5 official routes into the Sydney Marathon 2027; 1 open now.
Sydney, an Abbott World Marathon Major finishing at the Opera House in late August, fills general entry through a free-to-enter public ballot: nothing is charged unless your name is drawn, and the organiser stresses that applying on the first or last day of the window makes no difference to the random draw. Alongside it, the High Performance Program sets aside 1,200 paid entries, 600 Sub-Elite and 600 Good for Age, and any HPP applicant who misses out is rolled into the ballot automatically. Duo teams and non-elite racing wheelchairs have their own application processes and must not use the ballot. Entries are personal: event rules ban the sale, exchange or transfer of bibs and require photo ID matching the registration at bib collection.
An Abbott World Marathon Major and World Athletics Platinum Label road race from North Sydney, across the Harbour Bridge, to a finish at the Sydney Opera House. General entry is by a free-to-enter public ballot.
Open to domestic and international applicants; international entrants pay AUD 330.
Entry fee
A$280.00
Opened
Closed
Best for
Any runner aged 18 or over on race day, in Australia or abroad, who is happy to leave a Sydney place to a random draw.
How competitive
Not published by the organiser
Tips
The Sydney ballot costs nothing to enter and your card is only charged on results day if you are drawn, so leave valid card details. The organiser says there is no advantage in applying on day one. Unsuccessful applicants are emailed pointers to the Travel and Charity Programs rather than a second draw.
Random draw for general entry; free to enter, and the card is charged only if selected. Fee on selection is AUD 280 for domestic and AUD 330 for international entrants. Results and charges on 3 November 2026. Unsuccessful High Performance Program applicants are carried into the ballot automatically. Duo teams and non-elite racing wheelchairs apply separately. The FAQ instead quotes AUD 285 (Australian and New Zealand residents) / AUD 340 (international) plus a mandatory carbon levy; the ballot page's AUD 280 / 330 is recorded. Unsuccessful applicants are pointed to the Travel and Charity Programs; there is no second ballot.
Opens
Deadline
Entry fee
A$280.00
Eligibility
Must be 18 years or older on race day.
Residency
Open to domestic and international applicants; international entrants pay AUD 330.
Current AbbottWMM Gold Club members (paid annual membership, capped numbers); race draws are subject to their individual terms.
Entry fee
Not yet published by the organiser
Opens
Not yet published by the organiser
Closes
Not yet published by the organiser
Best for
Committed Majors runners willing to pay a yearly membership for an additional, members-only draw at every Major.
How competitive
Not published by the organiser
Tips
Membership is capped and sold for the following year from December, so join the waitlist early if you want to be in the next intake. It renews automatically each year and is for one person only; treat it as an extra ticket in a small draw of 50 places per race rather than a guaranteed entry.
Paid AbbottWMM Gold Club members ($449 a year as listed) can enter member-only race draws that AbbottWMM says provide 50 entries to each of the Majors; membership does not guarantee a place. Membership is capped, renews automatically, and registration for the following year's membership opens in December, with a waitlist for the next window. AbbottWMM does not publish which race edition each member draw is for or when the draws are held; this record covers the 2027 editions of the eight Majors.
Opens
Unknown
Deadline
Unknown
Entry fee
Unknown
Eligibility
Current AbbottWMM Gold Club members (paid annual membership, capped numbers); race draws are subject to their individual terms.
Checked by hand · last confirmed 5 Oct 2026, 00:00 · The Gold Club page describes the member draws and the December registration window but carries no draw dates or open/closed wording; the draws themselves run inside the members' Runner Portal.
Sydney Marathon High Performance Program
Who can apply
Age-group qualifying time (e.g. 18-34: men 2:45:00, women and non-binary 3:18:00) run in a World Athletics-certified marathon since 1 July 2025 on a course with no more than 457 m net elevation drop; publicly available official result required.
