How to Run the World Marathon Majors: A Traveler's Guide to the Star Medal
Finishing all of the Abbott World Marathon Majors earns you one of the most coveted prizes in amateur running: the Star Medal, awarded for completing the full series. It's a multi-year, multi-continent undertaking — part athletic goal, part travel project — and the travel logistics are, honestly, as much of a challenge as the running. This guide covers how the series works, how to get into each race, and how to think about planning the trips.
What the Star Medal is
The Abbott World Marathon Majors is a series of the world's premier marathons. Complete all of the qualifying Majors and you're awarded the Star Medal, with a star for each Major finished. For years the series had six races; it has since expanded — Sydney joined in 2024, and Cape Town became a Major in 2026, the first in Africa. Because the series is growing, the exact requirements for the medal evolve, so always confirm the current criteria on the official Abbott World Marathon Majors site before planning your quest.
The current Majors are Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Tokyo, Sydney, and Cape Town.
The hardest part isn't the running — it's getting in
Each Major has its own entry system, and this is where the multi-year planning comes from:
- Berlin, London, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, Sydney, Cape Town primarily use a lottery (ballot) for general entry, with limited guaranteed-entry routes via charity places, tour operators, or time qualification. Lotteries are competitive — some, like Tokyo and New York, have very low acceptance odds — so most people apply to several each year and plan their travel around whichever they get.
- Boston is different: it requires a qualifying time for your age and gender (or a charity place). You earn your way in, which makes it the one Major you can't simply enter on luck.
The practical upshot: you rarely get to choose your schedule. You apply broadly, and the races you're accepted into dictate your calendar — which means flexible, opportunistic travel planning is the name of the game.
How to think about the travel
Because the Majors span Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and now Africa, chasing them is a genuine international travel undertaking. A few principles that make it manageable:
Group by geography when you can. If you get into two races in the same region and season, combine them into one longer trip rather than two long-haul journeys.
Respect the jet lag. Racing 26.2 miles after crossing many time zones is hard. Build in recovery/adjustment days before races like Tokyo, Sydney, and Cape Town, especially if you're coming from another continent — arriving a few days early isn't a luxury, it's race strategy.
Plan the recovery, not just the race. Half the appeal of a Majors quest is seeing the world. Each of these cities rewards a few extra days, ideally structured around tired legs (sitting-down sightseeing, cruises, food) for the day or two after the race.
Book early. Major race weekends spike hotel demand near the start lines months in advance. Once you have a confirmed entry, lock in accommodation near the start as early as you can.
Start with the travel-friendliest Majors
If you're beginning the journey, the easiest to travel for — flat courses, tourist-friendly cities, better lottery odds or entry routes — tend to be Berlin and Chicago. The most logistically demanding (distance, entry difficulty, or terrain) tend to be Tokyo, New York, and Boston. But the beauty of the lottery system is that you'll often just take what you can get — and every one of these cities is worth the trip.
For a race-by-race comparison of the Majors as travel destinations, see our guide to the best marathons to travel for, which links to full where-to-stay-and-eat guides for each city:
Turn your next Major into a plan
However far into the journey you are, Claira turns each race into a booked, day-by-day trip: compare stays by distance to the start, find pre-race dinners and recovery-day activities, and pull the whole weekend into one itinerary — so you can focus on the running and the miles you're collecting around the world.
Series requirements and entry systems change as the Abbott World Marathon Majors evolves; always confirm current medal criteria and each race's entry process on the official Abbott World Marathon Majors and individual race websites. Claira is an independent travel-planning tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Abbott World Marathon Majors or any individual race.