Race guide · Abbott World Marathon Major
Sunday 29 August 2027
The newly joined arch from Lavender Bay, 24 August 1930. Photo: Rev. E. F. N. (Frank) Cash, Samuel Marsden Archives, Moore Theological College, Public domain
The 2027 Sydney Marathon, officially the TCS Sydney Marathon, is on Sunday 29 August, from Miller Street in North Sydney over the Harbour Bridge to the forecourt of the Opera House. It will be Sydney's third race as one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors.
Until the official 2027 map is out, the 2026 course is the best guide, and it isn't an easy one: 313 m of climbing, very few flat stretches, and the hardest part late, in Centennial Park.
Race day
29 Aug
Wheelchair 6:15am, mass start 6:30am
Running Show
26–28 Aug
Sydney Showground: collect your bib
Ballot
Closed
Results went out on 3 November 2026
Mini Marathon
28 Aug
Saturday, 5 km, 7:15am
Start-group times and the 2027 course map are shared closer to race day. We'll update this page when they are. The race records to beat: 2:04:42 for men (Addisu Gobena, 2026) and 2:18:22 for women (Sifan Hassan, 2025).
PB potential
Run it for the day, not the time
The hills cost most runners time against a flat course, and the downhill start tempts you to go out too fast.
Difficulty
Rarely steep, rarely flat
313 m of climbing by the organisers' figure, and it almost never stops rising and falling. The 2024 winner said it looked tougher than Boston.
Best moment
The Bridge, then the Opera House
The Harbour Bridge, closed to traffic, early in the race, and a finish with the Opera House in front of you.
Point to point, 42.195 km: from Miller Street in North Sydney over the Harbour Bridge, a loop through Pyrmont and the city, out and back along Anzac Parade, a loop of Centennial Park, and home through the Domain and the Royal Botanic Garden, past Mrs Macquarie's Chair, to the Opera House.
Pick a stretch, or click the course on the map, to see it close up.
km 0–2
From the start on Miller Street the course drops through North Sydney onto the Harbour Bridge: about 50 m down in the first 2 km.
About −49 mStart, Miller Street
Don't bank time on the downhill. You'll pay for it on Oxford Street.
km 2–3
Across the Bridge, closed to traffic for the race, with the harbour on both sides and the Opera House to your left.
Best photo of the day
km 3–10
Off the Bridge onto the Western Distributor and a loop through Pyrmont and Ultimo along Harris Street, then back by Sussex Street to Hickson Road and Barangaroo at 10 km.
Short rises in Pyrmont
km 10–15.4
Along Hickson Road and under the Bridge at about 11 km, through The Rocks at 11.9 km and a loop of the city's streets, then the first long climb: up Macquarie Street to its top at 14 km and along Oxford Street to Taylor Square at 15.4 km.
About +48 mBig crowds
Ease off on the climbs, however loud the crowd gets.
km 15.4–29
Down Flinders Street onto Anzac Parade and out past Kingsford, where you reach halfway, to the U-turn near Avoca Street (about 22.9 km on the course file). The way back rises gently from about 25.5 km.
Halfway, 21.1 kmU-turn, about 22.9 km
km 29–34.8
Past the SCG on Driver Avenue at 29 km, then a loop of Centennial Park. Its short rises catch people out, and the Homestead, at 33.3 km, comes where many runners hit the wall.
The Homestead, 33.3 km
Fuel before the park, and run its rises by effort, not pace.
km 34.8–39.2
Back along Driver Avenue at 34.8 km and Moore Park Road, up to Taylor Square again at 36.2 km, then down College Street and through the Domain on Art Gallery Road and Mrs Macquarie's Road, out to Mrs Macquarie's Chair at 39.2 km.
About +15 m to Taylor SqAbout −43 m to the Domain
km 39.2–42.2
The last climb: back up Art Gallery Road to the top of Macquarie Street at 40.8 km. From there it's downhill to the finish on the Opera House forecourt.
About +31 m, the last climbFinish, Opera House
The climb is short, and it's downhill all the way from the top.
Drawn from the official course file: each stretch's km and heights are measured from it. The spectator points' km are the organisers' own.
