DREAM. PLAN. RUN.

This is part seven in our series on the world's eight major marathons, one deep read at a time. While you wait on the lottery, here's what to know: the other ways in, the course through 29 neighborhoods mile by mile, and how to get from the expo to the post-race beer.

"It's flat, so a PR is basically in the bag, right?" That's the first thing most runners think when they pick Chicago. Half right. Seven world records have gone down on this course. The other half comes down to weather, logistics, and a hill hiding in the last mile. YouTuber Go Baewoo (channel "RunningGo Lab Go Baewoo") ran the 2025 race and summed it up at the finish: "I've run four World Marathon Majors and Chicago has been the best so far." The reason wasn't his time. It was the sidelines. He said the crowds never let up from start to finish. General entry for the 2027 race is already closed, so all that's left is the results email. While you wait, read up on the course and your other ways in. Whichever way the email goes, you'll scramble less. Dates and prices below come from the race's official information (checked November 13, 2026). · Race day: Sunday, October 10, 2027, the 49th edition · Start and finish: Grant Park · Time limit: 6 hours 30 minutes (15-minute-per-mile pace) · Entry fee: $250 for U.S. residents, $260 for international residents (processing fee extra) · Lottery results: emailed December 8, payment due by December 15 · Expo (bib): McCormick Place, October 7–9, 2027 · Average October temperature: 12.4°C (about 54°F)

This is the last installment in our series going deep on the eight World Marathon Majors, one race at a time. Here's what we put together: the ways in beyond the drawing, the course that links all five boroughs and its two big climbs, and the whole day from the dawn ferry to the poncho after the finish.

"Isn't New York just for people who win the drawing?" Half right. Applicants far outnumber spots, so most runners get in through the drawing. But 61,146 people crossed the finish at the 2026 race, the first time in marathon history the number topped 60,000. Plenty of them came through a door other than the drawing. A runner behind the YouTube channel 262wave, who ran the 2025 race, gave up talking to the camera somewhere in Brooklyn. "The crowd is so intense I can't even narrate." It was his sixth major, and he'd never heard anything like it. The 2027 drawing date hasn't been announced. Dates and fees below come from the official New York Road Runners (NYRR) info, checked on November 13, 2026. · Race day — Sunday, November 7, 2027 · Start — Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island · Finish — Central Park · Official time cutoff — 10 p.m. ET on race night · Entry fee — $315 for non-members at the 2026 race, 2027 not announced · 2027 drawing — dates not announced (the 2026 race took entries February 4–25) · Average November temperature — 9.3°C (about 49°F)

The fifth installment in our series taking an in-depth look at each of the eight World Marathon Majors. In May 2027, Cape Town races as a Major for the first time. The lottery is over, but first-come spots remain. We follow one runner through her first marathon here, all 42km of it.

"The race doesn't start till mile 20." A New York runner who ran her first marathon in Cape Town in May 2026 held on to that line, which someone had passed along to her, for the entire race. The scene comes from a video on Erika Holguin's YouTube channel. Mile 20 is about 32km. The hardest mile really did come right around then, a climb just past 30km. The most miserable stretch came after it: the last loop, one more out-and-back along the seafront, facing the runners already heading for the finish. On the same day, Eliud Kipchoge finished 16th. It was his first official marathon on African soil. Ethiopia's Mohammed Esa won in a course record, and his 2:04:55 became the fastest marathon ever run in Africa. On May 23, 2027, the race will be held for the first time as a World Marathon Major—the first on the African continent. · Race day: Sunday, May 23, 2027, with two start sites, the stadium and Beach Road · Cutoff: 6 hours 30 minutes, counted from the moment the last runner crosses the start mat · 2027 entry: the general lottery has closed (June 10–24); international tour operator and international charity spots are first come, first served · Entry fee: 2027 amount not yet officially announced · Expo and bib pickup: May 20–22, 2027, DHL Stadium; no race-day pickup · Aid stations: 15, about every 3km · Average May temperature: 16.5°C (about 62°F) · Source: the race's official guide, as of November 12, 2026

The sixth installment in our series taking an in-depth look at each of the eight World Marathon Majors. The 2027 Sydney ballot is closed. Through one runner's race week, we cover the routes still open, the qualifying table for 2028, a course with 313m of climbing and descending, and how to make use of the three days of the running show.

At the Sydney Marathon on August 30, 2026, 36,295 runners crossed the finish line. The medals around their necks showed a stadium—not Sydney's Allianz Stadium, but Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. "Maybe a mistake, but it somehow makes the medal even more iconic," said a Filipino runner, holding up the medal at the running show. It's from a race-week video on the YouTube channel Emer Diego, and it was her third Major. That year's men's winner, Addisu Gobena, set a course record of 2:04:42. The top seven all finished faster than the old course record. But the title she gave the video is a question: "Hardest Major?" Her 42km explains why a course that produced so many fast times is hard for everyday runners. · Race day — Sunday, August 29, 2027; general start 6:30 a.m. (wheelchair 6:15 a.m.) · Course — starts on Miller Street in North Sydney, crosses the Sydney Harbour Bridge, finishes in front of the Opera House · Elevation — 313m of total climb; the finish is 83m lower than the start · Cutoff — 7 hours · Entry fee — A$285 for Australia and New Zealand residents, A$340 for international runners; mandatory carbon levy extra · 2027 entry — ballot closed (results November 3); charity and official travel packages · Bib pickup — Sydney Showground running show, August 26–28 · Average August temperature — 14.5°C (about 58°F) · Source — official race information, as of November 12, 2026

There are no lottery or record qualifications, and I only chose popular overseas competitions that have seats available if I apply now. We will let you know separately about places that are already sold out.

“I want to run a marathon overseas... but I missed out on the lottery and my record is not good enough, so maybe next year?” If you look at the majors, all overseas marathons look like that. However, even among popular competitions, there are quite a few places where you don’t have to wait in line. It's not a restaurant competition where you have to make reservations, but it's like a competition at a regular restaurant where you can be seated right away. There are three criteria. There is no lottery, there is no record qualification, and if you apply now, there is a spot available. I checked each one on the official website and chose five.