Sydney’s marathon is still a newcomer to the World Marathon Majors, joining the series only recently, but the elevated status has already transformed the event. Participation has surged, with tens of thousands of runners from across Australia and around the world converging on the city. The 2026 edition unfolded under a flawless winter sky — the kind of crisp, sunlit Sydney day that northern‑hemisphere entrants must find almost surreal.
Tata Consultancy Services continued its role as naming sponsor, bringing the scale, polish and logistical muscle you’d expect from a global technology company. Their involvement has helped lift the event into truly international territory, and it shows in everything from the branding to the breadth of the field.
Sydney’s course remains the hilliest of the Majors, but it is also the most spectacular: a net downhill run beginning with the sweep over the Harbour Bridge and finishing at the Opera House. Between those landmarks, the route dives deep into Rabbitohs territory in the inner south and loops through the greenery of Centennial Park before turning north again toward the city.
I photographed the race from Taylor Square in Darlinghurst — the heart of Sydney’s LGBTQ+ community and one of the most joyful points on the course. Oxford Street and Flinders Street mirror the Mardi Gras parade route, and on marathon day the atmosphere is just as exuberant: drag queens, pumping anthems, rainbow signage and a crowd that cheers every runner as if they’re family.
From that vantage point, I watched thousands of competitors pass in every imaginable state of emotion and repair. Some floated through in ecstasy, others fought visible agony. One elderly gentleman, clearly struggling with ten kilometres still ahead, stayed with me long after he’d passed — determined, hurting, and emblematic of the courage that defines distance running. I hope he's OK.
I’m a retired runner myself: several half‑marathons, countless shorter races, and one marathon that taught me never to attempt another. That experience gives me a personal understanding of the pain etched on so many faces. The media focuses on winners and celebrities, but my interest lies with the ordinary runners — the unknown individuals whose expressions reveal the private battles and small triumphs that make a marathon what it is. These portraits are for them.
People I do not know are inevitably recognisable in these images. If you stumble across this page and find yourself, I hope you enjoy the way you’re portrayed. If you’d like a high‑resolution copy, I’ll gladly send one. If you’d prefer the caption changed — or the photo removed — just let me know. Above all, congratulations on competing. I hope you finished safely and recorded a time that pleased you.