Great recognition for the Sydney Marathon. It has just been admitted to the very closed circle of member events of the annual World Marathon Majors circuit. This elite of off-stadium competitions had six races, contested respectively in London, New York, Boston, Chicago, Tokyo and Berlin. It now has a seventh, its first addition in 12 years. Launched in 2000 a few months before the Olympic Games, the Sydney Marathon had 1.200 "finishers" during its first edition. This year, it counted 25.000 participants. Comment from Jane Flemming, the president of Athletics Australia: “We are incredibly proud of how far we have come, and extremely excited about what this means for the future of sport in Australia. It is an achievement that will inspire countless Australians to take up running.”
