The World Marathon Majors

There are six World Marathon Majors -  the Tokyo Marathon, the Boston Marathon, the London Marathon, the Berlin Marathon, the Chicago Marathon and the NYC Marathon.   These six marathons are the world’s most prestigious and sought-after where elite and amateur runners run 42.2 kilometers along some of the famous streets on the planet.

Most runners want to take part in at least one of the six Marathon Majors but for others who are driven and determined, they run all the six majors.  Having done so, they will earn a Six Star medal and put them in an exclusive club.

Tokyo Marathon – Achieving its status as a Marathon Majors in 2012 and thus making it the youngest of the majors, the Tokyo Marathon was first held in 2007.  It is the first majors of the calendar year, usually held on the first Sunday of March.

Boston Marathon - The oldest among the majors, it was first run in 1897 in which organizers modelled it after the marathon race at the 1896 Athens Olympic Games.

It used to be an exclusive men’s race, but Roberta Gibb gate crashed and finished the race.  Women were eventually allowed officially to participate in 1972.  It is held traditionally on Patriot’s Day, the third Monday of April.

London Marathon – First held in 1981, it was the brainchild of 1956 Melbourne Olympics gold medalist Chris Brasher, who was inspired after he ran the NYC Marathon in 1979.  Typically held on the third Sunday of April, it was moved to October in 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to the Covid pandemic.

Berlin Marathon – with its flat course, this is considered the fastest of the Marathon Majors where at least twelve world records have been set.  Held on the last weekend of September, the race was first held in 1974.

Chicago Marathon – with its first event ran in 1977, the race is usually held on the second Sunday of October.  The course passes thru the city’s famous stadiums – the Wrigley Field, the United Center and the Guaranteed Rate Field.

NYC Marathon – this is the last of the Marathon Majors for the calendar year and is held every first Sunday of November.  Last Sunday’s race had 55,646 runners crossing the finish line and as per reports, set the world record for the largest marathon ever.

Having been based for some years in what is hyped as ‘the city that never sleeps’, it amuses me seeing race participants going around the city a day after the event in their NYC Marathon track jackets and finishers’ medals hanging around their necks.