World Marathon Rankings - 2026 edition now live

Built from verified 2025 results, the rankings move beyond reputation and scale to focus on the races that consistently support fast amateur running.

The World Marathon Rankings mark the first full annual release of Sub-3’s global performance tables, bringing together results from 286 eligible marathons across 61 countries. Drawing on races held throughout the calendar year, the rankings allow for meaningful comparison across regions, seasons and race formats, revealing broader patterns in sub-3 performance across the global marathon landscape rather than relying on isolated snapshots or received wisdom.

At the heart of the project is a simple motivation. Runners who chase a sub-3 marathon dedicate an extraordinary amount of time, discipline and personal energy to that goal. For many, breaking three hours is not just another personal best but a defining moment in their running life. Yet despite the commitment involved, there has been little in the way of clear, evidence-based guidance on which marathons genuinely offer the strongest conditions for fast amateur performance. These rankings are designed to help fill that gap by turning scattered results into a coherent global picture that runners can actually use.

To ensure that picture is built on solid ground, all data used in the rankings has been manually collected directly from official marathon results pages. No scraping tools, automated feeds or algorithmic shortcuts have been used. The rankings are built from the published results of each race, providing a consistent and reliable foundation for comparing sub-3 performance across events.

Each marathon is assessed using Sub-3’s 45:45:10 scoring model, which balances three factors: the proportion of sub-3 finishers, the absolute number of runners who break three hours, and the fastest winning time. This structure reflects a reality that many experienced runners already recognise. While the biggest city marathons deliver impressive volume, they are also becoming increasingly congested, making it harder for serious time-focused runners to execute their best race. For that reason, the density of sub-3 performances carries as much weight as raw numbers, ensuring that races with concentrated competitive fields are properly recognised alongside larger events.

The result is a set of rankings that sometimes aligns with established ideas of “fast” marathons and sometimes challenges them, not for the sake of provocation but because of what the data shows about field composition, pacing and conditions on the day. Taken together, the rankings are intended as a practical resource for runners planning their next marathon, whether the aim is a first serious attempt at sub-3 or the search for marginal gains in pursuit of a new personal best.

The full World Marathon Rankings – 2026 Edition are now available, alongside detailed marathon profiles, monthly rankings and a transparent methodology page explaining how the scores are calculated, giving runners a clear, evidence-based way to navigate the global marathon landscape and make more informed choices about where to race next.