23 Sep 2026

A RECORD $15.2 MILLION RAISED FOR CHARITY AS TCS SYDNEY MARATHON CLOSES ITS BIGGEST YEAR

The TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS has closed the biggest year in its history, raising a record $15.2 million for charity, the largest sum ever raised through a single day of running in Australia, in a year that also delivered the fastest marathon ever run on Australian soil and the largest number of spectators the event has ever seen.

Now in its second year as one of the eight Abbott World Marathon Majors, the TCS Sydney Marathon attracted more than 123,000 ballot applications for the 2026 edition, delivered a record 36,296 finishers from more than 140 countries, and was watched by over 400,000 spectators lining the road from North Sydney to the Opera House.

Minister for Sport and Minister for Jobs and Tourism Steve Kamper, said: "There's nothing like marathon weekend in Sydney. Streets full of runners and supporters from every corner of the world, the whole city on its feet. The TCS Sydney Marathon has grown into one of the biggest events on our visitor economy calendar, and the NSW Government is proud to back it. Events like this fill our hotels, restaurants and shops, they support thousands of local jobs, and they prove Sydney does it better than anywhere else."  

Three of the four race records fell, led by Addisu Gobena (ETH), whose 02:04:42 took 1 minute 24 seconds off the mark and stands as the fastest marathon ever run by a male athlete in Australia. Daniel Romanchuk (USA) took 25 seconds off the men's wheelchair race and Australian all-comers record to win in 01:26:50, while Manuela Schär (SUI) went 2 minutes 48 seconds quicker than the previous mark in the women's wheelchair race, her 01:42:04 making her the first athlete in history, across all classifications, to win on all eight Abbott World Marathon Majors courses.

The record-breaking achievements extended beyond the finish line, with the event setting a new Australian fundraising record. More than 100,000 individual donations were made to 9,810 fundraisers and 83 teams across 545 charities, raising $15.2 million for the 2026 event, and lifting the amount raised through the event across its history to more than $52.7 million. A 10-year partnership with Grassrootz, the event’s official charity platform helped drive the continued growth and evolution of the charity program. 

"None of this happened overnight. Sydney has been building towards a year like this one for a long time, and in 2026 you could see it everywhere, from the records that fell on the road to the positive impact this event makes on the community that surrounds it," said Wayne Larden, Race Director, TCS Sydney Marathon. "More people on the start line and more people on the streets than we have ever seen, and the largest charity total within a single day of running in Australia. Every one of those is the result of years of work by a lot of people, and we’re not finished yet."

Headline charity partner Running for Premature Babies marked its twentieth anniversary as the highest fundraising charity of the event, raising nearly $1.1 million raised.

The highest individual fundraiser was Orly Lavee, who raised an incredible $50,150 for the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group.

And, in just its second year, Headline Foundation Partner, We Run, raised over $700,000. The funds will help drive programs focused on youth and social impact, breaking down barriers to participation and creating safe, inclusive and accessible spaces for underrepresented communities to experience the transformative power of running.

"Since the Abbott World Marathon Candidacy began in 2022 we've watched our charity program grow beyond anything we imagined, from $900,000 raised to over $15 million in 2026," said Melinda Graetz, CEO, Grassrootz. "This incredible result is because of the genuine partnership between Pont3, Grassrootz, hundreds of our Charity Partners, and the unstoppable fundraisers who show up for the causes they believe in. The 2026 results are a record to be proud of."

Keeping a course that stretches 42.195 kilometres through the middle of Sydney clean is its own event, and in 2026 the TCS Sydney Marathon put more people and more infrastructure behind it than ever before.  

At the start line, approximately 50,000 items of clothing were collected from runners and donated to Red Nose Australia and Vinnies, with proceeds supporting NSW based services and programs. On course, 57 ploggers, volunteers who collect gel wrappers as they jog or walk behind runners, worked the course, up from 32 in 2025. Their effort helped waste management partner Clean Vibes confirm a haul of 293.5 kilograms of gel wrappers collected across the course contributing to a 91.2% diversion rate of total course waste from landfill in 2026, a 79% increase from 2025.

Across the finish precinct and event villages, more than 2,200 reusable plates and coffee cups replaced single use servingware, diverting 30 kilograms of packaging from landfill and creating 10 hours of social enterprise employment. Through the NSW Return and Earn scheme, the event also collected 35,210 eligible drink containers, generating a $3,521 donation for TriMob.

Supporting a field that size took 939,000 water cups, 258,000 Powerade cups, 51,000 litres of Powerade and 69,000 GU energy gels across the course, close to 1.2 million cups in total. Crews installed 3,750 pieces of signage, 2,500 cones, 811 toilets and 124 marquees, alongside roughly 33.9 kilometres of crowd control barrier and fencing, about 80 percent of the distance the runners themselves covered.

The 400,000 spectators lining the course did more than cheer, with connectivity partner Telstra carrying 20 terabytes of data across the route on race day, roughly what it would take for every marathon runner in the field to upload 250 photos each. The busiest point anywhere on the course was Taylor Square, which moved the equivalent of 63 days of non-stop HD video streaming, while the finish line alone consumed enough data to account for more than 100,000 selfies. Holding that load took infrastructure built for the occasion, with Cells on Wheels at the North Sydney start, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Centennial Park, and a dedicated 5G totem at the Sydney Opera House finish.

Runners hoping to be part of it in 2027 will have their opportunity when the general ballot for the 2027 TCS Sydney Marathon opens at 10:00am AEST on Tuesday 29 September and closes at 10:00am AEDT on Monday 19 October with all outcomes confirmed in early November.

The TCS Sydney Marathon is supported by the NSW Government via its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW. The event is owned by Australian Athletics and managed by Pont3. 

For more information please visit: www.tcssydneymarathon.com 

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