Chasing Eight Stars: My World Marathon Majors Journey Begins

Sydney 2025 was my first marathon, my first World Marathon Major and the beginning of an eight-star chase.

My World Marathon Majors Journey Begins

I already have one star.

Sydney 2025 was my first World Marathon Major, although when I entered it, the whole idea of chasing every Major still felt slightly ridiculous. Then I crossed that finish line and one star stopped feeling like a random medal. It felt like the beginning of something.

The Abbott World Marathon Majors now includes eight races across five continents. Eight marathons. Eight cities. Eight finish lines that each have their own ballot, qualifying rules, travel costs, training blocks and opportunities for me to wonder why I thought this was a good idea.

Naturally, I want all eight.

How Six Stars Became Eight

For years, marathon runners talked about the Six Star journey: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City. Complete all six and you joined a very particular club of people who had spent years training, travelling and organising holidays around 42.2-kilometre runs.

Then Sydney became the seventh Major, with its first official Major edition held on 31 August 2025. It was the first race from the Southern Hemisphere to join the series, and I was lucky enough to be on the start line.

Cape Town has since become the eighth Major and the first in Africa. That changed the chase again. What used to be a six-race goal now stretches across eight cities and five continents.

The current eight are:

·       Tokyo Marathon, Japan

·       Boston Marathon, United States

·       TCS London Marathon, United Kingdom

·       BMW Berlin Marathon, Germany

·       Bank of America Chicago Marathon, United States

·       TCS New York City Marathon, United States

·       TCS Sydney Marathon, Australia

·       Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, South Africa

Star One Sydney

Star One secured in Sydney. Seven more to chase.

Sydney was 👉 my first marathon in 2025 and my first Major. I did not glide through it looking like one of those people in a running advertisement. I worked for every kilometre and finished it in 2025 knowing I had done something I once would not have believed possible.

There is also something special about knowing my first star came from home. I did not need Boston qualifying speed or a lucky international ballot. I got to begin this enormous global challenge in Australia, during Sydney's first year as an official Major.

One down. Seven to go. Nice and simple, if you ignore every practical detail.

If Sydney is on your own marathon list, we stayed at Sydney Central Hotel for both our 2025 and 2026 trips. My 👉 Sydney Central Hotel review covers our second stay, including the room, breakfast and how the location worked for us.

When The Plan Changed

Back in Sydney in 2026 for Kirra’s first marathon, with the family along for the adventure.

Chicago was meant to be next in 2026. When Grundy's health worsened, I deferred my entry to 2027. There was no real decision to make. Family came first and Chicago could wait.

I did not know then exactly how the year would unfold. I only knew that leaving was not the right choice, and I am grateful I stayed.

The entry is now waiting for me in 2027. It is no longer simply the next race on a tidy list. It carries the story of why I postponed it and everything that has happened since.

What 2027 Looks Like

London is official. I’ll be running on Saturday 24 April 2027 as part of the first two-day TCS London Marathon.

London 2027 will be the first time the event is held across two days, and I am officially in. I was drawn for the Saturday race on 24 April, so that historic first Saturday running will be my second Major. Chicago follows on 10 October 2027, with my deferred entry already waiting for me. If both races go to plan, I will finish the year with three stars.

Boston is the difficult one because I am not going to qualify on speed. That leaves charity or another approved entry pathway, which means more planning and likely a much bigger fundraising commitment. Berlin and New York also involve ballots unless I use a tour operator or charity place. Cape Town is the newest piece of the puzzle, and one I need to understand properly before I start throwing dates and money at it.

This will not be a quick collection. It will take years, and I am okay with that.

The Cutoff Question

Kirra completed her first marathon in Sydney in 2026, finishing in 7:01:07.

Getting into eight Majors is only half the problem. You still have to finish them inside each race's rules, and those rules are not identical.

Some races use checkpoint cutoffs. Some gradually reopen roads and move slower runners onto the footpath. Some are far more forgiving than others. I watched the hard end of that system at Sydney while supporting 👉 Kirra through her first marathon, and it deserves a proper article of its own rather than a rushed table buried in this one.

That deep dive is coming, because slower runners deserve to know exactly what they are entering before they spend thousands of dollars getting to the start line.

More Than A Medal Collection

Yes, I want the stars. I am not going to pretend the medals are irrelevant. I love a good medal and the Major stars mean something.

But this chase is bigger than collecting shiny things. Each race gives me a reason to train, somewhere new to explore and another date on the calendar that belongs to the life I am building now.

Sydney was the beginning. London and Chicago are waiting.

Tokyo 2027: Not This Time

Tokyo said no in the 2027 ballot. Disappointing, but it stays firmly on the list. I’ll try again.

Seven stars remain, and I intend to chase every one of them.

Planning Your Own Major?

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Come Chase Life With Me

Are you chasing the Majors too? How many stars are you up to? Tell me in the comments.

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Keep Chasing Life 🧡

Chooky xx

Embracing the slow. Chasing the now.