The commercial and economic value of the World Marathon Majors

Although the World Marathon Majors are an international collection of leading marathon races, they are largely US-based, with three races—Boston, Chicago, and New York City—scheduled on the calendar.

These three US races offer the highest prize money across the majors, peaking at $150,000 for both the men’s and women’s winners at the Boston Marathon. Outside the US, prize money declines to as low as AUD$30,000 (US$21,500) for the Sydney Marathon. However, there are important caveats to London Marathon prize money.

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Elite runners can increase their earnings through time and record-based bonuses, including an additional $150,000 for a men’s time under 2:02 and an additional $125,000 for breaking the world record in 2026. As a result, the potential payout for an elite runner in London can exceed $300,000. Without breaking records or earning bonus payments, an elite runner can earn up to $486,800 per year by racing the seven major marathons alone.

These marathon races each offer something distinctive on the athletics calendar. The Boston Marathon is prestigious as the oldest marathon on the calendar, held annually since 1897. Berlin and Chicago are renowned for their fast courses and history of world-record performances, including the current men’s and women’s road-running records: 2 hours, 0 minutes, 35 seconds (Kelvin Kiptum, Chicago 2023) and 2 hours, 9 minutes, 56 seconds (Ruth Chepngetich, Chicago 2024).

Meanwhile, the London and New York City marathons are known for their strong atmosphere and popularity. The 2025 London Marathon broke the world record for the number of finishers, with 56,640 runners crossing the line. The race’s popularity has led organizers to explore making it a two-day event. Expanding the schedule would allow more runners to participate, following the announcement that 1,133,813 people applied for the 2026 race, meaning the chance of an applicant being accepted was just 5.07% this year.

With an average of 45,498 runners completing each of the most recent editions of the seven marathons, cities that host these major events realize significant economic benefits. In addition to the tens of thousands who take part, these races attract spectators along the full 26.2-mile route, creating opportunities for local brands and businesses.

In 2025, a survey estimated the overall economic impact of the London Marathon across the UK at £226 million, including £68 million specifically for the London area. The 2024 New York Marathon, meanwhile, has been linked to an almost $1 billion boost to the New York City economy.

The value to local economies further underscores why London Marathon organizers are exploring expansion to a two-day event, which could effectively double the potential economic impact, with runner demand unlikely to be a constraint. These benefits are driven by tourist spending on accommodation, food and drink, and transportation.

The major marathons are also linked to significant commercial value, with the most recently updated portfolios generating an average income of $16.26 million per event. This is driven by an average of 25 partners per event. For brands, these partnership opportunities provide strong local-market activation and global visibility to engaged audiences.

The London Marathon, for example, has been broadcast free-to-air on the BBC since its inception in 1981 and is currently contracted with the network through 2030. This type of mainstream coverage helps ensure the widest possible reach to millions of fans.

Given what marathon events represent, brands can also benefit from strong positive associations, as these events are commonly linked to health, endurance, charity, and inclusivity. For many partners, they also provide opportunities for live, on-course marketing to large audience segments, such as Buxton and Lucozade distributing drinks to runners along the route.

All but one of the seven majors (Tokyo) also have naming-rights partnerships, which offer the most prominent branding, both live and in official broadcasts. For the events themselves, these rights are linked to the largest single sponsorship agreements, peaking with the New York City Marathon’s partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) at $15 million.

The strength of marathon sponsorship is further underlined by Bank of America and TCS holding multiple title rights—two and three races, respectively—with TCS spending $23.5 million per year across its three title partnerships.

The positive association for brands is also closely linked to these events’ annual charitable impact. Across the most recent editions of the seven majors, the events have raised a combined $317.38 million. The London Marathon in 2025 raised a world-record £87.3 million ($118.02 million), making it the largest annual one-day fundraising event.

For many races, charities partner with the events and are allocated race entries, which supports their fundraising efforts. The popularity of the event also drives ambitious targets; for example, Crohn’s & Colitis has set a £3,000 fundraising target for its runners in the 2027 London Marathon.

*Figures do not include partnerships with Wanda and Abbot, whose deals cover all World Marathon Majors and are worth a combined $26.5 million a year.

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