Sydney Marathon 2025 becomes the 7th World Major

The last time (and first time) I ran the Sydney Marathon was in 2012! Back then 2,984 runners completed the course. It was much smaller than most capital city Australian marathons. (This photo was from 2012 and the much better finish line experience)...

Today - wow - what a change. Now it’s the 7th World Major Marathon, bringing the best in the world and 35,000 runners (from 75,000 that applied). It’s very “Sydney”. It’s big and brassy and flashy and screams “look at me”, but who cares. Sydney embraced it with two hands and made it a great event -a BIG event - and something they can build on and be proud of.

Participants came from 156 countries and the money poured in to Sydney. It's truly an international event. It was the first event outside the official "big 6" that have made up the majors. I’m not that keen on chasing all the stars. 6 was great and that was my goal and it was special. I can't help but think that now they are just adding them to round things off geographicaly - and make some money. Good on 'em. Lots of money was coming into Sydney. And that’s a good thing. Lots of people will chase it.

Eliud Kipchoge was there and whatever they paid him it wasn’t enough. He really is a rock star. It’s unusual to see people other than musicians or movie stars who get cheered and yelled at whenever they go. He did. He is amazing. An inspiration for sure. And it was really good for Australian runners. We (very briefly) saw Jess Trengrove (2nd Aussie) and Lisa Weightman (3rd Aussie) and they did us real proud.

Overall, it was a super event. Made for a super weekend. Sure, there were little niggly things that annoyed me (like congestion at the entry to the start areas and the 40km mark) but they will improve them. It is worthy of being a Major and it delivered big time. Long may it prosper. Well done Sydney.

ANDREW'S RATINGS: Medal 11/10. A thing of beauty! I was really impressed. Classy -and we joked about whether the Opera House silhouette was because a shark had taken a bite or was it a handy dandy bottle opener! Produced some spectacular photos afterwards.

Crowd 10/10. The best crowd I've experienced in Australia for sure. Kipchoge had the crowd roaring. I cant recall an event on home soil where the cheering went for so long around the course - and was so positive. Well done Sydney, you embraced this.

Organisation 7/10. They've still got some work to do -but they'll get there.

Expo 8/10. Not bad by Australian standards. Heard it was a disaster on the first day - particulalrly the Asics shop - but they fixed it up overnight. The Asics range is silly and over priced and just 'logo slapping', but the Americans in particular didnt care and spent up big. The jacket was the worst I've ever seen.

Course 7/10. There was a whole heap of hype around this being the "best finish line in the world". It wasn't. The Opera House pops out at you with about 400m to go. The old course was 20000 timex better when you ran under the Bridge and then you could see the Opera House in all its splendour. The best bits of the course remain early on - the Bridge - its cool and then Darling Harbour. The long out stretch is pretty boring. The final turn off to Mrs Macquarie's Chair is a mental challenge - get ready to go away from the finish line when you are oh, so close.

Atmosphere 9/10. Well done Sydney - you embraced this big time. Weather was perfect. Runner’s pack 6/10. A nice finishers tshirt at the Expo (which lots of people wore during the race). Post-race a goodie bag with water, electrolyte, apple and a muesli bar. Pretty good. And a bonus point because the 7 star people got a surprise gift at the Expo check in - arm sleeves with 'Sydney 7 *******' on them. Nice touch. Injuries 7/10. Blisters. Bad sock combo I think. A week later they are still healing and at least one big toe nail is going to go black!

We ran this event for Love Mercy Foundation. A charity started by 2 famous runners and does amazing work in Uganda. https://www.lovemercyfoundation.org/

https://www.tcssydneymarathon.com/ 31 August 2025

Boston Marathon 2025. Was it as good as I remember?????

Boston 2025 More of the same or not? This was a question I was keen to answer after returning to the Boston Marathon after 11 years. Having run the course in 2013 (memorable for all the wrong reasons) and 2014 (memorable as a tour de force of running reclaiming the city), I wondered if 2025 would be as special. In short, yes. Yes it was. It is the greatest marathon in the world and it was only better than 2014. Two things really stand out as to why I rate this the best marathon. Yes it has the history - this being the 129th running - but just because you’re old doesn’t mean you’re still great.

