The march distances change to suit those of the marathon

World Athletics this Wednesday announced major changes in various aspects. Some of these involve its social principles, while others directly affect the concept of some of its tests.

In this sense, the march is back in the spotlight. It has been approved by the international federation changes in official distances of these tests to be implemented from January 1, 2026 at World Athletics Series events.

After the introduction for the Paris Games of a relay marathonthe idea seems to have caught on in the international organization, which this measure is transferred to individual tests. This way, it won’t be a short distance the 20 kilometers to fit 21.0975 metersthe half marathon distance, while The long test of 35 kilometers will now have a length of 42,195 metersthe official marathon distance.

They are not the only differences, although they are the most noticeable. Among other changes, the 10,000-meter walk at the U20 World Cup will be replaced by a 5,000-meter walk from 2026, while the 4×100 mixed relay will be added to the 2025 Guagzhou World Relay Championship, next May. World Athletics did not comment on the full relay event.

Before explaining the changes in the sport, World Athletics announced it strong commitment to combating sexist violencesomething he established as “a priority.” The Athletes Commission has asked the body in recent days to lead the fight against this situation and the international federation has shown its total commitment to the proposal.

Besides, World Athletics has reaffirmed the dates of its major competitions in 2025. These include the Nanjing Indoor World Championships (March 21 to 23), the Guangzhou Relay World Championships (May 10 to 11) and the San Diego Road World Championships (September 26 to 28).