Sydney Marathon's Major 'transformative moment'

The Sydney Marathon has been elevated to join the World Marathon Majors (WMM) running series, placing it alongside landmark international events including the London and New York races.

The event in September had a record of more than 25,000 finishers, up from around 5,000 just a few years ago, making it the biggest marathon ever held in Australia.

Until Sydney's candidacy began, the Melbourne event was Australia's largest marathon, attracting 8,100 participants for its 2019 race.

Becoming the seventh WMM event will make it a sought-after race for endurance runners worldwide trying to run the whole series to earn their "stars", and help it to attract the best marathoners for its elite field.

"This milestone represents a new chapter for Australian athletics as the sport evolves to embrace recreational runners and inspire the athlete inside of everyone," Athletics Australia chief executive officer Simon Hollingsworth said in a statement on Nov 4.