It's hilly, though rarely steep. The official course has 313 m of climbing and 396 m of descent, and finishes 83 m lower than it starts. That drop is more than World Athletics allows for records, so a time run here can't stand as a world record.
There are very few flat stretches. Brimin Misoi, who won in 2024, said the course was only flat from 41 km to the finish, and that next to Boston it looked tougher.
Heights from the official course file, which the organisers say isn't exact. The CBD stretch (km 12–14) is smoothed: tall buildings distort the file there.
Hover or drag along the chart to read the heights.
km 0–2
About 50 m of downhill through North Sydney, in a crowd of fresh legs.
Hold goal pace or slower until you're over the Bridge.
km 11–15.4
About 48 m up, by Macquarie Street and Oxford Street.
It's early. Ease off and save your legs.
km 25.5–28.5
About 21 m over 3 km after the U-turn. You'll feel it more than you see it.
Run by effort here, not by the watch.
km 29–34.8
Short, surprising rises, and the Homestead at 33.3 km, where many runners hit the wall.
Hold your form here, don't chase pace.
km 34.5–36.3
About 15 m more, just when it starts to hurt.
Shorten your stride and keep your cadence.
km 39.4–41
About 31 m, the last climb of the day.
It's downhill all the way from the top.
One of the hardest marathons I've ever done.
The course passes the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, and you see each more than once. Our picks for supporters with a camera, and for runners: the organisers discourage phones and cameras on the course and ban selfie sticks, tripods and drones, though a camera no bigger than a GoPro, held or worn, is allowed. If you carry a phone, step to the side before you stop.
Pick a photo to find it on the map.
Photo: -wuppertaler, CC BY 4.0About km 2.5
The Opera House is to your left as you cross, with the sun just up over the harbour for the early groups.
For runners
Step to the side to stop; the field is dense here.
Photo: Bidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0 AUAbout km 11
The arch overhead as the course runs along Hickson Road towards The Rocks.
For runners and supporters
Supporters: stand on the harbour side and shoot along the road.
Photo: -wuppertaler, CC BY 4.0km 11.9
Runners with the Quay, the ferries and the Opera House across Sydney Cove.
For supporters
It's busy: get there before the first runners come through.
Photo: Robert Linsdell, CC BY 2.0km 39.2
The postcard: the Opera House with the Bridge behind it, across Farm Cove.
For supporters
Get there early: it's a long walk in through the Domain.
Photo: -wuppertaler, CC BY 4.0About km 41.2
The last downhill, down Macquarie Street towards the Opera House.
For supporters
Shoot from low down for the runners against the sky.
Photo: -wuppertaler, CC BY 4.0Finish
The finish on the Opera House forecourt. Look up as you cross the line: it's the photo you'll frame.
For runners
Arms up, a step before the line.
Photo: -wuppertaler, CC BY 4.0After the finish
On the waterfront by the Opera House forecourt, with the Bridge behind you.
For runners
Hold the medal at chest height, ribbon showing.
Running in 2027?
When you've run it, keep it: your medal, your photos from the day and your bib number, in one frame made to fit them.
From $35
Sydney has two races, and no half marathon or 10 km: the 5 km Mini Marathon on the Saturday and the marathon on the Sunday. Times marked Official are the organisers'; the rest is our suggestion.
OfficialFrom the organisers' siteSuggestedOur adviceReportedFrom runners' reports
Your assembly area
Your start group
Your bib shows both.
The 2027 start-group times aren't out yet. These are the 2026 times, as a guide: we'll update them when the organisers publish 2027's.
Something you've eaten before long runs. With an early start, many runners eat at home and top up at the start.
Allow about 45 minutes from the city to Victoria Cross Metro or North Sydney station.
St Leonards Park, North Sydney, the Purple assembly area. You can't go in before this time.
Reviews of past races mention long toilet queues at the start, so join one as soon as you arrive.
Keep a warm layer on until now: in 2026 anything left at the start line was donated to charity.
Downhill through North Sydney and onto the Harbour Bridge. Don't bank time on the drop.
