If you scroll through Armando Cortinas Mac’s Instagram feed, it’s a blur of medals, finish lines, and wide grins in cities scattered across the world: Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, and New York. For most runners, finishing one of these marathons is a dream. Armando did all seven of them in a single year.
In 2025, the Mexican Nike Running ambassador became one of the few people on the planet to complete all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors, including Sydney, which joined the series that same year.
His times were astonishingly consistent: 2:43 in Tokyo, 2:42 in Boston, 2:51 in London, 2:38 in Sydney, 2:51 in Berlin, 2:43 in Chicago, and 2:44 in New York. It wasn’t just a display of endurance, it was a masterclass in discipline.
He summed it up in a single sentence beneath a photo in Times Square: “Yep. We just did it 😅! 7 marathons. 7 majors. 1 year.”
Armando, who goes by @mcolie23 online, is part of a new wave of global amateur elites, runners who blur the line between sport and storytelling. His feed doesn’t just show medals, it captures the exhaustion, the pride, the surreal feeling of standing at finish lines halfway across the world. It’s a reminder that running, at its best, is both personal and universal.
But even as he chased finish lines from continent to continent, he wasn’t done testing himself. Somewhere in the middle of it all, he flew to the Netherlands and competed in Ironman 70.3 Westfriesland, a 1.9 km swim, 90 km bike ride, and half marathon, finishing in 5 hours and 12 minutes.
For context, that’s a solid time for a dedicated triathlete, let alone someone squeezing triathlon training between marathon build-ups.
Completing all seven World Marathon Majors is rare enough, but doing it within a year and tossing an Ironman in the mix borders on the unbelievable.
According to Abbott World Marathon Majors, only a small fraction of runners ever earn the Six Star Medal, which recognizes those who’ve finished the six traditional majors. With Sydney’s addition in 2025, Armando was among the first to claim the new seven-star distinction, a bit of history that will likely never be repeated under the same circumstances.
And just when you think he might be ready to take a break, he ends his year with a hint that he’s not done yet: “I’ll be back…”
If his 2025 season was any indication, that’s both a promise and a warning. Because somewhere out there, there’s another start line waiting, and you can bet Armando Cortinas Mac will find it.
