World Athletics has announced the creation of a World Athletics Marathon Championships from 2030 and Athens has already been chosen as the inaugural host city, meaning that by 2031, there will no longer be road running races at the World Championships.
The new championship will be annual, while men and women will compete in alternate years.
According to World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, the marathon will remain a discipline at the World Athletics Championships in 2027 and 2029, but from 2030 it will move to its own stand-alone championship, with now formal exploratory discussions for Athens to host the inaugural World Athletics Marathon Championships in that year ongoing.
“Few events in sport carry the weight and resonance of the marathon; it is both a test of the very highest performance and a celebration of mass participation. This is an opportunity to create a dedicated global celebration of marathon running, held in a setting that honours its heritage while shaping a modern championship that reflects the scale and spirit of the global running community," Coe said.
"The changes also include the World Athletics Road Running Championships, which will continue to take place as a separate annual event and as part of this new direction," he added, explaining that the inaugural host city, Athens, has been chosen because it's the birthplace of the modern marathon.
World Athletics has insisted that from 2031 onwards, the marathon – or any other road running distance – will no longer form part of the World Athletics Championships and World Marathon Championships, becoming an annual event, with men and women competing in alternate years – the same frequency as the current World Championships marathon.
World Athletics and the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS), with the cooperation of the Region of Attica, have also agreed on a strategic partnership to elevate the Athens Marathon to be authentic to the highest tier of global road racing.
The race has been awarded Elite Label status, recognising its unique place in sporting history and its long-term potential within the international calendar, a partnership that marks the beginning of an ambitious multi-year investment programme designed to modernise the original Olympic course while preserving its 2500-year heritage.
