Sydney Marathon

The course

The seventh Abbott World Marathon Major, added in 2025 — the first in the southern hemisphere.

It starts on Miller Street in North Sydney, beside St Leonards Park, on the highest ground of the day, and drops away almost at once. The first climb is the Harbour Bridge, and from the crown of it the city lies open ahead. A long descent follows, then a western loop through Pyrmont, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo before the course doubles back past the Rocks and the working edge of the harbour. The middle of the race turns inland and uphill: Oxford Street through Darlinghurst, around three per cent, tilting up at fifteen kilometres, then the long out-and-back down Anzac Parade to Kingsford and home through Moore Park into the broad quiet roads of Centennial Park. The last miles return to the water, and this is where the course collects its debt. The climb by Mrs Macquarie's Chair, on Art Gallery Road, is the same three per cent and the hardest of the day, and it arrives around forty kilometres. Over it, the Royal Botanic Garden and a short downhill to the Opera House forecourt. On paper the course is net downhill. It does not run like it.

Start

Miller Street, North Sydney (beside St Leonards Park and North Sydney Oval)

Finish

Sydney Opera House Forecourt

Shape

point-to-point

Terrain

Undulating and net downhill on paper: +313m of climbing against -396m of descent, a net loss of about 83m. The start is the high point and the Harbour Bridge the first climb, but the hardest is the roughly 3% rise by Mrs Macquarie's Chair on Art Gallery Road around 40km, with only a short downhill left to the finish.