Entry fee
Not yet published by the organiser
Opened
Closed
Best for
Runners holding an age-group marathon time fast enough to rank among Sydney's 600 Sub-Elite or 600 Good for Age places.
How competitive
1,200 places: 600 Sub-Elite and 600 Good for Age, allocated to the fastest applicants
Tips
Hitting the HPP standard (2:45:00 for men and 3:18:00 for women and non-binary runners aged 18-34) does not secure a place, because places go to the fastest applicants. The result must come from a World Athletics-certified course with no more than 457 m net drop, and you must link your personal official result page: Strava, Garmin and emailed results are refused. The 2027 application window ran for just five days, 14 to 18 September 2026.
Not verified since 1 Oct 2026, 00:00
1,200 guaranteed, non-complimentary entries: 600 Sub-Elite places for the fastest applicants and 600 Good for Age places for the fastest applicants in each age and gender category. Meeting the standard does not guarantee a place. Unsuccessful applicants are carried into the 2027 ballot. Outcome announced with ballot results in early November 2026.
Opens
Deadline
Entry fee
Unknown
Eligibility
Age-group qualifying time (e.g. 18-34: men 2:45:00, women and non-binary 3:18:00) run in a World Athletics-certified marathon since 1 July 2025 on a course with no more than 457 m net elevation drop; publicly available official result required.
Checked by hand · last confirmed 1 Oct 2026, 00:00 · The page shows both "Applications are opening soon!" and "APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN" after the published 18 September close, so its text is not a reliable status signal. Status recorded from the published application window.
Sydney Marathon charity places
Who can apply
Subject to the chosen charity's application and fundraising commitment requirements.
Entry fee
Not yet published by the organiser
Fundraising minimum
Not yet published by the organiser
Opens
Not yet published by the organiser
Closes
Not yet published by the organiser
Best for
Runners missed by the Sydney ballot who want a guaranteed bib and will fundraise for one of the 50+ official charity partners.
How competitive
Not published by the organiser
Tips
Apply to the charity itself through the organiser's charity portal, which has separate Australian and International listings; each charity runs its own selection and many weigh your connection to the cause and fundraising potential. Once accepted you fundraise through a Grassrootz campaign. The organiser points runners here after ballot results.
Not verified since 6 Oct 2026, 01:40
Guaranteed entry through the headline charity (Running for Premature Babies), the We Run Foundation, or one of 50+ official charity partners. Runners apply to the charity through the organiser's charity portal (Australian and international listings); each charity selects its runners and sets its own fundraising commitment. The organiser says to "apply directly after the ballot results are announced" (results on 3 November 2026). On 2026-10-01 the portal still showed the 2026 programme with every charity marked "APPLICATIONS CLOSED", so 2027 charity places have not opened yet.
Opens
Unknown
Deadline
Unknown
Entry fee
Unknown
Fundraising minimum
Unknown
Eligibility
Subject to the chosen charity's application and fundraising commitment requirements.
Last checked 7 hours ago · last confirmed 6 Oct 2026, 01:40
Sydney Marathon travel partner program
Who can apply
Not yet published by the organiser
Package price
Not yet published by the organiser
Opens
Not yet published by the organiser
Closes
Not yet published by the organiser
Best for
Travellers from outside Australia who want a guaranteed Sydney entry bundled with accommodation and local support.
How competitive
Not published by the organiser
Tips
Book through one of the 100+ official travel partners listed on the international entry page, or through the regional office of lead tour operator Marathon Tours & Travel. The marathon page has marked the travel partner program COMING SOON before packages go on sale, and package prices are set by each partner rather than the organiser.
Guaranteed race entry bundled with accommodation through the organiser's network of 100+ official travel partners (lead tour operator Marathon Tours & Travel). The 2027 travel program is marked "COMING SOON".
Official charity placesRunners missed by the Sydney ballot who want a guaranteed bib and will fundraise for one of the 50+ official charity partners.
