The Sydney Marathon took place on Sunday with over 17,000 people running the 42km course making it the largest ever in Australia. 

The Sydney Marathon made history as Australia’s previous biggest marathon held in Melbourne had half the amount of participants.

It was unsure if the event would go ahead due to unusually high spring temperatures and hazard-reduction burns causing a smoky haze over the city.

As the air quality dropped to the fourth worst in the world health experts told the Sydney Marathon organisers to postpone the event if the smoke did not clear.

The decision was made to stop the hazard-reduction burns to ensure the smoke would dissipate in time for the marathon.

The Sydney event announced its candidacy for the Abbots World Marathon Majors earlier this year making this race an important one for everyone involved.

Tourism Minister John Graham told The Sydney Morning Herald that the Sydney Marathon has “incredible vantage points”.

“No city in the world has a greater combination of natural beauty and iconic infrastructure for hosting a marathon than Sydney,” he said. 

More than 17,000 people began the 42 kilometre marathon across the harbour city, but one winner carried the spirit of thousands more on his arm. https://t.co/LfkYZPh11f

— ABC News (@abcnews) September 17, 2023

Othmane El Goumri of Morocco won the main event with a time of 2:08:20 and dedicated his win to the victims of the devastating Morocco earthquake.   

Othmane told ABC News “I have loved ones affected by the earthquake” and that he nearly did not make it to Sydney. 

“I was thinking about the people in Morocco while running, and this victory is for them,” he said. 

Twenty-six runners were hospitalised during the Sydney Marathon due to dangerously high temperatures as heatwave hit the city. pic.twitter.com/Bej73pTm4V

— Louisedmannion (@louisedmannion) September 20, 2023

Will you be taking part in next year’s Sydney Marathon?