Age Group World Championships

DOUBLE CHANCE TO QUALIFY FOR THE AGE GROUPS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

 Master athletes who participate in the Türkiye İş Bankası 47th Istanbul Marathon on 2 November 2025 will have a chance to be invited not only to the 2026 Abbott World Marathon Majors MTT Age Groups Championships but also for the 2027 edition of the event.

Istanbul Marathon is one of the qualifying races for the World Championships for master marathoners. Runners aged 40 and over are able to qualify for the Abbott World Marathon Majors MTT Age Groups Championships with their performances achieved in Istanbul.

The 2026 Age Group World Championships will be hosted as part of the Cape Town Marathon on 24 May 2026. Due to the date of the event being shifted from the traditional fall date to the spring, as well as planning for the 2027 Championships, athletes achieving the qualifying time in the Istanbul Marathon 2025 will have an opportunity to qualify for the 2026 Championships, but all the times will count for the 2027 Championships as well.

Any athlete achieving the Automatic Qualifying Time for their age group in Istanbul Marathon will receive an immediate invitation for the 2026 AbbottWMM MTT Age Group World Championships.

Runners who do not achieve the Automatic Qualifying Time still have the opportunity to receive an invitation to enter the World Championship depending on the full field size and the number of athletes achieving the qualifying time.

In order to receive an invitation, runners must be registered through the Runner Portal at www.worldmarathonmajors.com.

The following qualifying times must be achieved for the 2026 AbbottWMM MTT Age Group World Championships. For the 2027 edition, qualifying times may remain the same or change slightly.

In case an athlete changes age group after he/she has earned qualification, the age on World Championships race day will determine the age group he/she competes in.

More information at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/rankings