No, the first thing is the organisation. It is simply breathtaking how they can be so organised and make it such a seamless and runner-focused world. Having nearly 10,000 volunteers helps. That’s a ratio of 1:3 volunteer to runners! But you’ve got to arrange and organise everything across multiple towns and groups. It’s so coordinated and so good. 11/10. The other biggie - and it’s the biggest of the big - is the cheering crowds. I’d forgotten how loud they are. We’re talking LOUD! And they cheer all day. Not just for the elites or for the one runner they are supporting. They cheer just as loudly for random strangers like me, and then they take it up another notch or three when they see their loved ones! It is full on. It is a lot. It is exhilarating. They must be exhausted at the end of the day. It is smile inducing and I continually caught myself realising that I was waving and interacting with them and laughing at their signs. I wore my Melbourne Marathon Spartan singlet and must have heard “Go Spartan” one thousand times. How can that not be motivating!

They offer you drinks, oranges, bananas, you name it. Even free beers!

Yes the weather was ideal. That helps but the 500,000+ crowd would have been there regardless and the organisation the same. So this event wins in my mind because of these two factors. You can’t control the weather but you can control everything else - and they did.

I’d also forgotten how brutal the Newton Hills are. Funny how time evaporates those memories, isn’t it! They are really tough and ‘Heartbreaking Hill’ is well named. There are three hills. And the rolling up and downhills course pounds the quads and beat up the legs even more. I’d forgotten how friendly the volunteers are. They say “thank you” to me after they have given me a medal!! Who does that? They cheer us on as they hand us water so we can enjoy what we enjoy. I’d forgotten about how people wear their medals around afterwards and so many people say “congrats”. This is the spirit of running at its best. This is the spirit of community that takes over this city. It is super positive and infectious. If only we could have that everywhere.

I’d forgotten about the special bond amongst runners who have done Boston. Doesn’t matter if you’ve done it once or 30 times, win the race or come last. If you are a Boston Marathoner you are a Boston Marathoner. And you’re ’in the club’. And wearing a Boston Marathoner celebration jacket is a mass bonding experience! Other events may sell jackets but none carries them this way. I’d forgotten how professional the event was. Runners get goodies and treats. And this event would never run out of water or Gatorade or paper cups. There are signs and banners and ads on every corner. It really sweeps the city up. Yes, this is the runner’s run. The marathoner’s marathon. I’d forgotten how time qualifying means these are roughly the best 5-8% of marathoners in terms of times. No other race on earth (unless it’s the Olympic trials or Olympics) has that.

I can't forget the 2013 event, but it is honored with memorials at the two bomb sites on Boylston Street and the underpass has a ‘Boston Strong’ sign on it as a permanent memorial too. Nice.

And finally, I’d forgotten how good it feels to run down a great finish shute and just soak it all in. Last time was a blur because I was chasing a time. This year I cruised and enjoyed it and cheered and smiled and waved. And loved it.

Thank you Boston Marathon. You are the best of the best.

This year some notable numbers: • 50 years of wheelchair division • The Korir family became the first to have two brothers win Boston each! • Runners from 129 countries- the youngest 18 and 1 day, the oldest 86 and 4 months! • One runner on a 56 year streak! • 309 runners from Australia.

