How to Watch the 2026 Sydney Marathon

The Sydney Marathon is back for its second year as a World Marathon Major on Sunday, August 30, with defending men’s champion Hailemaryam Kiros back and a new group of runners headlining the women’s race.Kiros won the race’s Major debut in 2025 in 2:06:06, with Sifan Hassan winning the women’s race in 2:18:22—though she won’t be back to defend this time around. Instead, reigning world champion Peres Jepchirchir headlines a women’s field filled with quite a few sub-2:20 runners, while Kiros has reigning world champion Alphonce Simbu and 2:01 marathoner Sisay Lemma among the men trying to take his title.Around 40,000 runners are expected to race from North Sydney, across the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and toward the finish line in front of the Opera House. Sydney also gives the pros a relatively demanding course to deal with, especially compared with some of the flatter, faster Major courses like Berlin and Chicago.Here’s when to tune in and who to keep an eye on once the racing gets underway.How to Watch the 2026 Sydney MarathonFor U.S. viewers watching from home, the Sydney Marathon will stream live (with a subscription) on FloTrack, with coverage beginning at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 29.The elite wheelchair race gets underway at 4:15 p.m. ET, followed by the marathon at 4:30 p.m. ET. With the time difference, that works out to 6:15 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning in Sydney.In Australia, coverage begins at 6 a.m. AEST on SBS and SBS On Demand. SBS will carry the race until 10:30 a.m., while streaming continues on SBS On Demand through 1:30 p.m. For anyone who doesn’t catch it live, a full replay will also be available afterward.Race Preview: 2026 Sydney MarathonKiros knows this course better than most of the men lining up beside him, but seeing the same result as 2025 won’t be easy.Simbu comes to Sydney as the reigning marathon world champion, after finishing runner-up at Boston each of the past two years. As for Lemma, his 2:01:48 personal best makes him faster than anyone else out there, and he brings wins with him at both Boston and London to the start line. Timothy Kiplagat and Vincent Ngetich have each broken 2:04, while Addisu Gobena and Tebello Ramakongoana return after following Kiros across the line in second and third last year, respectively.Hagos Gebrhiwet comes in with a bit more mystery to the men’s race, as he’ll be running his very first marathon, but that’s not without plenty of long-distance credentials to show off. Not only is the Ethiopian the second-fastest 5,000-meter runner in history, but he’s already clocked 57:41 for the half marathon.Jepchirchir comes in as the woman to beat. Along with her world title, the Kenyan won Olympic marathon gold in 2021 and has already taken home victories at the Majors in Boston, New York, and London. As for her 2:14:43 personal best, it’s also the fastest of anyone on the women’s side.Irene Cheptai gives Kenya another sub-2:18 contender, while Magdalena Shauri comes off a third-place finish at Chicago last fall. Stella Chesang and Ruti Aga have both picked up marathon victories already in 2026 as well, adding even more running strength behind Jepchirchir.There’s plenty to watch before the open marathon starts, too, as the wheelchair races are stacked as well. Australian star Madison de Rozario will compete at home against world-record holder Manuela Schär and American Tatyana McFadden, with David Weir and Daniel Romanchuk among the top names in the men’s race.Sean Abrams was the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.