7 hours, counted from when the start window closes after the last group has gone.
Agree a meeting spot before the day: the area around the finish is busy. In 2026, bags were collected from Baggage Reclaim in the Royal Botanic Garden.
| Assembly area | Start group | Arrive from | Into the chute | Start, from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purple | 1 | 5:00am | 5:45am | 6:32am |
| Purple | 2 | 5:45am | 6:35am | 7:05am |
| Purple | 3 | 6:15am | 6:55am | 7:29am |
| Purple | 4 | 6:45am | 7:25am | 7:55am |
| Green | 1 | 5:00am | 5:50am | 6:41am |
| Green | 2 | 5:50am | 6:40am | 7:11am |
| Green | 3 | 6:25am | 7:00am | 7:38am |
| Green | 4 | 6:55am | 7:35am | 8:07am |
| Orange | 1 | 5:00am | 6:00am | 6:50am |
| Orange | 2 | 6:00am | 6:45am | 7:17am |
| Orange | 3 | 6:30am | 7:10am | 7:44am |
| Orange | 4 | 7:05am | 7:45am | 8:19am |
| High Performance | Its own | 5:00am | 5:55am | 6:30am |
Nearest stations: Purple, Victoria Cross Metro or North Sydney station; Green, Crows Nest Metro (change from the train to the metro); Orange, Victoria Cross Metro or North Sydney station; High Performance, Victoria Cross Metro or North Sydney station.
An hour before the start. Wave assembly times are still to come.
There are no drinks on the course: water is at the start and the finish.
Down Macquarie Street, 5 km through closed city streets.
Everyone must have crossed it by now.
Finishers' medal at the line.
Walk along to East Circular Quay for the Bridge behind you.
The best places to watch are the top of Macquarie Street, Taylor Square and Driver Avenue by the SCG: the course doubles back on itself, so each lets supporters see their runner twice without much travel. On the day, the organisers' Smart Map shows the viewing points and the transport to them: roads close from early morning. Supporters can't run alongside a runner or hand them food or drink on the course.
Pick a photo to find it on the map.
Photo: ColonelLight, CC010 km
The first chance to see them, on Hickson Road after Pyrmont.
Barangaroo Metro
Photo: -wuppertaler, CC BY 4.011.9 km
George and Alfred Streets, by Circular Quay.
Circular Quay station
Photo: -wuppertaler, CC BY 4.014 & 40.8 kmTwice
Twice: on the first climb, and just before the run down to the finish.
St James or Martin Place
15.4 & 36.2 kmTwice
Twice: at the corner of Oxford and Flinders Streets.
Walk up Oxford Street from Museum station
Photo: Sardaka, CC BY-SA 4.029 & 34.8 kmTwice
Twice, either side of Centennial Park.
Moore Park light rail
Photo: Sardaka, CC BY-SA 4.033.3 km
Around where many runners hit the wall: where they need you most.
Walk in from Moore Park light rail, by the Robertson Road Gate
Photo: Robert Linsdell, CC BY 2.039.2 km
Harbour views, and the foot of the last climb.
Walk through the Domain from St James
Late August mornings in Sydney are cool: on the last two race days the low at Observatory Hill was 8–10°C and the high about 20–21°C. Westerlies are usual in late winter, and in 2025 the start felt like about 3°C. The 2023 race, still in mid-September, shows what heat can do: it reached 32.8°C at Observatory Hill and 26 runners were taken to hospital.
Sunrise 6:18am, just before the first start groups go
202630 Aug
Clear, with a light westerly and no rain: called ideal
Low 9.9°CHigh 20.9°C
202531 Aug
Clear and cold at the 6:30am start: the westerly made it feel like about 3°C
Just over 8°CHigh 20.3°C
202415 Sep
A cool, dry morning, with an earlier start from 6am
Low 8.5°CHigh 16.5°C
202317 Sep
An extra drinks station and three ice stations; 26 runners went to hospital
Heat alertHigh 32.8°C
There are four ways in: the ballot, a charity place, a time-qualifier place or a travel partner's package. The 2027 ballot closed on 19 October 2026 and successful runners were charged on 3 November. If you missed out, charity places and travel partners are still ways in.