ANDREW'S RATINGS: Medal 11/10. It really is quite spectacular. And heavy! And an extra bonus point for how everyone wears theirs and even on the plane as I’m leaving Boston while I write this I can see medals! Crowd 11/10. If you haven’t experienced such a crowd it can be hard to fathom. But in the occasional parts of the course where there aren’t spectators (such as a bridge underpass) it is so noticeable and at its loudest it is deafening - you can’t hear the person you’re running with speaking! Organisation 11/10. See above. It’s faultless. Moving 30,000 people anywhere can be difficult so to do it so well takes expert logistics and planning. It could go so wrong, but because of their preparation it becomes a joy for the participants. Expo 8/10 Not as big as I remember. It’s now more of a sponsor showcase than a running expo. But that’s fine. The sponsors put on a good show. The Adidas merchandise stand had 60 checkouts and people were throwing money at them. It’s crazy. Bib collection was busy but, once again, the organisers have learnt the ‘Disney Way’ of moving people and it all flows. No crazy rushing or pushing. Just follow the lines and everyone will get there. Special mention to the hotel we stayed at, which was one of the official hotels through Marathon Tours. They put it on for us runners and made it a great - if frightfully expensive - time. As we returned to the hotel getting a standing ovation from all the staff was a memorable touch! Speaking of costs, yes the hotels are crazy because of supply and demand rules No black toe nails!

7 Marathons in a year ... my biggest year yet

2024 was the year of the Marathon! 7 in total - a new record for me. I didn't set out 12 months ago to achieve this - it just sort of happened. Having done 7 would I do it again? Probably not. I'm not chasing a number or a series or anything like that. In short, it got harder as the year wore on - and my motivation dwindled (for lots of different reasons). Here's a review of the 7: JANUARY - Cadbury Hobart Marathon. Planned. Great to start early in the year. Made for a fun weekend away with friends. What's not to love about Tasmania?

MARCH - Wangaratta Marathon. Planned. A reason to go and visit friends in Wangaratta. Funnily enough, they left town to visit other friends so we had their place to ourselves! A typical little country event. I died in the second half and had to work hard, but got it done.

APRIL - Ballarat Marathon. This wasn't planned at all! I think it was the result of too many red wines after Hobart and the crew having such a good time together that we planned anther weekend away. And it was a ripper inaugral event. Well done to Ballarat. And here the journey takes a previously unplanned route ...... suddenly we have a Boston Marathon qualifying time in our family and we're starting to dream ...

JUNE - Brisbane Marathon. Unplanned. Snuck away by myself on a secret mission - get a BQ! And I did! Fastest marathon of the year and I'm stoked.

AUGUST - Sunshine Coast Marathon. Ths one was planned and booked late 2023. A great weekend with our running crew, including watching the Olympic Marathon together the night before. Not a great run as I was unwell coming into the event and blew up, but still a goodie.

OCTOBER - Melbourne Marathon. Number 12 for Melbourne and this one is a standard, 'don't think, just enter'. I hope to get to 15 and get a blue Spartan singlet. Anything after that is a bonus.

DECEMBER - Honolulu Marathon. This one was planned as well and coincided with a birthday trip.

Strava tells me that I did more hours and more kilometres than 2023 - and the story above tells some of that. So it's been fun, but I'm looking forward to 2025 and doing just a few. 1. Melbourne - of course. 2. Boston - that's the biggie. 3. Inverloch - rinse and repeat of the Ballarat story! and maybe 4. Sydney. Im in the ballot but who knows, we have to wait and see. Signing off on 2024, the year of the Marathon.

Honolulu Marathon December 2024 - "There is no time limit, just Aloha spirit"

“There is no time limit, just Aloha spirit”

The finish line stays open till the last runner crosses. This is the Honolulu Marathon bringing the Aloha spirit to life – and the event’s significant point of difference. It invites everyone to participate in the marathon. It’s open and inclusive. And with this comes the event’s greatest strength – and its biggest challenge. That’s what finds me at 5am outside the Ala Moana Shopping Centre with 28,000 other people ready to run. It’s already hot and its crazily packed and busy. The invitation to all runners worked. They are ALL here. With a really cool fireworks show to kick start the event, it’s GO!

Don’t worry about correct corrals or what your bib says about where you should line up. It’s too dark so no one can see anyhow. Just start. Fast? Good luck trying to get through the crowds. Slow? No worries, just go out at your own pace from wherever you want to start. Walking? No problems, wherever you like. 5 wide? Sure, anything goes! Pacers? None available, and just as well, it would be a terrible pacing experience.

