The TCS Sydney Marathon, presented by ASICS, is set to host over 40,000 participants and 150,000 spectators this Sunday, 15 September. With more than 25,000 runners in the main marathon event, it will be the largest marathon in Australian history. An additional 15,000 participants will join the TCS Sydney Marathon 10km and TCS Sydney Mini Marathon 4.2km.
Organizers are urging locals to plan their journeys ahead of time, advising the use of public transport due to significant road closures along the course. Sydney’s Metro and other public transport services will play a critical role in transporting participants to the North Sydney starting line, with the cost of public transport included in race entries. Residents are encouraged to avoid driving in the affected areas and rely on public transport to navigate race day.
The marathon is a candidate for the Abbott World Marathon Majors series, with the support of the NSW Government and Destination NSW. If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42 kilometres around the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors will soon add a seventh race to the elite series.
"We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive," race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney on Thursday. "We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on paper, I feel we’re ticking all the boxes. So we’ve just got to go out there now and deliver the event as per the plans and I’m sure we’ll meet the criteria."
"It's taken me 18 years to build it to 5,000 and two years to get it to 25,000," Larden told Reuters. "So the trajectory has been very steep in the last two years since we became a candidate race, because there's a lot of excitement about the world majors being in Sydney."
The size of the field and a new start location — back at North Sydney Oval where the Olympic marathon got underway in 2000 — will make the task a bit harder for Larden and his team, but he is optimistic they will deliver.
"I'm feeling confident, but it's a big event and anything can happen. But I think we're well prepared for it," he said. "I will pretty well know on race day how we've gone, based on our plans and how we've delivered them."
Stone's assessment team will be on the ground in Sydney on Sunday and a decision on whether the race gets the nod is expected in October.
"What better place to be than iconic city like this that everybody wants to go to?" Stone added. "If everything goes according to plan, I am hopeful that they will become the next major."
The Sydney Marathon is a significant event for the city and for Australia. The race is a chance to showcase Sydney to the world and to inspire people to get active and healthy. The race is also a chance to celebrate the diversity of the city and its people. The race is expected to draw a large crowd of spectators and participants, and it will be a great opportunity to experience the excitement and atmosphere of a major sporting event.
