Growing pains at TCS Sydney Marathon

August 31, 2026

More than 41,000 runners toed the starting line at the TCS Sydney Marathon on Saturday, its second year as an Abbott World Marathon Major (AWMM). While course records fell in dramatic fashion, a series of timing and finish-line errors stole some of the spotlight.

Australia’s Michael Savvas was initially listed as running 1:44:01, which would have shattered the marathon world record by more than 15 minutes. The problem? Savvas, who was competing in the men’s 55-59 category, had actually dropped out at around 12.5 kilometres. The mistaken result left spectators confused, particularly because no runner had crossed the finish line when the result was posted.

The Sydney Marathon also served as the Australian Marathon Championships, and race organizers were prepared to greet the first Australian finisher with the finish-line tape, only they originally believed U.S. runner Ethan Shuley had won the national title.