Runners who want a guaranteed place
Official charity placesRunners missed by the Sydney ballot who want a guaranteed bib and will fundraise for one of the 50+ official charity partners.
International travel partnersTravellers from outside Australia who want a guaranteed Sydney entry bundled with accommodation and local support.
Entering the Sydney Marathon from overseas
International runners can apply to the Sydney ballot directly, but pay a higher fee if drawn: the ballot page lists AUD 330 against AUD 280 domestic, while the FAQ quotes AUD 340 for internationals against AUD 285 for Australian and New Zealand residents, plus a mandatory carbon levy. The organiser describes booking with one of its 100+ official travel partners, led by Marathon Tours & Travel with regional offices from Oceania to the Americas, as one of the only ways in from abroad, and the charity portal keeps a separate International charity places listing of mostly US, UK, Irish and New Zealand charities.
Sydney Marathon 2028 ballot: dates coming soon
The organiser has not announced the Sydney Marathon 2028 entry dates yet. We don't guess them: here is what is known so far.
The 2027 2027 public ballot ran 29 Sept 2026, 00:00 UTC – 18 Oct 2026, 23:00 UTC.
The 2027 2027 High Performance Program (Sub-Elite and Good for Age) ran 14 Sept 2026, 02:00 UTC – 18 Sept 2026, 07:00 UTC.
Sydney Marathon FAQ
How do I get into the Sydney Marathon 2027?
There are 5 official routes into the Sydney Marathon 2027: ballot, High Performance Program, charity places and travel partner program. Open now: 2027 public ballot.
When does the Sydney Marathon 2027 ballot open and close?
The 2027 2027 public ballot ran 29 Sept 2026, 00:00 UTC – 18 Oct 2026, 23:00 UTC. The dates of the 2027 Gold Club member draws: 2027 are not yet published by the organiser.
Is there a qualifying time for the Sydney Marathon?
Yes. 2027 High Performance Program (Sub-Elite and Good for Age): Age-group qualifying time (e.g. 18-34: men 2:45:00, women and non-binary 3:18:00) run in a World Athletics-certified marathon since 1 July 2025 on a course with no more than 457 m net elevation drop; publicly available official result required.
How much does a Sydney Marathon charity place cost?
Official charity places: the fundraising minimum is not yet published by the organiser.
Can overseas runners enter the Sydney Marathon?
2027 public ballot: Open to domestic and international applicants; international entrants pay AUD 330. Official tour operators sell travel packages that include an entry (International travel partners).
How old do I have to be to run the Sydney Marathon?
The event rules require marathon entrants to be 18 years or older on race day.
I deferred my Sydney Marathon entry. How do I claim it for 2027?
Runners who deferred a 2025 or 2026 entry and nominated 2027, or have not yet nominated a year, are contacted after the ballot is drawn in November 2026 with instructions on claiming their 2027 entry.
What is the Sydney Marathon time limit?
The marathon has a 7-hour time limit, counted from the closure of the start window, and runners must finish within it to be official finishers.
AbbottWMM's own draw of 250 places in the 2026 TCS Sydney Marathon for runners on their star journey. The 2026 draw schedule lists it as opening in January 2026 with the draw held on 30 April 2026, so the draw has taken place. Runners needed 3 or more stars on their AbbottWMM profile by the draw date, could not already have completed this race, and entered through the Runner Portal (entry is not automatic). Winners accept or decline in the portal and pay the race entry themselves.
Opens
Unknown
Deadline
Unknown
Entry fee
Unknown
Eligibility
Runners with an AbbottWMM profile showing 3, 4, 5 or 6 stars by the draw date who have not already completed this race.
Checked by hand · last confirmed 5 Oct 2026, 00:00 · The public race-draws page lists only a schedule (draw opens January 2026, draw date 30 April 2026) with no open/closed wording; whether the draw is open is shown only inside the Runner Portal.
Get into the Sydney Marathon
We'll email you when any official route into the Sydney Marathon opens or is announced.