How to Enter the TCS Sydney Marathon

In 2024, the TCS Sydney Marathon became the seventh member of the prestigious World Marathon Majors. It was the first marathon in the Southern Hemisphere to earn that status, and it has more than lived up to it. In just a few years, the race has grown into another league: nearly 40,000 participants, an increasingly stacked elite field, fast times and, to top it all off, Eliud Kipchoge’s appearance at its first edition as a Major in 2025. The course is spectacular, taking runners across the famous Harbour Bridge before finishing on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. Sydney’s biggest strengths also include the beauty of the city and its mild climate. It is the ideal “runcation” destination for travelling marathoners who combine their passion for running with a holiday. Here’s how to enter the Sydney Marathon and why this is a race every marathoner should run at least once.

✓ This article covers every option available for entering the Sydney Marathon.

Sydney joins the Abbott World Marathon Majors

Since the official announcement in late 2024, the TCS Sydney Marathon has been part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors alongside Berlin, Tokyo, New York, London, Boston, Chicago and Cape Town. After three years of work and changes to the course and race organisation, including dropping the half marathon to focus solely on the full distance, Sydney has joined the sport’s biggest events. But the race’s origins go back much further. The first edition dates back to the eve of the 2000 Olympic Games, when a test marathon was held in 1999. The following year, the Olympic marathon finished at Stadium Australia, leaving a lasting impression and helping drive the creation of a permanent event. From 2001 onwards, the Sydney Marathon became an annual race incorporated into the Sydney Running Festival, a mass-participation event bringing together several races. Its course is iconic, with the Harbour Bridge crossing as one of its highlights. The event gradually grew until it broke away from the Running Festival and joined the World Marathon Majors in 2024, with its first official edition as a Major taking place in 2025.

Key facts: Sydney Marathon 2027

Date: 29 August 2027
Label: World Athletics Platinum
Member of the Abbott World Marathon Majors
Distance: 42.195 km
Number of participants: around 40,000
Start time: 6:30 a.m.
Start: Miller Street, North Sydney
Finish: Sydney Opera House
Elevation gain: 313 m
Elevation loss: 396 m
Time limit: 7 hours
Course records: 2:04:42 (Addisu Gobena, 2026) and 2:18:22 (Sifan Hassan, 2025)

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The ballot: the most popular option

The Sydney Marathon’s popularity has soared in recent years, as the number of participants makes clear. In 2022, 5,000 runners lined up for the race. Today, nearly 40,000 take the start. That remarkable growth reflects the event’s strong appeal. With demand surging, the organisers introduced a ballot system to allocate places. Anyone dreaming of racing in kangaroo country can enter the ballot on the official race website. Ballot entries are open from 29 September to 19 October. Results will be emailed on 3 November. If you are selected, your entry fee will be charged immediately to the payment method provided during registration. If you miss out, you will still receive an email confirming the result and outlining alternative ways to take part.

29 September to 19 October

The ballot entry window for the 2027 Sydney Marathon.

How to enter the Sydney Marathon, from the ballot to its spectacular course and unforgettable running experience.

Sydney, the perfect runcation destination

Many European runners choose a race purely to chase a time. Sydney offers something more: a complete experience, so you do not have to choose between racing and a holiday. The TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS starts in North Sydney, crosses the Harbour Bridge and finishes on the Opera House forecourt. It is a dream setting for any running enthusiast. For visitors, the race doubles as a guided tour of the city’s two most famous landmarks. While most marathons hand you a medal and a finishing time, Sydney leaves you with a story and memories that go well beyond your performance.

The journey, however, takes some planning. In late August, Sydney is eight hours ahead of Paris, and the trip takes more than 20 hours with a stopover. Logistics are therefore a key part of making the most of your Australian stay while enjoying the race. As for entry requirements, things are straightforward: French travellers simply need to apply online for a free electronic authorisation, the eVisitor, before departure.