For reasons I don’t understand they started the 8,361 10km runners and the marathoners together. It’s really crazy. I’ve never seen so many walkers on a course at the start of 42 kilometres. Once the fireworks are done it is dark and it’s almost impossible to get into a rhythm, have any clear track or get settled for the first ten kilometres until the 10km runners pull off. And then when the course opens up just for the marathoners, it gets hilly! And the sun comes up ...

Overall, the course was far hillier than I was expecting. I was thinking of running alongside beautiful oceans and beaches, with an ocean breeze keeping us cool as surfers waved from their boards and the swell ran them alongside us. Not quite the reality! Instead, think of main roads past houses with big fences (where oceans lie beyond). The hills undulate up and down, but it sure feels like more uphill that never ends! The last one particularly nasty with 3km to go. 99% of the competitors around us were walking at this stage – us included.

Of the 28,000 runners, 9,000 of them were from Japan, hence the Japan Airlines sponsorship of the event for 40 consecutive years (an impressive number as this was the 52nd running of the event. Impressive. And this helps makes it the fourth biggest marathon in the US. Is it as a result of its size that there is no course etiquette? Need to walk? how about right in the middle of the road. Need to stop? Don’t bother pulling off to the side, just stop wherever you are. Need to update or check on your socials? Sure, just pull out your phone and do so without a care or thought for anyone else around you, just your clambering audience on line.

The winner was Yemane Haileselassie from Eritrea in 2 hours 12 minutes, with Cynthia Limo defending her title in 2:31.The last runner crossed the line some time after 16 hours, 17 minutes and 16 seconds: the Aloha spirit, still alive and welcoming. We went back to the finish line around 8pm – some 13 hours after start time. It’s impressive to watch these people. Their engagement with their families is captivating. What entails an individual to run/walk for more than half a day only to finish by themselves? This was a highlight of the day. (Here's one above after 15 hours - good on him).

Aloha was right throughout the event for the excellent and enthusatic volunteers. They were all very encouraging and bubbly which is just what you needed. Also what you needed was drink stations aplenty - and they delivered - because it was hot. Dripping hot. Gatorade and water supplies aplenty (and gels too) to keep you cool, and some hoses for sprinkling which was nice and welcomed The marathon finish line is always a lovely site, but this one was special.

The last 2.5km are downhill and it’s a long shute and you finish along Waikiki beach. That’s pretty cool. And an excellent runners area for recovery and then a post run swim was very refreshing!

ANDREW'S RATINGS! ORGANISATION 7 This would have been a 9.5 but for the chaos at the start. Otherwise everything else was top notch. The Expo, the finisher area, the communication. All world standard. CROWD 6 OK. Pretty good. Not outstanding. Those who had hoses out for a cooling spray got bonus points! ATMOSPHERE 7 Whenever a course takes over the heart of a city it gets a big tick from me. That’s what I love about big city events. The priveledge – and it is that – of running in a closed city. The logistics invooved boggle my mind. But Im grateful and thankful for those who make this happen so that we can pay our entry money - whether we walk in the middle of the road or whatever – but I'm thankful for this unique sport giving these unique experiences. On the Friday night there was an official opening ceremony and lighting of the torches. Nice touch.....

And on the Saturday a 1 mile fun run and an elite mile race. Builds great atmosphere ...

COURSE 7.5 Hillier than expected! They get bonus points for lots of drink stations and lots of good volunteers. That was top notch, Gatorade and water. And the most medical tents Ive ever seen. I'm thankful for volunteers who stand there all day to say “don’t eat the Vaseline”!! EXPO 8 Excellent organisation and easy to get to and to get your bib. Bonus point was “Medal Monday” where the Expo stayed open for runners to collect printed certificates, have photos, buy merchandise and more. That was a first. MEDAL 9 I like how Americans like to wear their medals around for days after the event. In Australia we tend to get the medals to the showers and they’re never seen again!

RUNNER'S PACK 6 A t-shirt – after the race (which I like) was it. INJURIES 0: No black toe nails! 8 December 2024 https://www.honolulumarathon.org/ There is no cut off time.