A lot more than 800 marathons are organised each and every year, but only six have the title of Globe Marathon Main: Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon, London Marathon, Berlin Marathon, Chicago Marathon and New York City Marathon.
These marathons are some of the most prestigious and sought-soon after in the globe, as amateur and elite athletes race 42.195 km across some of the most popular city streets on earth.
Numerous runners dream of taking portion in just 1 Marathon Main, but some of the additional ambitious do not just want 1 finisher’s medal, they want all six. Carrying out so puts you into an exclusive club and earns you a Six Star Medal.
On the elite side of points, the Globe Marathon Majors have observed a slew of records broken more than the years, like the present men’s globe record of two:01:09, set by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge at the 2022 Berlin Marathon and Brigid Kosgei’s women’s globe record of two:14:04 set at the 2019 edition of the Chicago Marathon.
Study on for the Olympics.com guide to the Globe Marathon Majors.
Tokyo Marathon
Traditionally the 1st significant of the calendar year, taking spot on the 1st Sunday in March, the Tokyo Marathon – which was 1st run in 2007 – is the youngest of the Globe Marathon Majors, reaching its status in 2012.
The course runs from the Metropolitan Government Developing in Shinjuku ahead of winding by way of the city and turning back on itself so the second half is nearly a looped replica of the 1st. En route to the finish line, runners take in views of the Imperial Palace, Tokyo Tower, the old town of Asakusa and additional, and ends at the Tokyo International Exhibition Centre.
The 1st men’s winner was Kenya’s Daniel Njenga in 2007, even though the 1st lady to pass the tape was Japan native Niiya Hitomi.
Tokyo marathon in numbers
Men’s course record:
- Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, 2022 (two:02:40)
Women’s course record:
- Brigid Kosgei, Kenya, 2022 (two:16:02)
Men’s wheelchair course record:
- Suzuki Tomoki, Japan, 2020 (1:21:52)
Women’s wheelchair course record:
- Kina Tsubasa, Japan, 2020 (1:40:00)
Quantity of runners (2023)
Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon traditionally requires spot on the third Monday in April – on Patriots’ Day in the USA.
The race is the oldest annual marathon in the globe, getting 1st been run in 1897 soon after its organisers took inspiration from the marathon race at the Olympic Games Athens 1896.
Although initially exclusively a men’s race, that all changed in 1966 when Roberta Gibb gatecrashed the celebration and completed the course in three:21:40. Ultimately, females had been officially permitted to participate in 1972.
The course of the Boston Marathon starts at Hopkinton State Park, passing by a quantity of nearby attractions like Ashland Clock Tower, Natick Center Cultural District and The Forever Young statue – commemorating Johnny Kelley, a 61-time Boston Marathon finisher who passed away in 2004 – ahead of reaching the finish line at Copley Square.
The 1st men’s winner was the USA’s John J. McDermott who came house in two:55:ten in 1897, even though the 1st female to win the official women’s race was American Nina Kuscsik in 1972.
Boston Marathon in numbers
Men’s course record:
- Geoffrey Mutai, Kenya, 2011 (two:03:02)
Women’s course record:
- Bezunesh Deba, Ethiopia, 2014 (two:19:59)
Men’s wheelchair course record:
- Marcel Hug, Switzerland, 2017 (1:18:03)
Women’s wheelchair course record:
- Manuela Schar, Switzerland, 2019 (1:34:19)
Men’s globe records set at the Boston Marathon:
- Suh Yun-bok, Republic of Korea, 1947 (two:25:39)
Women’s globe records set at the Boston Marathon:
- Joan Benoit, USA, 1983 (two:22:43)
Quantity of runners (2022):
London Marathon
Seven globe records have been set at the London Marathon, which boasts 1 of the quickest courses in the globe. The marathon, which 1st took spot in 1981, was the brainchild of Melbourne 1956 three,000m steeplechase gold medallist, Chris Brasher, who had been inspired by operating the 1979 edition of the New York City Marathon.
Runners navigating the course will be treated to a smorgasbord of London attractions, like the popular Cutty Sark ship, the London Eye, Large Ben and even the Tower of London ahead of reaching their final location on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.
The inaugural London Marathon saw a tie for 1st in the men’s race, with the USA’s Dick Beardsley and Norway’s Inge Simonsen passing the finish line collectively in two:11:48. The women’s race that year was won by house favourite Joyce Smith who also won the second race in 1982.
London Marathon in numbers
Men’s course record:
- Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, 2019 (two:02:37)
Women’s course record
- Paula Radcliffe, Terrific Britain, 2003 (two:15:25)
Men’s wheelchair course record:
- Marcel Hug, Switzerland, 2021 (1:26:27)
Women’s wheelchair course record:
- Manuela Schar, Switzerland, 2021 (1:39:52)
Men’s globe records set at the London Marathon:
- Khalid Khannouchi, USA, 2002 (two:05:38)
Women’s globe records set at the London Marathon:
- Mary Keitany, Kenya, 2017 (two:17:01)
- Paula Radcliffe, Terrific Britain, 2005 (two:17:42)
- Paula Radcliffe, Terrific Britain, 2003 (two:15:25) – mixed
- Ingrid Kristiansen, Norway, 1985 (two:21:06)
- Grete Waitz, Norway, 1983 (two:25:29)
Quantity of runners (2022):
Berlin Marathon
If you are searching for the quickest Marathon Main course on earth, appear no additional than Berlin. A total of 12 globe records (like the final eight men’s) have been set at the Berlin Marathon, like the present men’s globe record of two:01:09 set by Eliud Kipchoge just final year.
