Last November, 918 Brazilians completed the New York marathon, 28% more than in 2023. In the Berlin marathon there were 1,732 in 2025, more than the marathon runners in France and Italy. And in Tokyo, on March 1st, there were more Brazilians than Australians.
Just as the number of races in Brazil grows, the number of amateurs from the country who travel to pursue this late fetish of competing in a marathon, preferably one of the “majors”, as the most prestigious long-distance races in the world are called, increases.
Today there are seven: in addition to the three mentioned, there are Boston, London, Chicago and, since 2025, Sydney. Next year, Shanghai and Cape Town should join the team.
All are sponsored by the transnational laboratory Abbott, with a presence in 160 countries, which indicates that the network can grow even further.
Participating in the majors, and also in other approved events, offers points for an official ranking, and those with the best positions in their age groups are encouraged to compete in a world “final” — in a major. The next one will be in Tokyo, next year, with at least 2,000 participants using this route.
As you can see, it’s hard to let go. This works like those street gangs in the 1970s, according to our mothers’ vision: getting in is easy, getting out…
Anamélia Tannus, from Uberlandia, who intends to compete in her two hundredth marathon in her hometown in May, presented to the readers of this column here, is currently the third Brazilian in the ranking in her age group – from 65 to 69 years old –, with the best time obtained in Valencia, Spain.
There are 18 Brazilians in this category, and the one who closes the list, Satie Kimura, who I met through training at the Pacefit consultancy, run by the beloved physical educator Darlan Duarte, was accredited in New York with a time of over 8:30.
But there are other ways to give rise to the fetish, regardless of performance. Whoever runs all the majors earns the right to own a mandala, the most fetishized sign of distinction for the amateur marathon runner.
When he won his, in London, in 2022, doctor Drauzio Varella found out, through the Abbott Majors social network, that, at 79 years old, he was the oldest person to live up to the distinction at the time. Days ago, the columnist for Sheet he said that this was “the first awareness” that “age had taken hold”.
The problem is that to run a major it’s not enough to just “mucha plata”, but to miraculously qualify in previous draws. In New York, for example, 1% of candidates are selected. There is also the express route of charity, but helping others from rich countries in exchange for a registration costs a few multiples of the “base” amount – it can reach US$3,000, or more, in New York.
There are also registrations for the race that celebrates the 105th anniversary of this Sheetnext Sunday (29). It’s not, of course, a marathon, but the 5 km and 10 km circuits, in addition to the 3 km walk, pass through the coolest scenery in São Paulo. I speak with knowledge of the facts: on Sunday (22), I ran one of the stages of the Sesc Circuit, precisely through the historic center, with an itinerary very similar to that of the newspaper event. Taking a selfie with the Altino Arantes building, the Empire State Building in São Paulo, in the background, might be worth the time not spent on the Queensboro Bridge.
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