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
