The world’s best marathons for 2025

Marathons are more popular than ever. More than 840,000 people signed up for the ballot to take part in 2025’s London Marathon, vastly outstripping the 57,000 or so that will be given the opportunity to take part – an increase of 261,000 applications on 2024. Figures are increasing around the world – Beijing’s marathon saw 180,000 runners compete for the 30,000 slots available in 2024 (a rise of 50,000 on the previous year), while Chicago saw over 120,000 applications, continuing the record-breaking figures of the previous year.

This increasing interest in marathons runs parallel with a growing running club scene in many cities around the world – perhaps as a knock-on effect from the pandemic, when many people reconnected with regular exercise. Training and nutrition knowledge is improving, and technological advances in shoes, including better and lighter cushioning, is allowing more runners than before to withstand the harsh impact of 26.2 miles of tarmac stomping.

Thanks to those advances, performances are improving, too. At the elite end of the marathon, racers are getting faster and faster: the top 14 men’s and top five women’s marathon performances of all time have all occurred since 2016, partly helped by the invention of super stiff yet light carbon soles. A similar effect is happening in the amateur scene: research by Strava found that the average London Marathon time improved by 12 minutes between 2022 and 2023, from 4 hours 18 mins to 4 hours 6 mins.

So where to go to run your next marathon? Whether you are looking to complete your first, or to beat your current PB, our list of the best marathons to travel to next year include a mix of Abbott World Marathon Majors (the six top marathons in the world that professionals and amateurs compete in) and some lesser known contests in beautiful cities.

Marathons in Europe

London Marathon

Best for: Iconic landmarks and an unrivalled atmosphere
When: Sunday 27 April 2025

Starting with the most subscribed Marathon Major, there is a reason why London is so many runners’ favourite. The chance to take part in the same race as the world’s best is why taking on a major is so exciting. Add to that a tradition of charity runners taking on the course in bonkers fancy dress, a route that weaves through the centre of the city along Tower Bridge and past the Houses of Parliament, and a huge crowd of supporters, and you have yourself a recipe for an excellent marathon. The route starts in Greenwich and takes in a loop of Woolwich and Rotherhithe before crossing Tower Bridge and taking in the Isle of Dogs and the Docklands. Participants then head west along the Thames before curling around Westminster and St James’ Park, and finishing on The Mall.

London’s ballot is hugely oversubscribed, so your best bet for getting yourself a place is to volunteer for a charity, whereby they secure your place in return for a pledge to raise a certain amount of funding – usually around 1,500 GBP or so. Alternatively, if you are a very good runner, you can gain a ‘Good for Age’ place by qualifying a certain time in a previous marathon (sub 2 hours 55 minutes is the quickest cut-off for men aged 18 to 39, and range up to 7 hours 45 minutes for women over the age of 90). A popular second choice for those that didn’t make the ballot is taking on Brighton Marathon on the south coast, which is held the weekend before each year.

Berlin Marathon

Best for: Setting a new PB
When: Sunday 21 September 2025

Berlin Marathon held its 50th edition in 2024, and recorded a record-breaking 54,280 verified finishers crossing Brandenburg Gate, making it the biggest marathon in the world in 2024. It is the only other European marathon to join London in the big six, and is held in autumn each year, allowing participants to train during summer. The route is renowned for being the flattest of the Majors, and with several long straight passages, it is one of the best contenders for breaking your PB. This includes the world record, which has been beaten 13 times here, most recently in 2022, before being beaten again in Chicago in 2023.

The course takes you along the most scenic sites of Berlin, such as the Reichstag, the Berliner Dom, Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz and Tiergarten. As with all Marathon Majors, entry is allocated via a lottery. Like other Majors, you can secure a place as a charity runner, or as a ‘fast runner’, with proof of a qualifying time in a previous marathon.

Marathons in Asia

Mumbai Marathon

Best for: Asia’s biggest marathon
When: Sunday 19 January 2025

Asia’s largest mass participation sporting event, Mumbai Marathon is held on the third Sunday of January every year, taking advantage of the cool dry season in India. The route begins outside Chatrapati Shivaji train station and heads along the coastal road to Chowpatty, along Marine Drive, and over the Bandra Worli Sea Link, before turning back round to the start. For a chance to experience many of Mumbai’s monuments traffic-free, we can’t think of a better reason to join in. Mumbai Marathon occupies a solid sweet spot, as it’s a vast and well organised race without the oversubscription of the Majors, meaning you can enter the race more easily while still benefiting from the atmosphere of a big event. If you plan on doing multiple marathons in a season, taking part in Mumbai could be a great way of getting into form early in the year.

Tokyo Marathon

Best for: Asia’s only Major
When: Sunday 2 March 2025

Asia’s only Marathon Major, and Japan’s most popular, only 38,000 people are allowed to enter Tokyo Marathon each year, making it one of the less crowded events of the calendar, although it’s still just as hard to get into as the other world majors. Both the women’s and men’s course records were broken in 2024, so who knows what lies ahead for 2025. The route begins in Shinjuku and heads towards Suidobashi, before passing through Ueno-hirokoji, Ginza, Tamachi and Hibiya, and finishing at Tokyo Station. The race attracts two million supporters annually, so a serious atmosphere is guaranteed.

For a marathon held later in the year, check out Hokkaido Marathon, held in Sapporo at the end of August each year – taking advantage of the comparative cool of Japan’s northernmost main island.

Marathons in the Americas

Boston Marathon

Best for: The world’s oldest annual marathon
When: Monday 21 April 2025

Established in 1897, Boston is the world’s oldest annual marathon and one of the three American Majors, joined by New York and Chicago. The course is unique, flowing in a more or less straight line from west to east from the New England town of Hopkinton to the centre of Boston. There are a number of hills on the route, although the full distance involves more downhill than uphill. This, paired with a prevailing tailwind, means Boston race times don’t qualify for world records. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s an easy course. One of the hills occurs just before mile 21, which is precisely the portion of the race when runners are most likely to hit ‘the wall’. Because of this, it’s known as Heartbreak Hill.

As a city with great sporting traditions, Boston’s marathon is no exception: every year, the Red Sox play a home game on Fenway Park, and their supporters pour out after the game to Kenmore Square to cheer runners on the final mile of the race. Wellesley College sits almost halfway along the route, and it is tradition for students there to cheer on participants at ‘Scream Tunnel’ – a 400 metre tunnel the route passes through. Runners say the screams are so loud it can be heard a mile away.

Mexico City Marathon

Best for: A unique challenge
When: Sunday 24 August 2025

XLI Maratōn de la Ciudad de Mēxico is an official qualifier for marathon times, and the only marathon in Latin America with the international sustainability certification of the Council for Responsible Sport, having been awarded the highest certification. As one of the world’s most beautiful cities, a chance to run along its historic streets traffic-free is surely enough reason to sign up.

Starting outside the Olympic Stadium in San Ángel, the route flows north to La Condesa before looping around Chapultepec Park and Polanco, and finishing in Zócalo – the main square of Centro Histórico, passing the baroque, gothic and neoclassical architecture of the city.

At 2240m above sea level, running a marathon in Mexico City should not be underestimated – the altitude can have a surprising impact on those not used to it. To prepare fully, training at altitude would be ideal, but if that’s not possible, strength training can help for when the oxygen level drops. Make sure to arrive a week before the race to give your body a chance to acclimatise.