To mark a well-earned end to August, the TCS Sydney Marathon 2025 is running through Sydney/Eora’s most scenic sites this weekend. With the course starting in North Sydney, threading through the Harbour Bridge, looping down to Kensington and finishing up at the Sydney Opera House, this marathon is definitely one that will be making its presence known.
Not only can you expect to see tens of thousands of runners along Sydney’s streets, but you are also guaranteed to experience some adjustments and closures to the city’s usual transport routes.
We’ve collected all the relevant info for you to enjoy the 2025 Sydney Marathon–whether you’re a committed runner, a spectator, or just wanting to know how to get around Sydney this weekend.
Jump to
- About The Sydney Marathon
- How To Get To The Sydney Marathon
- Sydney Marathon Public Transport Changes
- Sydney Marathon Road Closures
About The Sydney Marathon
The newest official member of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, the TCS Sydney Marathon 2025 is expecting 35,000 runners this Sunday 31 August–not including the thousands participating in the 10km version or the 5km Mini Marathon on Saturday 30 August.
Presented by Asics, the main marathon course this Sunday starts at 6.30am and covers a remarkable 42.195kms. Spanning across the better part of the day, the marathon kicks off with three separate morning run times, and the course cut-off time is 3.15pm—the perfect time to cool off and visit one of the local businesses for a cheeky iced drink.
The Sydney Marathon is the only continuing legacy of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and keeps the spectator enthusiasm alive with multiple official viewing zones and even some organised entertainment featuring roving bands and live DJs. Runner or not, the Sydney Marathon promises a weekend of Sydney fun.
How To Get To The Sydney Marathon
The TCS Sydney Marathon has been organised closely with Transport NSW to ensure there are plenty of early-running services this Sunday. Transport is included for all participating runners, so make sure to wear your race bib and keep it visible when travelling.
For the three different assembly areas for runners–red, green and orange–there are slightly differing transport routes that will get you closest to your start time spot.
For all assembly areas, North Sydney train station is the best stop to get off.
For the metro, TCS Sydney Marathon recommends going to Victoria Cross Station for the red and orange assembly points, and Crows Nest Station for the green assembly point.
With road closures, it is not recommended to rely on buses as a transport route, and driving or drop-off is also not the encouraged option. However, there are designated accessibility drop-off and pick-up points available for any participants who need them, and you can find the details online.
Wondering how to watch the Sydney Marathon? We haven’t forgotten about the eager spectators. With four main designated watching zones, there are different ways to get to your desired spot. For the Transurban Rock Zone, Circular Quay train station is your closest stop. For the Spirit Of Sydney Zone, the Martin Place metro or train station will bring you right there. The Pride In Sport Zone is a 10-minute walk from Museum Station, and you can take a light rail to Moore Park for the Sydney Swans Centre of Excellence watch zone.
Sydney Marathon Public Transport Changes
To accommodate the thousands of eager Sydney Marathon participants, Transport NSW will be running more frequent train and metro services during the early mornings of Saturday and Sunday. You can expect it to be busy at the stations close to the starting point during the early hours of the weekend, so give yourself that little bit of extra time.
Buses and light rails are expected to be heavily slowed and impacted due to road closures, so keep this in mind when scouting your travel options both during the day and even after the marathon finishes. Maybe opt for a walk (Sydney is expecting some sun this weekend, so soak it up) or a train service instead. View more details online.
Sydney Marathon Road Closures
The Sydney Marathon track for Sunday is a lengthy and scenic one, so you can expect many of Sydney CBD's main roads to be closed with some detour options. Many of these closures last a good part of the day, so it's definitely best to avoid the drive where possible.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge and Western Distributor are two of the main closures for this event, closing at 3am and opening after 11am. Multiple other major roads in North Sydney, Sydney CBD, Pyrmont, Darlinghurst, Moore Park and Kingsford will be closed between 2am and 4pm—you can find a detailed listing of these closures online.
There will also be widespread clearway parking restrictions for the marathon day, so make sure your car is somewhere safe and untowable. Check the detailed parking restrictions online.
Preparing for your run? Check out Urban List’s guide to pre- and post-run smoothie fuel.
Image credit: TCS Sydney Marathon | Website