World’s Fastest Marathons – July 2025 Rankings
July is one of the toughest months on the sub-3 calendar. With high summer temperatures across much of the northern hemisphere, most marathons see a drop in fast finishing times and sub-3 depth. But a handful of well-established races continue to deliver, particularly in coastal regions, southern latitudes, and parts of Australasia — where July falls in midwinter. These outliers tend to dominate the month’s rankings, offering rare mid-year opportunities for serious performance.
As always, these rankings apply Sub-3’s standard methodology: 45% of the total score comes from the percentage of sub-3 finishers, 45% from the absolute number of sub-3 runners, and 10% from the fastest winning time. All figures are drawn from verified 2025 results and evaluated using a consistent spreadsheet-based model with no extrapolations or assumptions.
🥇 Gold Coast Marathon
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia – 6 July 2025
The Gold Coast Marathon, held annually on Australia’s east coast, is one of the country’s premier distance running events. In 2025, it drew over 12,000 finishers and just under 900 sub-3 performances. The flat course, winter conditions, and strong domestic field contributed to its dominance in this month’s rankings. It placed first across all three scoring categories.
→ View full profile: Gold Coast Marathon
🥈 White Nights Marathon
St. Petersburg, Russia – 5 July 2025
The White Nights Marathon is staged during midsummer in St. Petersburg, where the city experiences near 24-hour daylight. In 2025, it attracted almost 8,000 runners and over 450 sub-3s, with a winning time of 2:11:55. The fast, urban course supported strong amateur depth and elite performance. It finished second overall in July.
→ View full profile: White Nights Marathon
🥉 SP City Marathon
São Paulo, Brazil – 27 July 2025
The SP City Marathon takes place in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city and a national distance running hub. The 2025 race featured over 5,000 finishers and more than 150 sub-3s, with a winning time of 2:15:58. Its Top 3 ranking reflects respectable depth combined with a quiet global calendar.
→ View full profile: SP City Marathon
4️⃣ San Francisco Marathon
San Francisco, California, United States – 27 July 2025
The San Francisco Marathon is an annual event held in California, drawing thousands of local and international runners. In 2025, it delivered around 100 sub-3 finishers from a field of more than 6,500. While the hilly course limits speed, the event’s size helped it place fourth overall in a sparse July schedule.
→ View full profile: San Francisco Marathon
5️⃣ Amazing Thailand Pattaya Marathon
Pattaya City, Thailand – 20 July 2025
The Pattaya Marathon is held in the coastal city of Pattaya, attracting a large domestic field. In 2025, it recorded just over 3,000 finishers and over 30 sub-3s, with a winning time of 2:25:01. Its position in the rankings reflects the limited number of qualifying events in July.
→ View full profile: Amazing Thailand Pattaya Marathon
6️⃣ SCORE Marathon
Putrajaya, Malaysia – 13 July 2025
SCORE Marathon takes place in Putrajaya and is among Malaysia’s better-established road races. The 2025 edition featured more than 3,000 finishers and a small number of sub-3s, with a winning time of 2:48:06. It placed sixth by default, as only six marathons met Sub-3’s inclusion criteria this month.
→ View full profile: SCORE Marathon
July 2025 Rankings Table
| # | Marathon | Country | % Sub-3s | # Sub-3s | Total Runners | Winning Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gold Coast Marathon | Australia | 5–10% | 500–999 | 10k–20k | 02:07:33 |
| 2 | White Nights Marathon | Russia | 5–10% | 100–499 | 3k–10k | 02:11:55 |
| 3 | SP City Marathon | Brazil | 2–5% | 100–499 | 3k–10k | 02:15:58 |
| 4 | San Francisco Marathon | United States | 1–2% | 100–499 | 3k–10k | 02:25:49 |
| 5 | Amazing Thailand Pattaya Marathon | Thailand | 1–2% | 10–49 | 3k–10k | 02:25:01 |
| 6 | SCORE Marathon | Malaysia | <0.5% | 10–49 | 3k–10k | 02:48:06 |
Note on Russian Marathons
Sub-3 condemns the ongoing war in Ukraine, initiated by the Russian state. However, we do not hold individual athletes or race organisers responsible for the actions of governments. These rankings are based solely on verified performance data and include all qualifying marathons regardless of political context.
About These Rankings
These rankings are based on verified results from July 2025 and scored using Sub-3’s 45:45:10 system – 45% for the proportion of sub-3 finishers, 45% for the total number of sub-3s, and 10% for the fastest winning time. Read more about our approach on the Rankings Methodology page.
Missing a Marathon?
We only include open-entry road marathons with 1,000+ finishers that have verifiable public results. Elite-only races or events with no published finisher data are excluded. If you believe a race has been missed, please get in touch.