In August 2025, Marathon Tours & Travel (MTT) celebrated a landmark week in Australia – hosting the inaugural Kangaroo Island Marathon under its new ownership, followed closely by delivering official travel packages to thousands of international runners at the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS as it became the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major.
Highlights
- With the TCS Sydney Marathon becoming the 7th Abbott World Marathon Major, MTT hosted nearly 11,000 participants and spectators – its largest event to date.
- MTT led the TCS Sydney Marathon’s International Travel Programme, working with over 100+ global travel providers in 2025.
- MTT managed travel, accommodation, and race-day logistics, including 6,000 breakfast boxesand 12 chartered harbour cruises for 5,000 post-race guests.
- Destination Sport Charity supported over 1,000 runners from 90 charities, helping them secure places at the Sydney Marathon.
- In its first year of ownership, MTT welcomed 191 runners from 12 countriesto the Kangaroo Island Marathon—a 150% increase from the previous year.
- MTT launched The Aussie Challenge, a two-race experience for runners completing both the Kangaroo Island and TCS Sydney Marathons.
Part of Destination Sport Experiences, Marathon Tours & Travel is an international tour operator that specialises in creating travel packages for participants and their supporters at many of the world’s biggest running events. From the Abbott World Marathon Majors and Candidate Races to MTT’s own roster of global events, the business is trusted by tens of thousands of athletes each year.
Sydney Steps Up as a Marathon Major
The 2025 TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS entered the history books as the seventh Abbott World Marathon Major, joining the Tokyo Marathon, Boston Marathon® presented by Bank of America, TCS London Marathon, BMW BERLIN-MARATHON, Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the TCS New York City Marathon.
As the official travel partner for international participants, MTT looked after nearly 11,000 international athletes and supporters, providing over 25,000 room nights in hand-picked, centrally located accommodation as well as coordinating transfers and curated sightseeing opportunities around Sydney.
MTT also supported their guests with their race-day preparations by serving up 6,000 pre-race breakfast boxes to participants and hosting post-race celebrations with 5,000 guests welcomed onto 12 chartered cruise voyages in Sydney Harbour.
Jeff Adams, President of Marathon Tours & Travel, said:
“This year’s TCS Sydney Marathon was historic, and we’re incredibly proud to have played a part in helping thousands of international runners and supporters experience it first-hand. From accommodation and travel through to harbour cruises and race-day logistics, our goal was to make the TCS Sydney Marathon experience seamless and memorable. The economic impact on Sydney and the wider region has been significant, and we’re excited to build on this momentum in the years to come.”
Building an International Travel Programme
Marathon Tours & Travel has partnered with the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS since 2022, playing a pivotal role in its remarkable growth – from just over 3,400 finishers to more than 33,000. A major driver of this expansion was the launch of the marathon’s International Travel Programme (ITP).
Led by MTT, the ITP offers a seamless experience for global participants and enables external travel partners around the world to sell official packages to the marathon. The programme has been an incredible success, growing from 400 international runners supported by 6 travel partners in 2023 to over 11,000 runners through 106 partners worldwide.
This initiative was instrumental in helping the TCS Sydney Marathon develop from an Abbott World Marathon Major candidate to achieving full Major status for the first time in 2025.
Delivering a Major Charity Programme
Destination Sport Charity, the sister brand of Marathon Tours & Travel, managed the international charity programme for the 2025 event and supported over 1,000 runners from 90 charities worldwide in securing their place on the start line.
In partnership with Grassrootz, who managed the domestic charity programme and fundraising platform, the 2025 event raised a record-breaking $8 million for charity
Head of Destination Sport Charity, Alan Maloney, commented:
“Alongside our partners at Grassrootz, we’re proud to have played a part in helping Sydney achieve a record-breaking $8 million in fundraising at the 2025 event. These vital funds empower charities to continue their incredible work, and we were honoured to support organisations from around the world as they joined Sydney for its historic debut as the 7th Abbott World Marathon Major. We’re deeply grateful to our charity partners and their amazing supporters, and we look forward to welcoming even more to the 2026 charity programme.”
The Kangaroo Island Marathon Becomes an MTT Event
The 2025 Kangaroo Island Marathon marked its debut under Marathon Tours & Travel ownership, joining MTT’s global portfolio alongside iconic races such as the Patagonia Running Festival, Madagascar Marathon, Antarctica Marathon®, and Arctic Marathon.
A 150% increase in participants saw 191 runners across the finish line at Kangaroo Island, with participants from 12 countries travelling to Flinders Chase National Park.
MTT aims to grow the event year-on-year while delivering meaningful benefits to the Kangaroo Island community. This year’s event included initiatives such as locally-made finisher’s prizes, merchandise and aid station snacks, reducing carbon footprint and helping to support local businesses.
Race Director Shannon Stacey at Marathon Tours & Travel, said:
“We’re incredibly proud to have delivered the Kangaroo Island Marathon for the first time under our new management. The race not only showcased the breathtaking landscapes of Flinders Chase National Park but also brought genuine benefit to the local community through meaningful partnerships. We sincerely thank all of our local partners who supported our first iteration of the event.”
Introducing The Aussie Challenge
Marathon Tours & Travel launched The Aussie Challenge – a back-to-back marathon experience designed for runners travelling to Australia. The itinerary combined the wild beauty of the Kangaroo Island Marathon with the world-class TCS Sydney Marathon.
The package featured guaranteed entry to both races, along with accommodation, transfers, sightseeing, and exclusive medals, offering a seamless and memorable way to experience two iconic Australian events.
Aussie Challenge 2025 finisher, Simon Cook, commented,
"The Aussie Challenge is a must-do for adventure runners! What a fantastic two-part adventure; firstly on Kangaroo Island, starting at the iconic 550m year-old Remarkable Rocks towering over the ocean with breathtaking coastal views and the chance to see koala bears and kangaroos. Then onto Sydney…. wow! What a marathon, 33,000 runners running over the Harbour Bridge, through the beautiful city and finishing in front of the Opera House was so special, memories to treasure; The Aussie Challenge will live with me forever."
Next Steps for Marathon Tours & Travel
As the Official Travel Agency and Tour Operator of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, Marathon Tours & Travel (MTT) will close out 2025 by delivering specialist travel packages at the final three majors of the year:
- BMW BERLIN-MARATHON – September 21st
- Bank of America Chicago Marathon – October 12th
- TCS New York City Marathon – November 2nd
MTT operates within Destination Sport Experiences, the mass-participation travel division of Destination Sport Group. Reflecting on recent milestones and the future of MTT, Brendan Fox, Managing Director of Destination Sport Experiences, commented:
Managing Director at Destination Sport Experiences, Brendan Fox, commented,
“It’s fantastic that we’re able to support so many runners, friends and family at an event such as the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by Asics, whilst also assisting our partners with their goals. Our strategy of building out the Marathon Tours & Travel brand across the world, using the corporate infrastructure of Destination Sport Group means we can achieve and deliver much more for our clients than most other sports travel companies. I’m exceptionally proud of all the team and our achievements.”
