SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Sydney was elevated on Monday to the World Marathon Majors, joining the likes of London, New York and Boston at the pinnacle of global distance racing.

Its confirmation as the seventh member of the series, which also includes Tokyo, Berlin and Chicago, culminated a three-year program to better the event.

World Marathon Majors chief Dawna Stone said the improvement in the Sydney race’s operations and event experience had been “deeply impressive.”

‘Runners, your Sydney star awaits.’

“We cannot wait to see our community embrace this race as a Major and start planning their visits to run the streets of one of the finest cities in the world,” she added in a statement. 

“Runners, your Sydney star awaits.”

Athletics Australia president Jane Flemming called it a “transformative moment” for the increasingly popular sport in Australia.

“It is an achievement that will inspire countless Australians to take up running,” she said.

“We’re incredibly proud of the journey this race has been on and we are beyond excited for what this means for the future of the sport in Australia.”

The Sydney Marathon is a legacy of the 2000 Olympics held in the city.

It first took place as a test event five months before the Games, with just 1,200 finishers.

Since then the race has boomed, attracting 25,000 participants in 2024.