For distance runners, working towards that 6 Star Medal is equivalent to an Olympic Gold Medal. The Abbott World Marathon Majors is a series of seven of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world: Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America, TCS London Marathon, TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS, BMW Berlin Marathon, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and TCS New York City Marathon. This unique group of races offers an unparalleled experience for runners. While sharing the stage with the best of the best of the professional athletes, runners are welcomed to running excellence with the organization of the majors.
The 2026 Six Star Medals feature updated designs for each of the cities!
Getting a bib for a major marathon is not without its challenges! Given the coveted spots for these races, the path to securing your acceptance can be tough. Each of these races has their own unique set of pathways for a runner to secure a bib, and these standards and routes are ever-evolving. We want to spotlight these 7 races to help inform you if you are someone chasing the “stars” in your running journey. Our Pace of Me Coaches have collectively run all of the majors and are here to help you in your journey. Fun fact: Coach Maddie recently received her Six Star Medal (and has star 7 from Sydney!) at the 2026 Tokyo Marathon.
This list is in order of race dates throughout the year. It is not in any way a ranking of our favorites (although I’m sure we could write a whole new blog post about that…!). Because of the size and extent of planning for these races, lotteries, tour groups, charity groups, and qualifying standards will have to be met or confirmed months, sometimes a year, in advance. While below will feature the 2026 dates, much of this information below will be helpful for acceptance into the 2027 majors.
Tokyo Marathon
2026 Race Date: March 1
2027 Race Date: March 7
Field Size: 37,500
Tokyo Marathon Elevation Gain: 198 feet
Start line excitement at the 2026 Tokyo Marathon
The Tokyo Marathon course takes runners through the heart of Tokyo, passing iconic landmarks and showcasing the city’s blend of traditional heritage and modern innovation. The relatively flat route is known for being fast, making it a popular choice for runners aiming for personal bests or qualifying times. The event showcases the perfect blend of Japanese organization, hospitality, and enthusiasm.
Above is an outline of the entry information for the 2027 race. The first application period is for the charity organizations. There are a range of incredible charities to apply through- each one is clear about their acceptance numbers, however what is ambiguous is the silent bidding process that occurs as runners will need to pledge an amount higher than their required donation amount. If you have questions about this process, reach out to us as we’d love talking you through some tips to navigate this process! The general lottery occurs later in the summer, but this is one of the toughest lotteries to secure a lucky bib!
Coach Maddie coming through Mile 11 in Tokyo
Boston Marathon
2026 Race Date: April 20
2027 Race Date: April 19
Field Size: 30,000
Boston Marathon Elevation Gain: 815 feet
Recognized as the world’s oldest annual marathon, Boston is a unique major marathon as there is no general lottery- runners must either qualify for entry by meeting time standards or be accepted as a charity runner. The window for qualifying times for the 2026 race was open from Sep 1, 2024 – Sep 12, 2025. For the 2027 race, the qualifying window began on September 13, 2025 and will remain open until registration week (typically mid September). You can run multiple qualifying times, but you will only need to submit one. If you run a faster time than your qualifying before the January of race year, you will be able to resubmit your time for a faster seeded bib.
NEW for the 2027 qualifying standards will be a time adjustment for any race submitted from a course with a net-downhill of 1,500 ft or more. Courses with a net-downhill between 1,500 and 2,999 ft will incur a +5 minute time-adjustment to your submitted time. Courses with a net downhill between 3,000 and 5,999 will incur a +10 time-adjustment.
Coaches Steph, Michelle and Jess at the Boston Marathon. We all remember 2018’s weather…!
London Marathon
2026 Race Date: April 26
2027 Race Date: April 25
Field Size: 40,000+
London Marathon Elevation Gain: 419 feet
The race is known for its electric atmosphere, incredible crowd support, and the millions raised for charity each year. With approximately 40,000 participants completing the course annually, it is one of the largest marathons in the world.
Coach Steph crossing the London Bridge while racing in 2025!
London is one of the hardest majors to get into! A record-breaking 1,133,813 people entered the public ballot for the 2026 TCS London Marathon. This is the highest number of applications for any marathon in history, representing a 36% increase from the previous record of 840,318 in 2025. The ballot typically opens immediately following the race at the end of April and results are posted by July. Many runners take the charity route to not only obtain a guaranteed entry, but so good while doing so supporting a foundation. The London Marathon is the biggest one-day charity event in the world! For those living in the UK, there is a Good for Age Standard, applications being due in September. Lastly, many international tour operators are available for guaranteed packages and bibs.
