A record 35,000 runners and upwards of 300,000 spectators are to converge on a new 42.195km marathon course that shows off Sydney on Sunday.
It’s the first time the city will be part of the exclusive club of World Marathon Majors, alongside Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York – and runners are in for a treat.
“They are going to enjoy an unforgettable running experience in one of the world’s great cities – there really is no city on Earth with a better combination of iconic landmarks and natural beauty for the ultimate marathon experience than Sydney,” said the New South Wales sports minister, Steve Kamper.
Here’s a list of need-to-know info and best practices for Sunday, whether you’re running yourself or cheering someone on.
What time does the Sydney marathon start?
Things are going to be different as the course weaves its way through the city. Runners will begin arriving from 5am and the race starts at 6.30am sharp, with waves of runners heading out until just after 7.40am. The elite wheelchair race will begin 15 minutes earlier, at 6.15am.
How do I get to the starting area or travel around the route?
The closest public transport stops to the starting line at Miller Street in North Sydney are at North Sydney and Crows Nest, which are walking distance to the staging area. Many extra early-morning services will be running. (You can find information about the starting area here.)
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Transport NSW and NSW police are urging everyone to leave their cars at home and use public transport, although bus routes are expected to undergo significant changes this weekend and there are limited places to cross the route as a pedestrian. Even designated crossing zones may require long wait times. Many roads and east-west crossovers will be closed, as will the Sydney Harbour Bridge between 3am and 11am on Sunday.
“Major roads in North Sydney, the Sydney CBD, Pyrmont, Darlinghurst, Moore Park, Centennial Park and Kingsford will be closed between 2am and 4pm,” Transport NSW said.
What areas do the Sydney marathon route closures cover?
Those closures include a route stretching from The Rocks to Moore Park, with sections of Macquarie Street, College Street, Oxford Street and Anzac Parade shut between 4am and 1.30pm.
There will be no direct access between the Anzac Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Bridge until 11am. The Sydney Harbour Tunnel will be open, with delays expected, and the Cross City Tunnel will be toll-free between 5am and 4.30pm.
The cost of public transport is included in marathon registration, so participants can ride trains, Metro carriages, buses, ferries and the light rail for free. Anyone not attending the event is encouraged to avoid non-essential travel.
Transport NSW also encourages you to use its trip planner on Sunday.
Where is the Sydney marathon finish line?
The race finishes at the Sydney Opera House forecourt but the area will be extremely busy. It should take about 30 minutes for runners to transit from the end of the race to the reunite zone in the Botanic Gardens to meet up with their nearest and dearest.
Phone service may be limited with so many people crowded together in one area, so the advice is to agree on a meeting point to “avoid the reception black hole”.
The course cutoff time is 3.15pm.
How do I track friends and family running in the Sydney marathon?
The marathon offers an app that provides live tracking of runners. You can search for competitors’ names, add them to your list of favourites and see where multiple people are on the course at any one time.
The app will also give spectators estimates as to when they should expect runners to reach certain milestones or the finish line.
Are there any big stars running this year?
Huge.
Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, a two-time Olympic marathon gold medallist, will be running on Sunday. He has won 11 major marathons, is a former world-record holder and holds the second-fastest official time.
Other notable runners include Birhanu Legese, from Ethiopia, and Kenyan Vincent Ngetich.
In the women’s field, Sifan Hassan, a Dutch superstar, is equally vaunted. She’s the reigning Olympic marathon champion who also happened to win medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the same Olympic Games. She’s the only woman to win that triad at a single Games, ever.
Brigid Kosgei, a Kenyan former world record holder who has topped the podium in five world major marathons, will also be on the course.
What are the marathon cheer zones?
There are four main cheer zones, although spectators can line up along many parts of the race. The zones are:
The transurban rock zone in The Rocks, accessible from Wynyard or Circular Quay stations. The first runner is expected about 7.05am and the last about 10.15am.
The spirit of Sydney zone near Martin Place. The first runner is expected about 7.08am and the last about 10.25am.
The pride in sport zone at Taylor Square. The first runner is expected about 7.15am, the last about 2.17pm (this zone will have runners coming both directions as it sits at the 15.4km and 36.2km marks).
The Sydney Swans centre of excellence zone near Moore Park. The first runner is expected about 7.57am and the last about 1.09pm (this zone is also multi-directional, with runners passing for the 29.4km and the 34.4km marks).
There are other zones in the Royal Botanic Garden, near Barangaroo and on Macquarie Street.
Can we bring signs to the Sydney marathon?
The bigger, the brighter, the better.
Marathon organisers encourage spectators to dress loud and cheer like mad on Sunday but to do so respectfully: “There’s room for everyone. Don’t block someone’s view. Share the front row. Keep your signs high, but be respectful to your fellow spectators. And if your runner’s passed, let someone else take your spot.”
I’m a mad runner, is there a seven-star medal?
Avid runners who have raced in all six of the previous world major marathons can collect the coveted Six Star medal, which will still exist even with Sydney’s inclusion this year. But while you can collect a marathon star for finishing on Sunday, there is no seven-star medal.
The next milestone will be the Nine Star medal, according to the Abbott World Marathon Majors, when two other marathons, possibly in Cape Town and Shanghai, join the club.
