The running world converged on Sydney this weekend for a historic event, as the TCS Sydney Marathon officially became the seventh member of the prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors. Held on Sunday, August 31, 2025, the race welcomed a record-breaking number of participants and celebrated an unprecedented number of Guinness World Records, solidifying its place among the sport’s most elite races.

For the second consecutive year, the Sydney Marathon partnered with Guinness World Records to officially recognize record-breaking feats beyond the elite podium. From athletes running in bizarre costumes to those raising funds for charity, the event became a carnival of human achievement and creativity. Among the most notable records broken were:

• Fastest marathon wearing 53 pairs of underwear (male): Daniel Byrnes of Sydney, who completed the race in 4 hours, 33 minutes, and 20 seconds, while carrying an extra 5 kg of weight for Bowel Cancer Australia.
• Fastest marathon dressed as a Star Wars character (male): Japanese runner Masakazu Konno, who finished in a blazing 3 hours, 3 minutes, and 20 seconds dressed as Darth Vader.
• Fastest marathon in a light military uniform (male): Karachi’s Faisal Shafi, who completed the course in 3 hours, 40 minutes, and 13 seconds to honor Pakistan’s armed forces.

The day’s excitement was not limited to the novelty records. Elite runners also shattered course records, with Dutch Olympic champion Sifan Hassan winning the women’s race in a record-breaking 2:18:22, and Ethiopia’s Hailemaryam Kiros setting a new men’s course record of 2:06:06, the fastest marathon ever run in Australia.

In a landmark moment for runners globally, the Sydney Marathon’s entry into the World Marathon Majors family means that for the first time in history, runners who finished the race received a new “Seven Star Medal.” This addition expands the iconic Six Star Journey, which previously included only Tokyo, London, Berlin, New York, Boston, and Chicago. The introduction of the seventh star marks a new milestone for the international running community and will give tens of thousands of runners a new goal to strive for.

The 2025 TCS Sydney Marathon has not only etched its name into the global running calendar but has also redefined what a major marathon can be—a place where elite competition, human kindness, and an unyielding spirit of fun all converge.