Held on the final weekend in September, the Berlin Marathon has a flat and speedy course that begins and ends at the city’s popular Brandenburg Gate. The race was 1st introduced in 1974 by nearby baker Horst Milde with West Germany’s Gunter Hallas (two:44:53) and Jutta Von Hasse (three:22:01) triumphing in the inaugural edition.
Berlin Marathon in numbers
Men’s course record
- Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, 2022 (two:01:09)
Women’s course record
- Tigist Assefa, Ethiopia, 2022 (two:15:37)
Men’s wheelchair course record:
- Heinz Frei, Switzerland, 1997 (1:21:39)
Women’s wheelchair course record:
- Manuela Schar, Switzerland, 2018 (1:36:53)
Men’s globe records set at Berlin Marathon:
- Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, 2022 (two:01:09)
- Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya, 2018 (two:01:39)
- Dennis Kipruto Kimetto, Kenya, 2014 (two:02:57)
- Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich, Kenya, 2013 (2:03:23)
- Patrick Makau Musyoki, Kenya, 2011 (two:03:38)
- Haille Gebrselassie, Ethiopia, 2008 (two:03:59)
- Haille Gebrselassie, Ethiopia, 2007 (two:04:26)
- Paul Tergat, Kenya, 2003 (two:04:55)
- Ronaldo da Costa, Brazil, 1998 (2:06:05)
Women’s globe records set at Berlin Marathon
- Takahashi Naoko, Japan, 2001 (two:19:46)
- Tegla Loroupe, Kenya, 1999 (two:20:43)
- Christa Vahlensieck, West Germany, 1977 (two:34:48)
Quantity of runners (2022):
Chicago Marathon
Established in its present format in 1977, the Chicago Marathon has grown a lot given that its initial race when only four,200 runners took portion. Today, close to 40,000 amateur and elite athletes take to the streets of the Windy City to brave the 42.195 km course that starts and ends at Grant Park. Sports fans will be delighted by a race that passes by 3 of the city’s most properly-loved stadiums, Wrigley Field, the United Centre and Assured Price Field.
Like Berlin and London, the Chicago course has developed some of the quickest occasions observed in history, like Brigid Kosgei’s globe record of two:14:04 set in 2019. That mark is more than 45 minutes more quickly than the 1st female winner’s time of two:50:47 set by the wonderfully named Dorothy Doolittle in 1977, even though the men’s winner that year, Dan Cloeter, ended the race in two:17:52.
Chicago Marathon in numbers
Men’s course record:
- Dennis Kimetto, Kenya, 2013 (two:03:45)
Women’s course record
- Brigid Kosgei, Kenya, 2019 (two:14:04)
Men’s wheelchair course record:
- Heinz Frei, Switzerland, 2010 (1:26:56)
Women’s wheelchair course record:
- Tatyana McFadden, USA, 2017 (1:39:15)
Men’s globe records set at the Chicago Marathon:
- Khalid Khannouchi, Morocco, 1999 (two:05:42)
- Steve Jones, Terrific Britain, 1984 (two:08:05)
Women’s globe records set at the Chicago Marathon:
- Brigid Kosgei, Kenya, 2019 (two:14:04)
- Paula Radcliffe, Terrific Britain, 2002 (two:17:17)
- Catherine Ndereba, Kenya, 2001 (two:18:47)
Quantity of runners (2022):
New York City Marathon
Now it is time for the greatest marathon in the globe – the New York City Marathon. With about 50,000 competitors final year, New York’s 1st marathon in 1970 saw only 127 runners on the commence line with just 55 ending the race, exactly where the USA’s Gary Muhrcke was declared the winner in two:31:38.
A year later, one more American, Anne Beth Bonner, became the 1st female winner of the race in a globe record time of two:55:22.
In 1976, a new course was introduced that travels across all 5 boroughs of the city, beginning in Staten Island and ending in the globe-popular Central Park. In among, runners cross 5 bridges, function their way up some steep hills and pass by some of the most iconic web pages in the globe.
4 globe records have been set on the course, all of them by females, like an remarkable 3 in a row by Norway’s Grete Waitz among 1978 and 1980.
New York City Marathon in numbers
Men’s course record:
- Geoffrey Mutai, Kenya, 2011 (two:05:06)
Women’s course record
- Margaret Okayo, Kenya, 2003 (two:22:31)
Men’s wheelchair course record:
- Marcel Hug, Switzerland, 2022 (1:25:26)
Women’s wheelchair course record:
- Susannah Scaroni, USA, 2022 (1:42:43)
Women’s globe records set at the New York City Marathon:
- Grete Waitz, Norway, 1980 (two:25:42)
- Grete Waitz, Norway, 1979 (two:27:33)
- Grete Waitz, Norway, 1978 (two:32:30)
- Beth Bonner, USA, 1971 (two:55:22)
Quantity of runners (2022)