Key Marathon Statistics

Global Marathon Landscape

How many marathons take place each year?
Globally, an estimated 2,500 to 4,000 marathons are held each year, though exact numbers vary depending on whether smaller, local races are counted. In the United States alone, approximately 1,100 are organised annually, making it the most active marathon country by event count (RunRepeat). The often-cited Wikipedia figure of 800 reflects only those affiliated with AIMS and underrepresents the true total.

How many countries have marathons?
Most current estimates show that marathon races take place in over 80 countries, based on events affiliated with the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS). However, this figure excludes smaller local events. If you include all unaffiliated and grassroots races, the total rises to over 100 nations (Wikipedia).

Which country has the most marathons?
The United States leads the world, hosting around 1,100 marathons annually—more than any other country (RunRepeat). That accounts for a significant share of the estimated 2,500–4,000 marathons held worldwide each year.

What is the oldest marathon?
The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest annual marathon, first run in 1897. It was inspired by the success of the 1896 Olympic Games and has been held every year since, with the sole exception of 2020 due to COVID-19 (Wikipedia).

What was the first ever marathon?
The first modern marathon was run at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens. It followed the route from the town of Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium and was won by Spyridon Louis in 2:58:50 (Olympics.com).

What is the largest marathon ever held?
The 2025 TCS London Marathon holds the record for the largest number of official finishers: 56,640. It surpassed the previous high of 55,646 set by the New York City Marathon in 2024 (London Marathon).

Which marathon had the most applicants?
The 2026 TCS London Marathon received 1,133,813 ballot entries, making it the most oversubscribed marathon in history (London Marathon).

Participation and Demographics

How many people run a marathon each year?
Between 1.1 and 1.3 million people finish a marathon globally every year. That’s just 0.014% to 0.016% of the world’s population—a figure that underscores the relative rarity of marathon participation (Marathon Handbook).

What proportion of marathon finishers are female, and what proportion are male?
Globally, around 30–35% of marathon finishers are female, and 65–70% are male. However, this varies by region, with female participation nearing 50% in parts of North America and Europe (Live Strong).

What is the average age of marathon runners?
The average marathon runner is typically in their late 30s to early 40s. Events in the U.S. and Europe often report mean finisher ages around 40, reflecting both life stage and accumulated aerobic base (Livestrong).

What percentage of marathon runners are first-timers?
Roughly 50% of marathon participants are debutants. While this figure varies by event, it reflects the marathon’s ongoing appeal as a bucket-list challenge (Marathon Handbook).

What’s the dropout rate at major marathons?
Major marathons have high finish rates - typically between 97–99%. Events like London, Berlin, and Chicago often report dropout rates below 3%, thanks to strong organisation and participant commitment (The Guardian).

What is the average number of marathons run per person among repeat marathoners?
Data suggests that among repeat marathoners, the average person completes 3 to 5 marathons in their lifetime, though a small minority become serial participants, running dozens or even hundreds (Marathon Handbook).

What is the oldest age for a recorded marathon finisher?
Fauja Singh, a British centenarian, completed the 2011 Toronto Waterfront Marathon at age 100 in a time of 8:11:06. While Guinness World Records does not recognise the run due to lack of birth certificate documentation, Singh remains the most widely acknowledged centenarian marathoner (Olympics). Tragically, he died in a hit-and-run accident aged 114 in July 2025 (BBC).

What is the youngest age for a recorded marathon finisher?
Budhia Singh from India is known for having completed an ultra marathon age 4 in 2006. However, his case raised major ethical concerns, and age limits are now strictly enforced in most countries (Wikipedia).

Sub-3 Marathon Statistics

How many marathoners run sub‑3 each year?
Only about 2.65% of marathon finishers break the three-hour barrier, which equates to 33,000–39,000 sub‑3 performances annually. That’s based on an estimated 1.25 million marathon completions per year (SUB-3).

How rare is a sub‑3 marathon?
About 1 in 38 marathon finishers runs under three hours. In global population terms, sub‑3 marathoners represent just 0.0004% to 0.0005% annually (SUB-3).

How does sub‑3 rarity vary by country?
In countries like the U.S., UK and Germany, sub‑3 marathoners still represent just 0.005% to 0.007% of the total population - roughly 1 in 15,000 to 1 in 20,000 people per year (SUB-3).

How many men and women go sub‑3?
Roughly 4% of male marathon finishers and 1% of female finishers run under three hours, resulting in a weighted average of around 2.65% overall. This performance gap reflects both participation rates and physiological differences (SUB-3).

