2026 Marathon Calendar

2026 is the first full year with seven Abbott World Marathon Majors after Sydney was added (its first Major edition was 2025): Tokyo, Boston and London ran in spring, then Sydney (August 30), Berlin (September 27), Chicago (October 11) and New York City (November 1). Shanghai and Cape Town are still in the candidacy process and are not yet Majors.

The page is always sorted by date and sinks finished months to the bottom, so the cards at the top are whatever is next. From late summer the calendar runs through Sydney and Hokkaido in August, Berlin in September, a packed October led by Chicago and the Marine Corps Marathon, New York City in November, and a December finale of Valencia, CIM, Shanghai and Honolulu. Each card shows a live countdown.

By field size the largest on the 2026 calendar are the New York City Marathon (around 59,000 finishers), Chicago (around 54,000) and Berlin (around 48,000), followed by Sydney (around 33,000). Honolulu, Naha, Beijing and Valencia also field roughly 30,000 runners each.

Spring (March–May) brought Tokyo, Boston, London and a wave of cool-weather European and Asian races; the autumn block (late August through December) is the deeper season, headlined by Berlin, Chicago, New York City and the fast December trio of Valencia, CIM and Fukuoka. Pick the window that gives you a clean training block, then favour cooler race-day temperatures for a fast time.

The flattest big-city courses are Valencia (about 15 m of climb), Berlin (about 20 m) and Amsterdam (about 10 m), all in cool autumn weather. Net-downhill courses like the California International Marathon, REVEL Big Cottonwood and Jack & Jill drop far more than they climb — fast, but harder on the quads. See the BQ race guide and the Boston Qualifying calculator.

The Majors and most big-city races fill by lottery or sell out roughly a year ahead, so 2026 entries were generally settled by late 2025. If your target is closed, the same registration window reopens for the next edition — plan a year out, and in the meantime many smaller and first-come races still have places. The beginner guide highlights open-entry options. Always confirm dates and entry routes on the official race site.