
Course: flat and fast, considered the fastest on the circuit. It is the stage where the most world records have been set, including Eliud Kipchoge's mark of 2h01min09s in 2022.
How to get in: a lottery (estimated acceptance around 1 in 5) and a fast runner route for those who prove a time under the standards by age and sex, plus charity and tour operators. Approximate cost: about 205 EUR. SOURCE: bmw-berlin-marathon.com
Chicago (October)
Month and weather: second Sunday of October (2026 on October 11). Autumn, usually cool, but there have been hot editions.
Course: extremely flat, a loop through dozens of neighborhoods. Excellent for a personal best.
How to get in: a non-guaranteed entry draw (applying more than once does not raise the chance), plus time-guaranteed entry, charity and tour operators. Approximate cost: 250 USD for US residents and 260 USD for foreigners. SOURCE: chicagomarathon.com
New York (November)
Month and weather: first Sunday of November (2026 on November 1, the 50th edition). Late autumn, typically cold at the start.
Course: it passes through the five boroughs and crosses several bridges, with rolling stretches. It is considered a hard, non-flat race, finishing in Central Park.
How to get in: a lottery (historical chance around 3 percent), the guaranteed-entry program 9+1 (complete 9 NYRR races and volunteer at 1 in the year), time-guaranteed entry, charity and tour operators. Approximate cost: about 269 USD for NYRR members and 333 USD for non-members. SOURCE: nyrr.org
Sydney (August), the seventh Major
Month and weather: late August (2026 scheduled for August 30). Mild Australian winter.
Course: it crosses the Sydney Harbour Bridge and finishes at the Opera House. It is pointed to as the most hilly Major, with good elevation gain and loss, so it is not the obvious choice for chasing a time.
How to get in: a ballot (random draw), plus charity and official tour operators. Approximate cost: 280 AUD for residents and 330 AUD for foreigners. SOURCE: tcssydneymarathon.com
The Six Star medal
The Six Star Medal was created in 2016 and is given to those who finish, as official finishers, the six original Majors: Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York and Tokyo. There is no required order, no expiration date and no minimum time beyond each race's limit. Through the end of 2025, more than 23 thousand people have already earned the Six Star.
What stays
Seven Majors today, eight on the way with Cape Town in 2027, Shanghai knocking on the door: the club that started with six races in 2016 is becoming a global circuit, but the hard core remains those first six. More than 23 thousand runners have already earned the Six Star Medal, and each of them stamped the passport by opposite routes, the treacherous drop of Heartbreak Hill in Boston, the shallow asphalt of Berlin where Kipchoge ran 2h01min09s, the five bridges of New York. There is no easy Major, there is a Major that fits your type of runner. The question is not which one to run first, it is which one tells your story.
