News
Nov 08 Tokyo Marathon Baggage Check: Bag Drop Rules and Options Nov 07 Boston Marathon Gear Check Rules: Bag Drop and Hopkinton Policy Nov 06 Boston Marathon Bib Pickup: Expo Location, Hours, and Rules Nov 04 London Marathon Start Waves: Corrals, Colors, and Rules Nov 03 Boston Marathon Time Limit: Cutoffs, Rules, and 5:30 PM Timing Nov 02 Sydney Marathon 2027 Ballot Results: Date, Charges, Next Steps Nov 01 London Marathon Tour Operators: How Guaranteed Entry Packages Work Oct 31 NYC Marathon Cancellation and Deferral: Deadline and 2027 Entry Oct 30 Chicago Marathon 2027 Application Closed: What Is Still Open Oct 29 Tokyo Marathon 2027: VENEX Campaign Draws 40 Entries
[ Wire ] · Dispatch · Aug 07

Sydney Marathon Ballot Odds: 123,000 Entries, No Published Rate

Sydney's organizer does not publish a ballot acceptance rate, so any precise percentage you see for Sydney is an estimate. What TCS Sydney Marathon has published is the demand: more than 123,000 ballot entries for the 2026 race, up 56% on the year before, for an event targeting 40,000 finishers. Because the ballot fills only part of that field, those two numbers put a ceiling on the odds of roughly one in three. The 2027 ballot opens September 29, 2026.

What are the current Sydney Marathon ballot odds?

Unpublished. The 2026 ballot opened September 24, 2025 and closed October 17, 2025, with results emailed October 29, 2025. The organizer reported 123,000-plus entries, the highest in the event's history, and a capacity target of 40,000 finishers. Dividing one by the other gives about 32%, but that is an upper bound, not an acceptance rate: priority entries, charity places and travel partners also come out of the same field. The 2026 Sydney ballot results page carries what has been published.

Why is it getting harder?

Demand is growing faster than the field. Ballot entries jumped 56% in a single year to 123,000-plus, while the field grew far more slowly: the 2025 race had 32,963 finishers, and the organizer is targeting 40,000 for 2026. More applicants chasing a field that grows more slowly can only push the odds down.

Is Sydney still the easiest Major ballot to win?

Probably, but no organizer gives the numbers needed to say for sure. Sydney's ceiling of about one in three compares with Tokyo's published rate of roughly 10%, London's last published rate of about 1.3% and New York's roughly 1%. Chicago and Berlin publish no acceptance rate at all, so they cannot be ranked against Sydney with confidence. Sydney's Southern Hemisphere timing and its newer status as a Major help keep demand below the oldest races, at least for now.

Will the odds keep falling?

The trend says probably. Every Sydney ballot so far has drawn more entries than the one before it, and a 56% one-year jump would squeeze any field that grows more slowly. The 2027 ballot runs from September 29 to October 19, 2026; whether the organizer publishes an acceptance rate this time is not known.

What if the Sydney ballot says no?

Sydney also offers priority entry standards, charity places, and official travel partners outside the general ballot. Every Major ranked by odds shows where Sydney sits against the other seven, and the Marathon Ballot Simulator models how an estimated rate compounds if you plan to keep entering in future cycles.

The 2027 race runs August 29, 2027. Free Sydney ballot alerts cover the opening and closing dates.

Sources: TCS Sydney Marathon: record demand fuels growth, Sydney 2026 ballot results

Sources TCS Sydney Marathon 2026 ballot entries (123,000+, up 56%) and the 40,000-finisher target from TCS Sydney Marathon's own announcement; 2025 finisher count from the official results. The organizer publishes no ballot acceptance rate (accessed October 27, 2026).