We’re a full six months out from the Sydney Marathon, but for anyone who already started training for the shorter Sydney Half Marathon that forms part of the event, there’s been a wrinkle in the plans. An email to competitors on March 14, 2024 revealed that the half marathon has been axed, owing to both the growing popularity of the Sydney Marathon, and the ongoing bid to turn it into one of the world’s marathon ‘majors’.
Why has the Sydney Half Marathon been cancelled?
Sydney Marathon day, has – in past years, at least – welcomed runners tackling the 42km marathon course, the 21km half marathon, a 10k, and a family-friendly 3.5k (which will become a 4.2km ‘Mini Sydney Marathon’ this year). However, the grand plans that Athletics Australia has for the Sydney Marathon have led to the cancellation of the half marathon this year.
Plans have been underway for a while to catapult the Sydney Marathon to ‘major’ status, alongside the existing six majors: London, NYC, Chicago, Tokyo, Berlin, and Boston. In November 2023, it was announced that Sydney had cleared a milestone towards that major status, with the Abbott World Marathon Majors committee (who decide on the major status) declaring that significant improvements had been made in the 2023 edition. The next step, they declared, was to see how the race unfolded in 2024, and if Sydney was ready to take the final leap.
All of which brings us to the events of this week; communications from marathon organisers stated that “we have had to review the logistics, participant, and spectator experience” for 2024, after the rise in popularity of last year’s event. Coupled with the logistics of reopening Sydney Harbour Bridge and surrounding roads to traffic, organisers have decided that the half marathon has had to pay the price in order to meet the ultimate goal of Sydney Marathon becoming the seventh major. That could happen as soon as 2025 (12 years after Tokyo became the most recent successful applicant to major status), but is predicated on a record numbers of runners this year.
Other changes to the Sydney Marathon 2024 as part of the bid include a new starting point in North Sydney, fewer turns, and an earlier start time, after taking on feedback from previous participants.
Are there other half marathons in Sydney?
Helpfully, there are. Though the loss of the Sydney Half Marathon robs runners of the chance to run over the Harbour Bridge, the Hoka Runaway Sydney Half Marathon in May takes in the sights of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Barangaroo, and Darling Harbour. Before that, you’ve got the Rock N Run Festival in Western Sydney, which features half marathon, 10k, and 5k options, and takes place on April 6. If that’s too short notice, aim for the Sydney Half at Olympic Park on August 24, 2024. Oh, and it’s not quite a half, but entries for the popular City2Surf run open on March 27, offering a 14km course that stretches from the CBD to Bondi.