The Abbott World Marathon Majors is a series of the most prestigious marathons in the world, which becomes the main event in the calendar of runners. At the same time, this is not just a selection of iconic starts, but a whole system with its own rules, awards and rating mechanics for participants from all over the world. What is its scale and features — we analyze further.

What is Abbott World Marathon Majors?

Today,  the Abbott World Marathon Majors includes seven races: Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, Tokyo and Sydney. The series has existed since 2006, and Abbott became its title sponsor in 2015.

Every year, more than 300 thousand runners from all over the world take part in the Majors. On the same track, there are both professional athletes who are fighting for victory, records and high places, and amateurs, for whom participation in the Major is often a separate big goal. This is the special status of the series: it combines the world elite of the marathon and mass running.

All marathons in the series  have a classic distance of 42.195 km, but each of them feels different. Some are known for fast tracks and records, others for more difficult terrain, bridges, climbs, weather or city atmosphere. That’s why each Major gives runners a completely different experience.

This year’s Abbott WMM schedule looks like this:

How the ranking is formed

In the Abbott World Marathon Majors system, it is worth distinguishing between at least three distinct formats: the elite series, the age rating for amateurs, and the Six Star Journey star system.

• The elite series brings together professional athletes who compete in the marathons of the Majors series. Throughout the year, they score points for their results at these starts, and at the end of the season they determine the champions of the series. Now AbbottWMM works in the format of a calendar year: the season starts with the Tokyo Marathon and ends with the New York City Marathon.
• For amateurs, there is a separate direction – AbbottWMM Marathon Tours & Travel Age Group World Rankings. This is a world ranking for runners 40+, which is formed based on the results of hundreds of marathons around the world, not just majors. Participants compete in their age categories, and the best receive invitations to the Age Group World Championships.
• Separately, there is Six Star Journey, a reward system for those who want to complete all the main starts of the series. For each officially completed Major, the participant receives a star in their profile. When a runner finishes in all six original Majors, they receive a Six Star Medal.

After expanding the series to seven marathons in 2025, the Six Star Medal remained the “classic six” honor. If new starts are added to the series, the system could expand to the next level, the Nine Star Medal.

Who can participate in Abbott WMM

Majors can be started by professionals, beginners and amateurs.

Elite runners get to the start at the invitation of the organizers or through the qualification results of other competitions. They are the ones who take part in the fight for the rating.

Amateurs can join through lotteries, charity slots, or tour packages. Some marathons have special selection rules. For example, the Boston Marathon traditionally requires a proven qualifying time.

Будь-хто може спробувати себе у серії мейджорів. Зображення з Abbott.com

Seven Majors Marathons

Each event has its own history, track features and rules for selecting participants.

1. The Boston Marathon  is the oldest marathon in the world (since 1897) and one of the most prestigious. You can only get there by qualifying time or through charity programs. The course is mostly fast, but has a difficult finish with a long climb of Heartbreak Hill.
2. The London Marathon is one of the largest marathons in terms of the number of entries. Many participants get here through the lottery or charity slots. The route is flat and passes through the central districts of the city along the iconic locations of London.
3. The Berlin Marathon is a fairly flat and fast track. Flat terrain and long straight sections create conditions for a stable pace and record results.
4. The Chicago Marathon has a flat city track that runs through different areas of Chicago. It was here in 2024 that Ruth Chepngetich set the women’s world record with a time of 2:09:56. The route is considered fast, although in some places the pace may go astray due to the turns and the density of the flow of participants.
5. The New York Marathon is the most massive start of the series, in which more than 50 thousand participants participate, and millions of spectators watch the route throughout the city. The route passes through five districts of the city and includes four bridges.
6. The Tokyo Marathon is one of the most organized starts in the series. The route passes through the central districts of Tokyo. The start takes place en masse – tens of thousands of runners stretch in the first kilometers. Due to the density of participants, the first half of the distance is often slower than the planned pace, even for experienced runners.
7. The Sydney Marathon  is the youngest major in the series. The first official start in Major status took place on August 31, 2025. The route passes through iconic locations of the city, and the participants finish near the Sydney Opera House, so this start is already called one of the most spectacular in the series.

Найбільша родина у світі, яка фінішувала на всіх шести марафонах Abbott WMM. Зображення з WMMajor.com

Which marathon will be the next major

The Abbott World Marathon Majors are an open system, so new distances may appear.

Currently, marathons in Cape Town and Shanghai are in the status of candidates. To enter the series, they must be evaluated according to key criteria: organization, security, infrastructure, and readiness to host a large-scale international start.

If both candidates successfully complete the selection, the Nine Star Medal may appear in the series. We keep our finger on the pulse and will monitor whether this happens in the near future.

On the IKS blog, we write about the results of the competitions of each of these marathons. Stay tuned to stay up to date with sports news.