Sydney Marathon
2026 Race Date: August 30
2027 Race Date: not officially announced but most likely August 29
Field Size: 35,000
Sydney Marathon Elevation Gain: 1,026.9 feet
The newest addition to the Majors family! The 2025 race was the first official year of Sydney awarding stars to finishers, aside from Age Group Championship finishers from the 2024 race. Rest assured, the original six star medal is not going anywhere! When nine official Majors exist, a Nine Star medal gets introduced alongside the Six Star. Two milestones, two medals. The course tops the list for being the hilliest of the group.
Sunrise over the Harbour Bridge in the early miles
As more people chase the stars, the race will continue to get tougher to get into, but as of 2026, the paths to entry are a general ballot (majority of entrants), official travel partner groups, charity programs, as well as a High Performance Program. This program is capped at 600 runners, so runners under the qualifying time may not be guaranteed a spot. The lottery opens late September and closes mid-October for entrance into the following year. Results are announced at the end of October.
Coach Maddie at the epic finish line at Sydney 2025
Berlin Marathon
2026 Race Date: September 27
2027 Race Date: not officially announced but most likely September 26
Field Size: 44,000
Berlin Marathon Elevation Gain: 241 feet
Known for its flat and fast course, the Berlin Marathon holds more world records than any other marathon race. The Berlin Marathon is one of the most sought-after races and has a unique lottery system- you can enter as an individual or as a group of 2-3. The Berlin Marathon lottery typically sees around 70,000-80,000 applications for approximately 45,000 available spots. This means your chances are roughly 50-60%. International runners seem to have a slightly higher acceptance rate than German residents. The lottery for the following year opens at the end of September, and closes early November. Results are generally announced in late November or early December. The Berlin Marathon accepts qualifying times for runners; times must not be older than two years.
Below are the qualifying requirements for the 2026 race:
Male Runners up to 44 years (born 2008 to 1982): under 2:45 hours
Runners up to 59 years (born 1981 to 1967): under 2:55 hours
Runners 60 years and older (born 1966 and older): under 3:25 hours
Female Runners up to 44 years (born 2008 to 1982) under: 3:10 hours
Female runners up to 59 years (born 1981 to 1967): under 3:30 hours
Female runners over 60 years (born 1966 and older): under 4:20 hours
Coach Maddie in the 2019 Berlin Marathon.
Chicago Marathon
2026 Race Date: October 11
2027 Race Date: October 10
Field Size: 55,000+
Chicago Marathon Elevation Gain: 243 feet
Chicago brings the crowd energy!! A fast, flat course through 29 diverse neighborhoods of the Windy City with incredible crowd support throughout. Secure your spot at the Chicago Marathon starting line through time-based qualification, lottery entry, charity fundraising, or international tour groups. For the 2025 race, the qualifying standards were tightened. Below are the current standards.
Most participants enter through a lottery system that typically opens in late October and closes in early December for the following year’s race. There are also many charity programs with bibs and tour operator groups that provide guaranteed packages.
Coaches Michelle, Steph and Jess at the 2024 Chicago Marathon!
New York City Marathon
2026 Race Date: November 1
2027 Race Date: November 7
Field Size: 59,000+
New York City Marathon Elevation Gain: 810 feet
The world’s largest marathon takes runners through all five boroughs with over a million spectators cheering. As of November 2025, the TCS New York City Marathon holds the world record for the largest marathon field in history. The 2025 race, held on November 2, set the record for the second consecutive year with 59,226 finishers.
Coach Maddie after the 2019 NYC Marathon.
Entrance into the NYC Marathon is complex and unique. The lottery, help annually in February, holds a 1% acceptance rate, breaking records annually for number of people hoping it’s their lucky day getting accepted. There is a Time Qualifying Standard with can be found here, but hitting your time does not guarantee you’ll get accepted. This is when it feels so tough! For the 2026 race, qualifiers with a 20 minute buffer still found themselves left out. There are Key NYRR Qualifying Races that with a certain time, can guarantee you entrance- these races are the NYRR Manhattan 10k, United Airlines NYC Half, and RBC Brooklyn Half. Now’s your time to qualify for the 2027 race!
What’s unique about NYC is that they also offer a Virtual Marathon option, where if you run the 2026 Virtual NYC Marathon, you can be a spot in the 2027 race. There is also a 9+1 program set up, so if you race 9 NYRR events of any distance and volunteer at one, you can gain guaranteed entrance into the following year. NYC Marathon has MANY charity options as well, and tour group packages for international runners.
Sounds like a lot right??! The majors wouldn’t be called MAJOR if there wasn’t a lot of confusion as to how people are getting those coveted bibs. If running a major – or all of them! – is a goal of yours, Pace of Me Coaching is here to help with expertise and experience!!
