Top 10 Marathons Worth Traveling For in 2027

The Berlin Marathon is the race to book if you want one trip that gives you a fast course, a famous finish and a fair shot at a bib. The 2027 race is on September 26, 2027, and entry for that year runs through a lottery, not a qualifying time. The course is flat, starts and finishes near the Brandenburg Gate, and has seen the marathon world record broken on thirteen occasions, including Eliud Kipchoge's 2:01:09 in 2022. Depth is the other story: in 2023 a record eight women broke 2:20 and nine men broke 2:05 here, which tells you how good the conditions and pacing usually are in late September. It is not a small race. The organizers counted over 50,000 finishers in 2026, a long way from the 244 who finished the first edition in 1974, so expect a big, busy start. For most amateur runners that is a fair trade for a flat course. Berlin also changes its name for 2027 as Generali takes over as title sponsor, so look for the new branding when you search. Who should skip it? Anyone who wants hills, coastline or a quiet, small-town race. Everyone else chasing a personal best on a world-famous course should start here.

The New York City Marathon is the biggest show in the sport. The 2025 race had 59,226 finishers, the most of any marathon on record, and the route runs through all five boroughs, a layout the race has used since 1976. You start at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, climb straight onto the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, which is closed to traffic for the day, and finish beside Tavern on the Green in Central Park. The race is always the first Sunday in November. It began in 1970 as a race inside Central Park, and New York Road Runners still organizes it. Getting in is the hard part: more than 200,000 people applied for the 2025 race. There is a drawing split into three pools (New York metro, national and international), plus guaranteed routes such as NYRR's 9+1 program, running 15 or more previous NYC Marathons, meeting time standards, or raising money with a charity team. The route links the boroughs by bridge, so it is not the flat, record-friendly course that Berlin is. Even so, the professional records are strong: Tamirat Tola ran 2:04:58 in 2023 and Hellen Obiri set the women's mark of 2:19:51 in 2025. Come for the crowds and the finish in the park, not for a personal best.

The London Marathon packs more postcard views into 26.219 miles than any other race here. The three starts near Blackheath, at Greenwich Park, St John's Park and Shooter's Hill Road, merge in Woolwich, then the course passes the Cutty Sark near 10 km, crosses Tower Bridge at halfway and finishes on The Mall. It is largely flat, and it is fast at the front: Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 here in 2026, and Paula Radcliffe's 2:15:25 from 2003 still stands as the women's course record. The race was founded in 1981 by Chris Brasher and John Disley, and charity is built into its identity, with over £1.4 billion raised since it began and £87.3 million raised at the 2025 race alone. The catch is the ballot. The 2027 ballot drew 1,338,544 applications, and the race had 56,640 finishers in 2025, so the odds of a ballot place are long. The official site lists other routes in: a charity place, a Good For Age entry, or an international tour operator package. The 2027 race weekend is listed as Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April 2027. If you can secure a place, London gives you landmarks, crowds and a cause in one run.

The Boston Marathon is the one bucket-list race you usually have to earn. First held in 1897, it is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the Boston Athletic Association still runs it on Patriots' Day, which falls on April 19, 2027. Most runners get in with a qualifying time. For 2027 the standard for ages 18-34 is 2:55:00 for men and 3:25:00 for women and non-binary runners; for ages 35-39 it is 3:00:00 and 3:30:00. Hitting the standard is not enough on its own: the 2027 cut-off was 5 minutes, 17 seconds, so accepted runners beat their time by at least that much, up from a 4:34 cut-off for 2026. The B.A.A. received 33,656 qualifier applications for 2027 and says 30,000 participants will race. About a fifth of the places go to charities, sponsors and partners, which is the other way in. The point-to-point course runs from Hopkinton to Boylston Street, and the famous test is Heartbreak Hill, the last of four Newton hills, which rises 88 feet between miles 20 and 21. On the women's side, Sharon Lokedi set the course record of 2:17:22 in 2025. If you have the time, Boston is the most meaningful finish line in the sport.

The Tokyo Marathon is the best marathon in Asia and the spring Major that many travelers plan around. The 2027 race is on March 7, 2027, and the general entry is a drawing; lottery results for 2027 were announced on September 11, 2026. Demand is enormous. The race counted 331,211 applicants for 2019, 330,271 of them for the marathon itself, and 35,460 runners finished that year. Since 2017 the course has started at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building and finished near Tokyo Station, passing Iidabashi, Nihonbashi, Asakusa, Ginza, Shinagawa and Hibiya Park along the way. The elite marks show how quick it is: Benson Kipruto ran 2:02:16 in 2024, and Brigid Kosgei set the women's course record of 2:14:29 in 2026. The race itself is young, first held on 18 February 2007, and it is now one of the eight World Marathon Majors. For a traveler, Tokyo pairs a quick course with some of the city's best-known districts, and the charity route fills up too: the organizers said charity applications for 2027 exceeded the field size. Enter the drawing every year and plan a trip around it when your number comes up.

