Infront
For much of the modern sporting era, commercial success was measured by audiences. The biggest events attracted the largest crowds, the highest television ratings and the most valuable sponsorships.
Marathon running has quietly built a different model.
Across the world, major races are attracting unprecedented demand. Entry ballots are oversubscribed, participants are travelling across continents to secure places and cities are increasingly viewing their marathons as strategic assets rather than annual sporting events. What was once seen primarily as a test of personal endurance has evolved into a platform that generates value far beyond race day.
Few organisations have had a closer view of that transformation than the international sports marketing group Infront. Through its Active Lifestyle business, the company works across a portfolio of endurance and participation properties ranging from marathons and trail running events to walking challenges and corporate fitness programmes, while also supporting the international expansion of Abbott World Marathon Majors candidate races including Sydney, Cape Town and Shanghai. TCS Sydney Marathon and Sanlam Cape Town Marathon have officially become an Abbott World Marathon Major as of their respective 2025 and 2027 editions.
The big question is how this latest boom in running, specifically marathons, can sustain growth across cities, commercial partners, participants and communities.
Participation boom to premium product
When the dust settled on the 2027 London Marathon public ballot, it was clear that demand for running’s top events is reaching a level few sports can dream of. More than 1.3 million people signed up to enter, setting a new record.
Running now accounts for around 80 per cent of all mass participation event bookings, while marathon participation continues to grow and entry prices continue to rise.
The scale of that demand points to a broader shift. Marathons have evolved far beyond annual city events. They have become global participation properties with strong pricing power, highly engaged audiences and a customer journey that can last for years.
The appeal begins with the minimalism of running itself.
Hans-Peter Zurbruegg, senior vice president of Active Lifestyle at Infront says: “Running is simply the most natural sport.
“It can be practised almost anywhere at any time and requires very little investment. The barriers to entry are lower than almost any other sport.”
The pandemic accelerated participation, but Zurbruegg believes the foundations run much deeper than a post-lockdown surge.
“The growth and evolution of running is fuelled by some mega-trends, including increasing health, fitness and active lifestyle consciousness, that was clearly amplified during the pandemic. In addition, there is a trend to aim for unique experiences rather than physical items, increasing importance of purpose, a stronger focus on work-life balance, of growing trend of sharing economies as well as the rapid evolution in digital and AI.”
Together, those trends have helped turn running from a fitness activity into a broader lifestyle movement.
The demographic profile of runners is also changing. According to Strava’s ‘Year In Sport’ trend report, the number of marathons recorded by Gen Z runners increased by more than a third in 2025. Female participation continues to grow across many markets. Those trends point towards a larger and more diverse participant base rather than a temporary surge concentrated among existing runners.
Marathon running also occupies a unique position within the participation sports landscape. Unlike disciplines such as triathlon, which require specialist equipment and significant investment, or fitness events, which are often attached to high-cost gym memberships, running remains highly accessible. At the same time, the Abbott World Marathon Majors provide a globally recognised pathway that gives participants long-term goals to pursue. That combination of accessibility and aspiration has helped turn marathon running into one of the most powerful participation platforms in sport.
The more interesting question is why demand appears to be accelerating fastest at the premium end of the market.
Zurbruegg adds: “Like in many other sports, premium events are benefiting disproportionately from the overall growth of running.”
He points to the emergence of bucket-list races and long-term participation goals that can take years to complete. For committed runners, major marathons are increasingly viewed not simply as races but as personal milestones and lifetime ambitions.
The London Marathon is the clearest example, but it is far from unique. Across the marathon space, demand often significantly exceeds supply. (Image Credit: Getty Images)
The premium positioning of major marathons extends beyond entry fees. For sponsors, the value lies in access to highly engaged participants who are making significant investments of time, money and emotion. Few sports offer such a long and sustained engagement window between registration and the event itself.
Zurbruegg sees that as the result of decades spent building events that runners increasingly view as lifetime ambitions. This is especially true of the World Marathon Majors, but reflects the runner mentality:
“Having completed all World Marathon Majors, events become almost a life mission for many runners,” he says. “The series character of the World Marathon Majors is unique and reflects the highest level of achievement that an amateur runner can strive for.”
Whilst most sports properties focus on attracting spectators, major marathons attract participants who commit months of preparation before race day arrives, providing sponsors an opportunity to engage throughout that process rather than during a single window.
Zurbruegg adds: “It is not the pure eyeballs and viewing audience that count.
“The emotional connection with participants is unique to running and mass participation events.”
Marathon’s map is getting bigger
The growth of the World Marathon Majors also demonstrates how that model can travel with the right collaboration and support. Participation numbers are the biggest indicator.
Cape Town Marathon has grown from 13,000 marathon runners in 2022 to 27,000 in 2026. Sydney has experienced a similar trajectory, increasing from 5,300 marathon runners in 2022 to 35,000 in 2025, with organisers targeting 40,000 finishers in 2026. Demand has accelerated even faster, with more than 123,000 applications received for the 2026 Sydney Marathon ballot, a 56 per cent increase on the previous year.
Those figures show that marathon growth is rarely about increasing participation alone. It involves building international appeal, strengthening tourism value, creating operational excellence and maintaining a participant experience capable of sustaining long-term demand.
“Cape Town marks another milestone,“ Zurbruegg says. “Africa is home to many of the world’s greatest marathon runners and now has its own World Marathon Major destination. It further increases the global reach of the series and the inclusiveness of the running community.”
Behind that growth sits years of collaboration between event organisers, city authorities, tourism bodies, sponsors and the wider Abbott World Marathon Majors ecosystem. According to Zurbruegg, the willingness of candidate races to learn from existing Majors and adapt their operations has been one of the defining factors behind successful expansion.
Why cities are buying in
There is an additional effect beyond race revenue as well, with marathons generating substantial, repeatable economic impact through tourism, hospitality and local spending.
“Marathons offer a unique opportunity to showcase a city,” says Zurbruegg. “They bring together local communities, charities, tourism organisations, hotels, sponsors and many other stakeholder groups around a common objective.”
That combination of recurring economic impact and global visibility helps explain why cities increasingly view marathons as strategic assets rather than standalone events.
For organisers, however, growth brings its own challenges. One of the most common mistakes is pursuing participation growth faster than the event’s operational capability can support. Every additional wave of runners increases complexity across transport, logistics, safety, course management and participant services.
“The runner experience has to remain at the centre of everything,” Zurbruegg insists. “The goal should never simply be to maximise participant numbers.”
That balance may define the next phase of the market. Demand remains strong, participation continues to rise and new geographies are entering the conversation. At the same time, organisers face increasing pressure to preserve quality while scaling responsibly.
For many runners, completing a marathon will be their proudest life achievement. (Image Credit: Infront)
The next star
The commercial opportunity in marathon running has now moved beyond race entries and sponsorship agreements into tourism, hospitality, community engagement and the wider experience economy that has grown around participation sport.
That growth brings responsibility as well as opportunity. As demand continues to rise, organisers face increasing pressure to preserve the qualities that attracted runners in the first place: Accessibility, community and the sense of achievement that remains at the heart of the marathon experience.
The future of the sector is unlikely to be defined simply by how many people stand on a start line. The bigger challenge will be creating sustainable growth that benefits participants, cities, sponsors and communities alike. Those that achieve that balance will shape the next chapter in marathon running’s evolution from sporting event to global commercial platform, while pursuing a noble business purpose in promoting and active lifestyle and making the world a more active and healthier one.