{"id":35362,"date":"2025-08-26T02:14:53","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T01:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/?post_type=press-release&#038;p=35362"},"modified":"2025-08-26T02:14:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T01:14:54","slug":"the-sydney-marathon-contributed-aud54-million-to-its-host-city-while-the-melbourne-and-gold-coast-marathons-contributed-aud39-million-and-aud25-million-respectively","status":"publish","type":"press-release","link":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/press-releases\/the-sydney-marathon-contributed-aud54-million-to-its-host-city-while-the-melbourne-and-gold-coast-marathons-contributed-aud39-million-and-aud25-million-respectively","title":{"rendered":"The Sydney marathon contributed AUD54 million to its host city while the Melbourne and Gold Coast marathons contributed AUD39 million and AUD25 million respectively"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>Brand Finance's first-of-its-kind research evaluates the economic impact and brand strength of the world\u2019s top 50 marathons<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sydney Marathon <\/strong><strong>ranks among top 10 strongest marathon brands globally for 2025<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Melbourne and Gold Coast Marathons rank 23rd and 26th among world\u2019s strongest marathons brands respectively<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>London Marathon leads as world's strongest marathon brand, while New York City Marathon is most valuable Abbott World Marathon Major, estimated at AUD479 million<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>World\u2019s top 50 marathons raised an estimated AUD697 million for charity in 2024<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SYDNEY, 26th August 2025 \u2013 <\/strong>Australia\u2019s top three marathon brands contributed a combined AUD119million to their host cities, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/brandirectory.com\/reports\/marathons\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marathons 50 2025<\/a> report by Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sydney Marathon<\/strong> contributed an estimated AUD54 million to the city, while <strong>Melbourne<\/strong> contributed AUD39 million and <strong>Gold Coast<\/strong> AUD25 million, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brand Finance\u2019s inaugural research data reveals that the Sydney Marathon is the ninth strongest marathon brand among the world\u2019s top 50, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 78.6\/100. The marathon was well-perceived for its positive impact on the local community and its effective management and ethical governance, as noted by both local and international respondents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the Melbourne Marathon ranks 23rd among the top 50 strongest marathon brands with a BSI score of 68.0\/100. The marathon is highly regarded for its strong sponsorship, attention to runner wellbeing, and excellent location, as noted by local respondents. It is also recognised for being well-managed and ethically governed, according to Brand Finance\u2019s research data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Gold Coast Marathon ranks 26th globally with a BSI score of 67.5\/100. It leads in Australia for its focus on runner wellbeing, positive impact on the local community, and great atmosphere, according to local respondents. International respondents also recognise it for its commitment to environmental sustainability and exceptional experience for spectators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Mark Crowe, Managing Director Australia, Brand Finance<\/strong>, commented: <em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cAustralia\u2019s top three marathons, the <strong>Sydney, Melbourne<\/strong>, and <strong>Gold Coast Marathons<\/strong> are estimated to contribute AUD119 million to their host cities, underscoring the role that well-managed sporting events play in driving local economic growth and enhancing brand recognition. In 2024 alone, these events attracted an estimated 38,962 runners, reflecting their rising prominence on the global running calendar. As participation continues to grow year on year, these marathons are not only becoming major international events but also exemplify how sports can advance community wellbeing, sustainability, and strong governance, reinforcing their impact both locally and on the world stage.\u201d<\/em><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>Hugo Hensley, Valuation Director at Brand Finance<\/strong>, commented:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cMarathons are simultaneously elite athletic competitions and public mass participation events, and usually also major charity initiatives. This unique position is evident in the strength and value of marathon brands, as well as the AUD8.5 billion economic impact they have on the cities where they run. Marathons are extremely attractive and effective sponsorship opportunities for brands that genuinely align with the events\u2019 values of community, charity, and competition.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Global insights<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brand Finance data reveals that the <strong>London Marathon<\/strong> is the strongest marathon brand, with a BSI score of 90.1\/100, while the <strong>New York City Marathon<\/strong> is the most valuable marathon brand (AUD479 million) among seven Abbott World Marathon Majors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tokyo Marathon<\/strong> ranks as the sixth strongest marathon brand among the world\u2019s top 50 with a BSI score of 80.0\/100 and stands out as Asia\u2019s leading marathon, being the only Asian brand in the top 20.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Abbott World Marathon Majors\u2019 collective brand value is AUD1.5 billion. They also collectively raised AUD452 million for charity in 2024, more than half of the total charitable funds raised by the world\u2019s top 50 marathons at an estimated AUD697 million.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Brand Finance launched its inaugural Marathons 50 report, in partnership with <\/em><em>Tata Consultancy Service (TCS), at the London Stock Exchange Group on 24th April 2025.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brand Finance's first-of-its-kind research evaluates the economic impact and brand strength of the world\u2019s top 50 marathons SYDNEY, 26th August 2025 \u2013 Australia\u2019s top three marathon brands contributed a combined AUD119million to their host cities, according to the Marathons 50 2025 report by Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy. Sydney Marathon contributed an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4452,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[36,12,11],"class_list":["post-35362","press-release","type-press-release","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-australia","tag-brand-valuation","tag-featured"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/35362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-release"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35362"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/35362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35370,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-release\/35362\/revisions\/35370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brandfinance.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}