World Championships: Marathon removed from the program

Present in the World Athletics Championships program since their creation in 1983, the marathon will be removed starting in 2030 and will have its own World Championships.

It is the end of an era for international marathons. The 2029 World Championships in Athletics (which will be organized in a city yet to be determined) will be the last to include the marathon in their program. Present since the creation of the World Championships in 1983, the legendary 42.195 km race will be removed after the 2029 edition and will have its own World Championships starting in 2030. The announcement was made by World Athletics on Monday. To mark the occasion, the international federation has been in contact with the city of Athens to organize the first Marathon Worlds in four years.

Athens considered for 2030

The Greek capital has hosted a marathon every year since 1972, starting from the city of Marathon. “We are delighted to explore the possibility of organizing independent marathon World Championships in Athens, the birthplace of this iconic discipline,” said Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics. “Few sporting events have the impact and reach of the marathon; it represents both a high-level competition and a celebration of mass participation. This is an opportunity to create a global celebration dedicated to the marathon, in a setting that honors its heritage while shaping a modern championship that reflects the scale and spirit of the global running community,” added Coe.

No medals for France

The 2027 (Beijing) and 2029 World Championships will be the last chance to see marathon runners with other athletes. The current World Championship records are 2:05 for men (set by Ethiopian Tamirat Tola in Eugene in 2022) and 2:18 for women (set by her compatriot Gotytom Gebreslase, also in Eugene in 2022), which are five minutes faster than the world records, both set in Chicago. Five athletes have won two World Championship titles: the Spaniard Anton, the Moroccan Gharib, and the Kenyan Kirui, Ndereba, and Kiplagat. No French man or woman has ever won a medal in the marathon at the World Championships.