The Abbott World Marathon Majors (WMM) is a series of prestigious races comprising Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Sydney and Tokyo. Runners who complete all races receive a medal. The WMM is hoping to add Cape Town and Shanghai to its list.
Marathon running has surged in popularity since the pandemic, when gym closures drove fitness fanatics to running. A record 1.1m people applied for the London Marathon in 2026—more than double the number that entered the public ballot in 2024. Around 60,000 runners lined up for it, up from 54,000 in 2024. The New York City Marathon lottery also received its highest-ever number of applications, with only 1% of entrants given a race bib. London is in consultations to host a two-day event in 2027.
Gen-Z runners make up a growing share of marathon applicants and finishers; the number who logged a marathon on Strava increased by a third from 2024 to 2025.
The European Marathons Classics, a new eight-race challenge launched around 2026, also comes with a medal.
Nothing makes a person more productive than the last minute.