2023 Sydney Marathon: Inside the record-breaking event

The 2023 Sydney Marathon was one for the record books, and shows how event organizers can utilize every part of their event to deliver a first-rate experience for participants.

This year’s event set the record for the biggest-ever marathon field in Australia. More than 17,000 participants entered to run the 2023 Sydney Marathon on September 17^th, compared to 5,000 entries in 2022.

Moroccan Othmane El Goumri (2:08:20) and American Betsy Saina (2:26:47) finished with the best times for the men’s and women’s marathons, respectively, while Canada’s Joshua Cassidy (1:41:52) and Australia’s Madison de Rozario (1:59:41) won the wheelchair events.

Across all distances, the event saw an incredible 42,000-plus registrations with runners taking to the streets of the historic Australian city throughout race weekend.

The Sydney Marathon has been delivering unforgettable experiences for participants and attendees alike for more than 20 years—and 2023 was no different.

An Iconic Sydney Course for Marathoners

The Sydney Marathon course is jaw-dropping. It starts with a run across the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and finishes in front of the world-famous Sydney Opera House. In between, the 42-kilometer route passes by other well-known Sydney landmarks, including Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, the Sydney CBD, and Centennial Park. 

Sydney is one of the most picturesque cities in the world, and the marathon’s scenic route takes advantage of that beauty to deliver an unforgettable experience for participants that also motivates them to finish. Every athlete taking part in the Sydney Marathon strives to cross the finish line in front of the Opera House.

A Special On-Course Participant Experience

What’s more, the on-course experience was taken to another level this year. For participants, there were 40 different entertainment areas along the route—which doubles 2022’s total—and three “Hot Corners” at selected locations with staging, DJs and EMCEEs. There were also four designated cheering sites setup throughout the city for family, friends and spectators to support the runners. 

By coupling incredible scenery with memorable and meaningful activations, the Sydney Marathon is a great example for event organizers on how to use every aspect of their course to deliver a top-notch participant experience.

A Festival-Like Atmosphere for Everyone

That top-notch experience also continued off the course. This year’s Sydney Marathon Running Show presented by ASICS was bigger and better than ever before. The 2023 running expo felt more like a running festival with special guest speakers as well as partner booths and brand activations, including apparel personalization from ASICS where attendees could have custom-printed apparel made on-site.

On the marathon course and off it, the Sydney Marathon’s organizers put an emphasis on giving participants and attendees more than just a race. This year’s marathon was a fully immersive experience—a days-long event that offered something for everyone who came.

Delivering an experience for guests that competes with (and surpasses) what other races and outdoor events are offering is what helps event organizers enjoy the type of growth that the Sydney Marathon has seen in 2023.  

Led by event director Wayne Larden, the 2023 Sydney Marathon team delivered a comprehensive event worthy of its record-breaking status.

How Organizers Took 2023 to the Next Level

Of course, putting on an event of this magnitude is no simple task—it requires meticulous and expert planning from Larden and his team, working alongside sports timing specialists MultiSport Australia, as well as collaborating with event sponsors like ASICS and the ASICS Apps event management platform, Race Roster.

The Race Roster Oceania team was thrilled to play a part in such a successful event, collaborating with the Sydney Marathon team and ASICS Oceania to give participants and attendees a more memorable experience.

That experience, of course, starts with packet pick-up, where a stress-free experience can set the tone for the event. One of the challenges during the 2022 Sydney Marathon was participants having to line up to pick up their race bibs. Creating an improved, streamlined check-in experience was a major focus for the event in 2023.

Event organizers changed venues to create more space and worked with Race Roster Oceania to speed up the race bib collection process.

Using Race Roster’s Onsite App and barcode scanners at check-in, packet pickup became as simple as scanning participant QR codes. Participants received a unique QR code after their initial registration and again in the leadup to race weekend through email and SMS reminders. Instead of spending time collecting a participant’s personal information manually, Sydney Marathon volunteers simply scanned a registrant’s QR code and handed over their bib and race packet.

The result was minimal lineups and short wait times for participants at check-in so they could spend more time taking in the full Sydney Marathon experience.

Race Roster also worked closely with ASICS Oceania, the official Sydney Marathon merchandising partner, to sell more event apparel to more participants through the registration flow.

The Sydney Marathon’s products became available to purchase in-store nine months into the registration process, so Race Roster helped marathon organizers market the platform’s store function to drive registrants back to purchase ASICS event merchandise when it was available.

That strategy was a big success. Just like the Sydney Marathon saw more marathoners than ever before, ASICS saw an incredible 250% year-over-year bump in their online event merchandise sales in 2023.

What’s Next for the Sydney Marathon in 2024

With this year’s race in the rear view, next year’s edition of the Sydney Marathon is already shaping up to be the best one yet.

The 2023 Sydney Marathon saw significant growth year-over-year, and event organizers and partners are committed to keeping up that momentum.

The Sydney Marathon’s candidacy for the Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM) continues in 2024. That means organizers are aiming to put on another show-stopping event so Sydney can join Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City as part of the world’s most highly regarded running event series.

On top of that, the Sydney Marathon is set to host the 2024 Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda Age Group World Championships, becoming the first race outside of the AbbottWMM to put on the event. On September 15, 2024, thousands of the world’s best runners aged 40 and over will travel to Australia to compete in the prestigious event.

So, if you’ve been thinking about taking a trip overseas or participating in an extraordinary international endurance event, there’s never been a better time to experience the Sydney Marathon.