Overview
- World Athletics, which unveiled the change Tuesday, will keep the marathon in the 2027 worlds in Beijing and in 2029 before dropping all road races from the main meet after 2030.
- The new World Marathon Championships will run every year from 2030, with men and women racing in alternate years.
- Athens is in formal talks to stage the first edition in 2030 through a partnership with the Hellenic Athletics Federation (SEGAS) and the Region of Attica.
- The plan includes a multi-year push to modernize the Athens course and race operations to reach Platinum Label status by 2029.
- Officials cite athlete welfare as a key reason for the shift, and the separate World Athletics Road Running Championships will continue each year.