NLB Ljubljana Marathon is a qualifying marathon for the 40+ World Championships

Given the "gold label" of the World Athletics, the NLB Ljubljana Marathon of course has a status that allows participants to achieve and recognize the norm for all major athletics competitions, including the Olympic Games and world or European championships. The flat course and pacers definitely enable top runners to achieve top results.

But that's not all: we are also a qualifying event for recreational runners to participate in the World Championships, in age categories from 40 years of age and older. Qualifications are open from 1 January to 31 December 2025, and in 2026 the Abbott World Marathon Majors Marathon Tours & Travel Age Group World Championships - the world veteran championship will be hosted by Cape Town, South Africa, on 24 May.

Qualifying times for the 2025 World Championships:

Competitors will be ranked according to their fastest time in the qualifying competitions. A condition for publication is that the competitor registers on AbbottWMM.com. The invitation will be sent as soon as they reach the prescribed time for their age category. Runners who do not meet the qualifying time still have the opportunity to receive an invitation to compete in the World Championships, depending on the size of the event and the number of competitors who meet the qualifying time.

The World Ranking consists of over 300 qualifying runs, in which athletes in nine separate age groups can compete in marathons around the world and earn a global ranking.