How it workS
The 2026 Age Group World Championships will take place within the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on May 24. The qualifying window for the 2026 Age Group World Championships has now closed.
The location for the 2027 Age Group World Champs will be announced shortly.
Qualification for the 2027 Champs is in operation from October 1, 2025 until September 30, 2026 and will be based on the rankings at the end of the season. The list of qualifying races can be found here. Invites will be issued from mid-October 2026.
PLEASE NOTE: We will NOT use the automatic qualifying time system that has been in place for the previous two editions.
In order to receive an invitation, runners must be registered at AbbottWMM.com.
The AbbottWMM MTT Age Group World Rankings comprise over 375 qualifying races in which athletes in nine separate age groups can compete in marathons across the world to earn a global ranking.
Currently there are not enough races which have non-binary categories with sufficient numbers to create meaningful competition and accordingly the AbbottWMM MTT Age Group World Rankings and Championships are unable to offer a non-binary option for qualification. This will be kept under annual review.
