For a very long time now, I've had two main running goals: run a sub-three marathon, and complete all six World Major Marathons. 2025 will see me make two attempts at the former, but recent developments have me reconsidering if the World Major Marathons are all that.
Back in October, I made the journey to Chicago for Major Number 5. It hadn't been the best of training blocks: I fought through illness and niggles to get there. In fact, if it hadn't been for the 'all six majors' goal, the race quite possibly might not have been started, and certainly wouldn't have been completed.

But these races are hard to get into, and money had been spent on tickets and hotels. We completed race 5 out of 6, albeit in the slowest time so far.
But then, Sydney. Our club of six was now seven, with eight (hello, Cape Town) on the horizon and a promise of getting all the way to nine some day.
Now, I'm not going to complain about running more races. I love running races. But ... Sydney? Is it really a World Major Marathon? Here's how the first six go for me:
- London is in my backyard. I used to live on the route and watch it out my window, or wander down to the street. It is undeniably great, and serves as my (unrealistic) standard for marathons.
- New York is the American version of the London Marathon. The biggest race in the world, in the Big Apple. The city turns out. Amazing. Special.
- Berlin and Chicago are where world records happen.
- Boston is the oldest and most famous marathon in the world.
- And Tokyo? Well, Japan has a unique running culture. It's a running culture. A Japanese major just makes sense, and who am I to say that it shouldn't be in Tokyo.
In a real sense, it has always felt to me that - while arguments can always be made - the Majors were arguably the six greatest marathons in the world. They all belonged in the list. It's a great marathon bucket list.
And now we add Sydney. So is Sydney the seventh best marathon in the world?
Well, nobody is arguing that. Nobody would argue that. We've got better - there's CIM in Spain. Valencia in Spain. Rotterdam, Paris, Seville. Probably another dozen between the USA, Europe, and Japan. But all the races are in the northern hemisphere. It makes sense to be looking at Australia, and even more sense to be looking at Africa for number eight.
So is Sydney the best marathon in Australia?
I'm sure some people might claim that now, but when they started their candidacy, the answer was a firm "no". Many people said Melbourne was the best. You'd hear people talk about the Gold Coast Marathon. Sydney was not a great race.
It's clear that the quality of the race isn't what's important in making these choices ... and suddenly the whole sheen is off the table. And I ask myself: do I still want to finish that six star journey?
The answer isn't quite a 'no'. I've run five out of six, after all - only one to go. I love Japan as a country, and Tokyo as a city. I'd love to experience the running culture there. So there's a lot there to say 'why not Tokyo?' - I could finish what I started, and get that fancy six star medal. Enjoy a trip to Japan. Experience Japanese running culture.
On the other hand, Sydney has caused me to ask: but why Tokyo?
Is it even the best marathon in Japan? Given the international invasion that comes with being a major, it's probably the one that is least representative of Japanese running culture, although it's also probably the most accessible for a non-Japanese speaker. Or do I even want to run a marathon in Japan. If I'm going to travel that far, why keep off my legs, eat 'safe' food, and do all that race preparation stuff? Why not experience the country in a broader sense, and save the marathon stuff for a 90 minute flight to a European destination?
And nine? That's doubtful. If I'm going to fly all the way to Australia for a race, it isn't going to be for the third-best marathon in Australia, even if there's a group of marketers trying to make it a collection item.
I do wish they'd done this earlier, though. It could have saved me a trip to Chicago.