When the TCS Sydney Marathon starts on Sunday 30 August, it will do so with a distinction no marathon in Australia has ever carried: both reigning world champions on the same start line. Tanzania's Alphonce Simbu and Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir arrive in the harbour city holding the men's and women's world titles won in Tokyo last year, and their presence — in only Sydney's second year as an Abbott World Marathon Major — confirms how quickly the race has established itself among the sport's premier events.
Simbu's form makes him a worthy headliner rather than a ceremonial one. The 33-year-old became the first Tanzanian in history to win a World Athletics title, and has backed it up with consecutive runner-up finishes in Boston in 2025 and 2026 alongside a personal best of 2:02:47. He will not have things his own way. Sisay Lemma, the former Boston and London champion, is the fastest man in the field at 2:01:48, Timothy Kiplagat brings a 2:02:55 best and a Melbourne course record, and Vincent Ngetich has finished on the podium in Berlin and twice in Tokyo. In all, 25 men in the field have broken 2:10, fourteen have run under 2:05 and three have gone quicker than 2:03.
The most intriguing entry, though, may be Hagos Gebrhiwet. The Ethiopian is the second-fastest 5,000m runner in history and, at 57:41, the fourth-fastest half-marathoner ever, and Sydney will be his marathon debut. Defending champion Hailemaryam Kiros returns after winning last year in 2:06:06, still the fastest marathon run by a man on Australian soil, while Lesotho's Tebello Ramakongoana arrives fresh from a 2:04:18 in Boston earlier this season.
The women's race is arguably deeper still. Jepchirchir's credentials — Olympic gold, victories in London, Boston and New York, and a 2:14:43 personal best — make her the fastest woman in the field, but Irine Cheptai (2:17:51) won Hamburg on debut and was third in Chicago, and Tanzania's Magdalena Shauri has broken into the sport's top tier over the past two seasons. Uganda's Stella Chesang, Ethiopia's Ruti Aga and Haven Hailu have all won marathons already in 2026, and the great Vivian Cheruiyot adds a top-five finish from this year's London Marathon. Twenty women in the field have run under 2:22 and nine have gone faster than 2:19.
The wheelchair races carry their own weight of history. Switzerland's Manuela Schar can become the first athlete of any kind to win all eight Abbott World Marathon Majors, a feat made possible by Sydney's and Cape Town's elevation to the series. Standing in her way are home favourite and two-time Sydney champion Madison de Rozario and the American great Tatyana McFadden, while Britain's David Weir, a six-time Paralympic champion, makes his Sydney debut in a men's field that includes Daniel Romanchuk, Jin Hua and Tomoki Suzuki. For Australian distance running, a sport whose fans have long travelled abroad to see its biggest stars, next Sunday brings the stars to the doorstep.