Rio Marathon Scales Up to World-Class Festival With Elite Label and Record Field

Overview

• This week’s June 3–7 edition drew a record 67,000–70,000 registrations and organizers now forecast the event will generate more than R$800 million for Rio’s economy.
• World Athletics granted the race an Elite Label and World Marathon Majors sent observers to evaluate the event as a possible future candidate.
• Organizers changed the 42 km route to favor faster times, set a 40,000 runner capacity for the full marathon, and increased the 42 km purse to a record US$270,000 with bonuses for course records.
• Commercial expansion includes more than 40 sponsor brands, naming rights deals for the 5K (Vibra) and 21K (Claro), new festival spaces and a live broadcast that starts at 5:30 a.m. and runs until the last finisher.
• About 75% of entrants come from outside the city and airport estimates predict heavy travel during the race window, making tourism impact and local business gains key measures of the event’s bid to reach Gold, Platinum or World Marathon Majors status.