World Athletics Announces Annual World Marathon Championships
The marathon is getting its own world stage.
For decades, the marathon has lived in the shadow of the wider World Athletics Championships, and that is about to change.
World Athletics is proposing a dedicated World Marathon Championships, running annually from 2030, with men and women competing in alternate years. Athens is in the frame to host the inaugural event, a nod to the discipline’s ancient Greek origins.
The marathon will still feature at the 2027 and 2029 World Athletics Championships, but from 2031, it leaves that stage for good. London could host that final chapter, if the city wins its bid for the 2029 championships.
World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe called it a chance to create a dedicated global celebration of marathon running, honouring its heritage while shaping a modern championship that reflects the scale and spirit of the global running community.
