World Athletics has announced that the marathon, and any other forms of distance road running, will stop being part of the World Athletics Championships, and instead a new standalone championship, called World Athletics Marathon Championships, will be created in 2030, held annually with men and women competing on alternate years.
The World Athletics Championships in 2027 (Beijing) and 2029 will be the last ones to have marathon as part of the schedule. In 2030, the first World Athletics Marathon Championships will be held, and it is expected that it will take place in Athens, where the discipline was created over 2,500 years ago, marking the inaugural edition of the competition. The World Athletics Road Running Championships will continue to take place as a separate annual event.
Sebastian Coe, World Athletics President, explained that this change has been made to "create a dedicated global celebration of marathon running", and is excited to have it in a setting that "honours its heritage while shaping a modern championship that reflects the scale and spirit of the global running community".