Abbott World Marathon
Majors
Eight races. Eight cities. Five continents. 3 of 8 done.
Only an earned Major gets a star number: which one comes next depends on ballots and bookings. Dates, entries and plans can change. Ballots, bookings, injuries, illness, cancellations and new races all play a part. Denny sends a voice note every week and this site follows it.
Swipe the chase · tap a city
City by City
Chicago
The first one. Where it all became real.
London
Home Major. A PB on the day. £2,620 for Breast Cancer Now.
Sydney
Harbour Bridge at dawn, Opera House at the finish.
Berlin
Going for the 2027 ballot, open 1 October to 12 November 2026.
New York
Going for the 2027 ballot when it opens, expected in February.
Tokyo
Not 2027: that race is on 7 March, the same day as LA. One of the toughest ballots in the sport.
Cape Town
Africa's first Major. The newest star on the board.
Boston
The one you cannot buy. Qualify, or raise for a charity place.
The goalposts just moved. Eight Majors now.
Cape Town became the eighth Abbott World Marathon Major in June 2026, Africa's first. Its first race as a Major is 23 May 2027. So the target grew by one city while Denny was mid-chase.
Worth knowing, because plenty of people get this wrong: Abbott awards a Six Star medal for the original six, and that isn't changing. There is no Seven Star or Eight Star medal. The series skips straight to a Nine Star, which only comes into existence if Shanghai passes its final assessment on 6 December 2026. If it does, the first Nine Stars are awarded in Shanghai in December 2027.
Three Quests
“The World Major Marathons is the main goal. The European Marathon Classics is a second goal, and the SuperHalfs is the third goal.”
- 1 · Main goal
World Marathon Majors
3 of 8 stars
- What it is
- The eight Abbott World Marathon Majors, on five continents. A star for every one.
- The reward
- The Six Star medal for the original six (2 of 6 so far). There is no Eight Star medal: all eight puts him in Abbott's Eight Star Hall of Fame.
- Next
- Berlin ballot · 1 Oct to 12 Nov 2026New York ballot · Expected Feb 2027
Three stars also open the AbbottWMM Race Draws: a second chance at a place in Berlin, New York or Cape Town. Tokyo and Boston need four.
The races
- ChicagoDone · 4:16:52
- LondonDone · 4:03:53
- SydneyDone · 4:07:20
- BerlinBallot · 1 Oct to 12 Nov 2026
- New YorkBallot · Expected Feb 2027
- Tokyo
- Cape Town
- Boston
- 2 · Second goal
European Marathon Classics
2 of 8 Classics
- What it is
- Eight classic European marathons in one challenge, launched in Vienna in February 2026. Free to join, any order, no deadline.
- The reward
- A collectible coin for every race. Five different Classics earn a free medal at the finish of the fifth, and the title European Marathon Classics Finisher.
- Next
- EDP Lisbon Marathon · Sat 10 Oct 2026
Lisbon makes 3 of the 5 for the medal. London counts for two quests.
The races
- Acea Run Rome The MarathonDone · 4:06:46
- Vienna City Marathon
- TCS London MarathonDone · 4:03:53
- Zurich Rock 'n' Roll Madrid
- Copenhagen Marathon
- Warsaw Marathon
- EDP Lisbon MarathonNext · 10 Oct 2026
- Mainova Frankfurt Marathon
- 3 · Third goal
SuperHalfs
0 of 6 SuperHalfs
- What it is
- Six European half marathons: Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen, Cardiff and Valencia. A free SuperPassport, and no deadline to finish all six.
- The reward
- The SuperMedal at the finish of the last of the six, and a listing in the Hall of Fame.
Not started yet. The Big Half is not one of the six.
The races
- EDP Lisbon Half
- Generali Prague Half
- Generali Berlin Half
- Copenhagen Half
- Cardiff Half
- Valencia Half