The Chicago Marathon is the fast American major, and it is easy to plan around. The 2027 race is on October 10, 2027. The course is a loop that starts and finishes in Grant Park and passes through 29 city neighborhoods, so you see far more of the city than the downtown towers. It is largely flat, which is why it has hosted world records: Kelvin Kiptum ran 2:00:35 here in 2023, and Ruth Chepngetich ran 2:09:56 in 2024, both world records when they were set. The crowd is big and the field is huge. Chicago had 52,062 finishers in 2024, and the average finishing time that year was 4:19:55, a useful reminder that most of the field are everyday runners, not elites. The modern race began in 1977 as the Mayor Daley Marathon with about 4,200 runners. You must finish within 6.5 hours to be officially timed, which gives walkers and first-timers room. Entry runs through a general lottery or a qualifying time, with places for legacy finishers and charity runners; the 2027 application window has closed, and the official site points late entrants to the charity program. If you want a fast, flat major on US soil with simple logistics, Chicago is the one.

The Sydney Marathon is the newest member of the Majors and has the best finish line of any of them: the course crosses the Sydney Harbour Bridge and ends at the Opera House. It became a World Marathon Major on 4 November 2024, ran its first race as a Major on 31 August 2025, and the 2027 race is on 29 August 2027. The route starts in North Sydney, crosses the bridge, runs through Pyrmont and The Rocks, heads down Oxford Street and Anzac Parade, then returns through Moore Park and Centennial Park before the harbour finish. It has grown fast. The race counted 32,964 finishers in 2025 and over 40,000 runners in 2026. The front of the field is now world class: Sifan Hassan set the women's course record of 2:18:22 in 2025, and Addisu Gobena set the men's mark of 2:04:42 in 2026. The race has roots in the Sydney 2000 Olympics. It was first held in April 2000 as a test event for those Games. Entry for 2027 is through a ballot. Late August falls in the Australian winter. If you are collecting Majors or want an excuse to see Sydney, this is a race that gives you both the bridge and the Opera House.

The Big Sur International Marathon is the most scenic course on this list and one of the hardest. It runs point to point from Big Sur to Carmel on Highway 1, which the race calls the nation's first nationally designated Scenic Highway, and the road is closed for the morning. The 2027 race is on April 25, 2027, with a 6:45 am start. Do not plan a personal best. The race publishes 2,182 feet of total gain and 2,528 feet of total loss from a 356-foot start to a 10-foot finish, and the big climb is Hurricane Point, a 560-foot summit between miles 10 and 12. Right after it you cross the Bixby Creek Bridge at the halfway mark. There is a course limit of about 6 hours, and the road reopens to traffic at 1:00 pm. The race began in 1986 and draws about 4,500 participants a year, which keeps it intimate next to the big-city majors. It is USATF certified and an official Boston qualifier, though few runners pick it for a fast time. The weekend also includes a relay, a 21-Miler, an 11-Miler, a 12K and a 5K, so a travel partner can race too. Come for the Pacific views and the bridge, and pace it by effort.

The Athens Authentic Marathon follows the route that gave the race its name. It starts in the town of Marathon, runs near the coast through Nea Makri, and finishes inside the marble Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. The course is based on the legend of Pheidippides, the messenger said to have run from the battlefield at Marathon to announce the Greek victory, and the modern race traces its roots to the marathon at the 1896 Olympics. It has been run since 1972 and is normally held on the second Sunday of November; the 43rd race took place on 8 November 2026. Be ready for the climb. The course runs uphill from about 10 km to 31 km, which makes it one of the toughest big-city marathons, and the course records reflect that: 2:10:34 for men, set by Edwin Kiptoo in 2023, and 2:31:06 for women, set by Rasa Drazdauskaitė in 2010. It is still a big event. There were 17,041 marathon finishers in 2024, and the organizers count 75,000 runners and 5,000 volunteers across the whole weekend, which also includes a 10 km and a 5 km. If the story matters more to you than your finishing time, there is no finish line like this one.

The Cape Town Marathon is the newest Abbott World Marathon Major and the first in Africa, confirmed in June 2026. That makes it a must for anyone chasing the full set of Majors, and a strong first race on the continent for everyone else. The 2027 race weekend is 22-23 May 2027. Entry is by ballot, and the 2027 ballot closed on 24 June, so mark next year's window early. The race traces its history to 1994. The modern course centers on Green Point and the Cape Town Stadium precinct, starting near the stadium and finishing in Green Point, and it passes the Castle of Good Hope, the Company's Garden and the Sea Point Promenade. In 2017 it became the first marathon in Africa to receive IAAF Gold Label status, and it was named a Major candidate in 2021. The elite times are now competitive with older majors: Mohamed Esa set the men's course record of 2:04:55 in 2026, and Glenrose Xaba set the women's record of 2:22:22 in 2024. The organizers call it arguably the most beautiful marathon route on the continent. It ranks tenth only because its Major era has just begun; come back to it in a few years and it may climb this list.