The Abbott World Marathon Majors is made up of 8 of the world’s most famous marathons on some of the most memorable courses in the world. Each year, major cities around the world play host to elite and sub-elite runners from all over the globe.
Recreational runners jockey for position at the starting lines in the form of lottery drawings, and the unlucky thousands opt to raise money for charities in order to secure their place on these historic courses.
Abbott’s World Marathon Majors Overview
Established in 2006, the Abbott World Marathon Majors originally consisted of 5 races:
Since 2006, three more marathons have joined the group:
With the worldwide popularity of these races, the top runners in the world are drawn to them year after year.
Records For World Marathon Majors
Let’s run down all of the course records as they now stand as of October 2026, and see what is left in store for this year.
Tokyo Marathon
The men’s world record of 2:02:16 was set by Kenya’s Benson Kipruto in 2024, beating Eliud Kipchoge’s 2022 course record by 24 seconds.
The women’s world record stands at 2:14:29, set by Kenyan marathon specialist Brigid Kosgei in February. Kosgei’s time beat the previous record by 1 minute and 26 seconds.
Berlin Marathon
Eliud Kipchoge set the men’s world and course record at the 2022 Berlin with a time of 2:01:09. While his course record still stands, his world record has since fallen.
In 2023, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa broke the women’s Berlin course record in September with a time of 2:11:04. Her time netted her the third-fastest women’s marathon finish of all time.
Chicago Marathon
The one-time men’s Marathon world record holder, Kelvin Kiptum, smashed Eliud Kipchoge’s old world record with a 2023 finish time of 2 hours and 35 seconds, beating his fellow countryman by 34 seconds. Kiptum would tragically pass away in a car accident 6 months later.
On the women’s side, Ruth Chepngetich set the course record in 2024 with a finishing time of 2:09:56. With her performance in 2024, Chepngetich also set the women’s World Marathon Record. Some may point to a 3-year doping ban in 2025 as a reason to cast doubt on her World Record, but no wrongdoing was found at the time she set the record, and it still stands today.
London Marathon
History was set at the 2026 London Marathon. Kenyan Sabastian Sawe shattered Kelvin Kiptum’s men’s marathon world record with a stunning time of 1:59:30, a time which obviously stands as the London Marathon course record.
And since seemingly everyone overlooks the second-place finisher, we thought we would give a special shout-out to Yomif Kejelcha, who also broke Kiptum’s record and the two-hour barrier with a time of 1:59:41. While it is not a world or course record, it was a historic day for the Ethiopian runner.
The longest-standing course record of this list goes to the U.K.’s Paula Radcliffe. Radcliffe’s 2003 finish set the London Marathon women’s course record with a time of 2:15:25. Her record’s days may be numbered, however, as Tigst Assefa and Hellen Obiri both finished the 2026 London Marathon less than a minute behind Radcliffe’s record time.
Boston Marathon
John Korir smashed the Boston Marathon men’s course record in 2026 with an impressive time of 2:01:52 on the famously hilly course, shaving nearly one minute from the previous record that stood for 15 years.
Sharon Lokedi set the Boston Marathon women’s course record in 2025, finishing with a time of 2:17:22, beating Hellen Obiri by a mere 19 seconds.
New York Marathon
The current New York Marathon course record holder in the men’s division is Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia. Tola finished with a time of 2:04:58, with the second-place finisher almost 2 minutes to his rear.
The women’s course record is held by Hellen Obiri, who in her second marathon of 2025 set the New York Marathon course record with a time of 2:19:51.
Sydney Marathon
The course record holder for the men’s division of the Sydney Marathon is Addisu Gobena. Gobena crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 52 seconds, beating the 2025 course record by a little over 1 minute.
Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands set the women’s course record in 2025 with a time of 2:18:22. Hassan’s record nearly fell this year, but will stand for at least one more year.
Cape Town Marathon
Mohamed Esa set the Cape Town Marathon men’s course record in May with a time of 2:04:55. While this record took place in the final year of Cape Town’s assessment and did not take place during one of the Abbott World Majors, it still stands as a course record.
On the women’s side, South Africa’s own Glenrose Xaba is the record holder with a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, and 22 seconds, breaking a 2-year old course record.
Shanghai Marathon*
The Shanghai Marathon is not yet recognized as an official Abbott World Major, but it is in its final assessment year, and it is expected to be confirmed for its 2027 edition.
The record holder on the men’s side is Philemon Kipchumba of Kenya. Kipchumba set the course record in 2023, finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 35 seconds, with Alphonse Simbu a mere 4 seconds behind him.
Brigid Kosgei is the only name you’ll find twice on this list…as of now. Kosgei smashed the Shanghai Marathon’s 8-year-old women’s course record by 4 minutes with her strong finish in 2025. Her 2025 chip time is recorded as 2:16:36.
These Records Show That Running Has Never Been Faster
There may be some recent bias when one comes to the conclusion that we are in a revolutionary golden age of running, and it’s exciting. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak.
With the somewhat recent proliferation of the super shoe, records seem to fall almost annually. Midsole foams with insane amounts of energy return and carbon plates have led to shorter recovery times for athletes, which in turn means more volume and, in most cases, better results.
Eliud Kipchoge’s 2022 Marathon record at the Berlin Marathon stood for about 50 weeks before it was smashed by Kelvin Kiptum the following year at Chicago. In 2026 alone, we’ve seen 6 new course records set, while 3 were set in 2025. With only New York and Shanghai (*not yet officially an Abbott World Major) yet to take place this year, there’s a chance we could see up to 4 more records fall this year.
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