Sydney also belongs on your bucket list because it is such a long-haul destination. The journey is a long one, which is all the more reason not to limit your stay to race day. Arrive a few days early to adjust to the time difference, then leave time after the race, when your quads are wrecked but your curiosity is still intact. Rest before the race, explore afterwards. Coastal walks, long mornings on a terrace, the beach and climbing the Harbour Bridge can all wait until the medal is around your neck.

Run through the city before race day

In Sydney, you do not have to wait until Sunday to feel like running. The city is made for runners. The waterfront around Millers Point, Barangaroo and Circular Quay offers flat kilometres and exceptional views right outside your hotel. It is hard to imagine a better setting for an early-morning run. Late August also marks the end of the Australian winter: cool mornings, mild days and perfect conditions for lacing up your running shoes.

For anyone keen to run with others, marathon week is packed with events and group runs. Sydney has dozens of run clubs, so you are bound to find a shakeout run near your hotel. You might even get the chance to share a few kilometres with elite athletes.

And if you would rather discover a city on foot than from a tourist bus, Sydney will reward you. A simple run can take you across the Harbour Bridge, along the Opera House and through the Royal Botanic Garden before bringing you back to where you started. Everything is within a few kilometres. The essential accessory for running here? Your phone. With scenery this panoramic, you will inevitably want to capture your runs on camera.

Far more than a marathon, a full week of running celebrations

What sets Sydney apart from marathons where you arrive, race and leave is the way the entire city gets behind the event. It starts at the marathon expo, open for several days, where you collect your bib and will struggle to resist buying the event jacket or even the customised Sydney-coloured shoes. By the harbour, festival areas offer concerts, activities and recovery zones. The programme has all the ingredients of a holiday: a relaxed atmosphere, time to unwind with friends and encounters with runners from 140 different countries.

On Friday evening, the “Meet the Stars” opening ceremony brings elite marathoners and Australian sporting figures together on the Opera House forecourt, followed by fireworks over the harbour. A proper Australian show. Entry is free and open to everyone. Friends and family who would rather cheer than suffer have their own race too: the Mini Marathon, a 5 km event held on Saturday that finishes in front of the Opera House.

For anyone used to marathons where everything stops once you cross the line, the rhythm is different here. The race is naturally the highlight of the week, but the celebrations last much longer and continue for several days, even after the marathon.

After the medal, the holiday

This is where Sydney stands apart from almost every other marathon city. Once the medal is around your neck, you will not have to choose between a nap and the stress of a flight home. The real dilemma will be choosing between climbing the Harbour Bridge, visiting Taronga Zoo or spending an afternoon doing absolutely nothing on Bondi Beach. With so many waterside tables, it is hard to have lunch anywhere but on a terrace overlooking the harbour, replaying the race with friends. If you are hungry for discovery and exploration, you can even extend your stay by a day or two to visit the Blue Mountains or the Hunter Valley, both around two hours from the city. A completely different side of Australia awaits: spectacular, lush and a world away from the finish line in a bustling city like Sydney.

Good to know

Ballot entry dates: 29 September to 19 October.
Ballot results: 3 November by email
Entry fee: AUD $280 for residents of Australia and New Zealand, and AUD $330 for international runners
The Sydney Marathon is a hilly course known for being demanding, with 313 m of elevation gain and 396 m of elevation loss
The race starts early in the morning, from 6:30 a.m.

European runners are used to travelling abroad for marathons: for the medal, the time, the photos and the perfect excuse to discover a new city in the name of running. Sydney ticks all those boxes and offers even more. The journey is long, but it is clearly worth it. Once you arrive, the marathon delivers an unforgettable running experience, but above all, the city does not switch off when the race ends. It is a destination that gives runners a good reason to stay long after crossing the finish line. With harbour views, great food, beaches and a welcoming city, Sydney does not need to try too hard. There is only one question left: why is this marathon not already on your list?

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