What is the average age of sub‑3 marathon finishers?
The average age is around 28.6 years, with the majority of sub‑3 personal bests occurring between 25 and 34. Peak endurance and recovery capacity tend to coincide in this range (Frontiers).

What is the world record for the oldest person to run a sub‑3 hour marathon?
Ed Whitlock ran 2:59:09 in Toronto 2003 at age 72, being the first M70 to go Sub-3 and the oldest verified sub‑3 marathon finisher (Wikipedia). His record has since been surpassed by the American Gene Dykes (2:54:23; Trail Runner) and Netherlander Joseph Schoonbroodt (2:54:19; Runners World).

Which marathon has the most sub‑3 finishers?
The record for the highest number of sub‑3 finishers in a single race belongs to the 2023 Valencia Marathon, where a 5,423 runners completed the course in under three hours. This figure outpaces those of all other well-known marathons, including Berlin, Boston, and London (LetsRun).

Who has run the most sub‑3 marathons?
Jeff Mescal, a 58-year-old American runner, became the first person to complete 100 marathons under three hours while finishing the 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon in 2:57:26. He began his marathon journey at the same race 18 years earlier and has now run sub‑3s in all 50 U.S. states. His pursuit of 100 sub‑3s began in earnest after reaching the 70–80 mark, and he completed the final seven between 2022 and 2024 (Runner’s World).

What is the record for most consecutive sub‑3s at the same marathon?
Chris Finill (UK) completed 33 consecutive London Marathons in under three hours between 1981 and 2013 — the longest such streak at a World Marathon Majors event. His fastest was 2:28:27 and his slowest 2:58:35. Finill’s achievement remains a unique combination of speed, durability, and consistency over three decades (Guinness World Records).

What is the longest time between sub‑3 marathons?
Iain Mickle ran 2:42:57 at the 2019 California International Marathon—an astonishing 42 years and 151 days after his first sub‑3 marathon in July 1977. Aged 59 at the time, Mickle set the record for the longest elapsed time between sub‑3 finishes, highlighting the extraordinary longevity possible in distance running (New World).

What’s the longest streak of consecutive years with a sub‑3 marathon?
Mark Cucuzzella ran at least one sub‑3 marathon every year for 30 consecutive years, from 1988 to 2017. In nearly 100 career marathons, he never ran slower than 3:00 until Boston 2018, where freezing rain and headwinds ended his streak with a 3:04. His approach prioritised low-intensity training, minimalist footwear, and running for joy and longevity rather than pure competition (LetsRun).

Major Marathons and Records

What are the Abbott World Marathon Majors?
The Abbott World Marathon Majors include Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York City, Sydney and Tokyo. The series is expanding to potentially include new races in Shanghai (China) and Cape Town (South Africa) in the near future (World Marathon Majors).

What is the current world record for the marathon?
The official men’s marathon world record is 2:00:35, set by Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon (Runners World). Tragically, Kiptum died in early 2024, just months after setting the mark. The women's world record is by Tigst Assefa in 2:11:53 (LetsRun), set at the Berlin Marathon in 2023. In women-only races (with no male pacers), the record is 2:15:50, also set by Tigst Assefa at the 2025 London Marathon (BBC Sport). Eliud Kipchoge remains the only person to break two hours, running 1:59:40 in Vienna during the 2019 INEOS 1:59 Challenge - an unofficial event due to controlled pacing and conditions (INEOS).

Which marathon is the largest in Europe?
The Paris Marathon is the largest on mainland Europe, attracting over 55,000 finishers in 2025 (RunBlogRun). However, the London Marathon is the largest in Europe overall, with 56,640 finishers in its most recent edition (Runners World).

Which marathon is the largest in North America?
The New York City Marathon is the largest in North America, with over 50,000 finishers annually, and a record 55,646 finishers in 2024 (NYRR).

Which marathon is the largest in Asia?
The Tokyo Marathon is the largest in Asia, hosting around 38,000 starters and enjoying a reputation for organisation and elite competition (Asahi Shimbun).

Which marathon is the largest in Australasia?
The largest marathon in Australasia is the TCS Sydney Marathon. In 2024, this event saw approximately 20,072 finishers, marking it as the biggest marathon by participation on the continent. Since launching in 2001 and gaining Platinum Label status from World Athletics, it has grown rapidly - surging from just around 5,000 finishers in 2022 to over 24,000 across events in 2024 (World Marathon Majors).