At this point, it’s not breaking news that marathons have outgrown their roots as humble footraces. But what might still surprise some people is just how big the business of marathoning has become.
According to new research from Brand Finance, the world’s top 50 marathons generated a staggering $5.2 billion in economic impact in 2024. And that’s not even counting the ripple effect—hotels booked, pubs packed, gear sold, and charity dollars raised.
The Marathons 50 2025 report, the first of its kind, takes a deep dive into how races are shaping economies, building global brands, and becoming year-round platforms for everything from health tech to urban tourism.
And at the heart of this boom? The Abbott World Marathon Majors, including London, New York, Boston, Berlin, Chicago, Tokyo, and the rising star Sydney, are leading the charge.
London and New York: Titans of the Sport (and of Brand Equity)
The report ranks the London Marathon as the strongest marathon brand in the world.
That’s not just about crowd energy or elite field size…it’s about community engagement, inclusivity, and how well the race connects with the public.
In 2024, London made history by offering equal prize money to wheelchair and able-bodied athletes, and it has raised over £1.3 billion for charity since its founding.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the New York City Marathon clocked in as the most valuable brand, worth an estimated $292 million.
That tracks.
NYC’s marathon is a massive civic event, shutting down five boroughs and drawing nearly two million spectators. It’s also now the city’s second-biggest single-sport economic generator, just behind the U.S. Open.
But these races aren’t in competition, well, not really. As London race director Hugh Brasher put it during the report’s launch at the London Stock Exchange, “The real race is against inactivity.”
That might sound like a platitude, but it’s backed by serious work behind the scenes. The Abbott World Marathon Majors aren’t just sharing headlines—they’re sharing operational playbooks, security protocols, and sustainability strategies. They’re collaborating on everything from youth running programs to equal access initiatives, even as they each try to outdo one another on start-line scale and finish-line spectacle.
The $627 Million Question: What’s Chicago Doing Right?
While London and New York may grab the brand glory, it’s the Bank of America Chicago Marathon that leads the pack in raw economic impact, bringing $627 million into the local economy last year.
That’s largely due to a massive out-of-town runner base, which drives up hotel bookings, restaurant footfall, and tourism spend.
The race doesn’t just pay off for the city—it delivers for causes, too. Across the top 50 marathons globally, runners raised $425 million for charity in 2024. Of that, a whopping $276 million came from just the seven World Marathon Majors.
That number matters. In an age when sports sponsorship is under pressure to prove its social value, marathons are becoming some of the most impactful platforms out there.
Brands want in. Not just because runners are high-earning and loyal, but because the events offer a chance to back community causes in a very public, very meaningful way.
Why the World’s Biggest Companies Are Betting on Marathons
At the Marathons 50 launch event, big-name sponsors explained how marathons have gone from nice-to-have brand moments to core pieces of their business strategy.
TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), for instance, has gone all-in on running.
They’ve ditched other sports sponsorships in favor of 14 global marathon partnerships, including title rights for London, New York, and Sydney. More than just logos, they’re testing out tech like real-time tracking apps and even a “digital twin” of Des Linden’s heart, built to monitor biometric data.
Abbott has used the marathon series to pilot its Lingo biosensor, which tracks glucose in real time.
Bank of America has turned Boston into a city-wide fundraising machine, from ATM messages to branded skyscrapers.
And Standard Chartered now runs marathons in 10 Asian and Middle Eastern cities, growing participation from 1,000 runners in Hong Kong back in the ‘90s to over 250,000 across its races last year.
This is no longer just sports marketing—it’s business development, health-tech R&D, employee engagement, and global brand-building rolled into one.
From Paris to Sydney, Everyone Wants In
Marathon culture isn’t confined to the majors anymore.
In fact, Paris ranked third in Brand Finance’s brand strength index—even though it’s not (yet) part of the Abbott series. Thanks to its Olympic ties and scenic cityscape, it scored high in international perception and atmosphere.
Sydney, the youngest of the bunch, has exploded in interest.
Ballot applications jumped from 5,300 to nearly 80,000 in just four years. Race director Wayne Larden calls it the “20-year-old baby” of the Majors, but with that kind of growth, it’s clearly growing up fast.
Other cities are lining up, too. From Dubai to Hanoi, marathons are becoming cultural calling cards—vehicles for tourism, civic pride, and health promotion.
And according to the panelists, we’re nowhere near “peak marathon.”