The main way in, and free to enter. Results come out in early November.
Apply to one of the official charity partners and commit to fundraising: a guaranteed entry with no ballot, if they accept you.
The High Performance Program: time standards for each age group, from 2:45 for men and 3:18 for women aged 18–34. Meeting one doesn't guarantee a place.
Official travel partners sell packages with guaranteed entry and accommodation: the usual way in from overseas.
Prices, dates and how to apply are on the official site: tcssydneymarathon.com
Sunday 29 August 2027. The elite wheelchair race starts at 6:15am and the mass start at 6:30am; start-group times come closer to the day (in 2026 the last group started at 8:19am).
Yes, through a charity place or an official travel partner's package. The ballot closed on 19 October 2026 and results went out on 3 November.
A$285 for Australian and New Zealand residents and A$340 for international runners, plus a carbon levy. Entering the ballot was free: you were only charged if you were drawn.
Cool: on the last two race days the low at Observatory Hill was 8–10°C and the high about 20–21°C, and in 2025 the westerly made the start feel like about 3°C. Keep a warm layer on until the start chute: in 2026 anything left at the start line was donated to charity.
The organisers say start-group times will be shared closer to race day, and the course map on the official site is still 2026's. Until then the 2026 course and times are the best guide, and we'll update this page when the 2027 ones are published.
It's point to point: it starts on Miller Street in North Sydney, crosses the Harbour Bridge, and finishes on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. Runners assemble in St Leonards Park, North Sydney.
Yes: it's hilly, though rarely steep. The official course has 313 m of climbing and drops 83 m from start to finish. There are very few flat stretches, and the hardest part comes late, in Centennial Park: the 2024 winner, Brimin Misoi, said it was only flat from 41 km.
For most runners, no. Expect to run slower than on a flat course. And because it drops 83 m from start to finish, times run here can't be ratified as records.
Yes. Sydney has been one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors since 2025: 2026 was its second race as a Major, and 2027 will be its third.
No. The organisers run two races: the marathon on the Sunday, and the 5 km Mini Marathon on the Saturday, from Macquarie Street to the Opera House, with no age limits.
Yes, early: about km 2 to 3 on the official course file, with the Bridge closed to traffic. For the first start groups it's soon after sunrise.
Through the ballot (free to enter, usually late September to October, with results in early November), a charity place, the High Performance Program for fast runners, or a package from an official travel partner.
Only for the High Performance Program, which has 1,200 places for 2027. Its standards go by age group, from 2:45 for men and 3:18 for women aged 18–34, and meeting one doesn't guarantee a place. The ballot, charity places and travel packages are the other ways in.
18 or over on race day for the marathon. The 5 km Mini Marathon has no age limits.
7 hours for the marathon, counted from when the start window closes, and 1 hour 10 minutes for the Mini Marathon (both official).
No. Bibs are collected in person at the Running Show at Sydney Showground in race week, with government-issued photo ID. They aren't mailed, and can't be collected on the Sunday morning.
Not at the start. In 2026 marathon runners handed their bag in at the Running Show and collected it after the finish from Baggage Reclaim in the Royal Botanic Garden, about 600 m from the finish line. There was no bag drop for the Mini Marathon.
By public transport: there's no parking at the start or the finish. In 2026 your bib was your ticket on Sydney Trains, metro, buses and ferries on race day, and the assembly areas were reached from Victoria Cross Metro or North Sydney station (Purple and Orange) or Crows Nest Metro (Green).
The top of Macquarie Street, Taylor Square and Driver Avenue each let them see you twice. The Homestead in Centennial Park, at 33.3 km, is where you'll need them most.
The organisers' Official Smart Map, in the TRACX app, lets you follow runners, and shows the viewing points, road closures and transport.
No. Only registered runners may be on the course, and runners can't take food, drink or pacing from anyone who isn't registered.
No. Finishing Sydney earns you a star in the Abbott World Marathon Majors, but the Six Star Medal still covers only the original six: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York.
The map data is © OpenStreetMap contributors, under the Open Database Licence.
