Bucket List · Bucket list route
Seven Continents Club
Six of the seven continents have hundreds of marathons and cheap flights. The seventh has a waitlist several years deep and a five-figure price tag. That's the entire Seven Continents Club, in one sentence.
- Continents
- 7
- The hard one
- Antarctica
- Typical timeline
- 3 to 10 years
- Antarctica cost
- $15,000 to $25,000+
- World Marathon Challenge
- $50,700 for 2027
- Founded
- 1995
The official Seven Continents Club was founded in 1995 when Marathon Tours & Travel created the Antarctica Marathon and made a seven-continent set possible for ordinary runners. The chase pairs beautifully with the Six Star because Tokyo covers Asia, Berlin or London covers Europe, Sydney covers Australia, Chicago covers North America, and Cape Town, from 2027, covers Africa.
That leaves South America, which is easy (Buenos Aires, Rio, Santiago), and Antarctica, which is the whole project.
How to get in
- Tour operatorThe Antarctica problem
Get on an Antarctica Marathon waitlist years before you need it. The ship-based event has historically had multi-year waits, and the interior Antarctic Ice Marathon is more expensive but generally shorter notice.
- Open entryThe other six
Combine ruthlessly with other goals. Six Star majors cover four continents. A South American marathon is a cheap long weekend. Africa is Cape Town, Marrakech, or Victoria Falls.
- Tour operatorThe World Marathon Challenge
Seven marathons, seven continents, seven days. Charter flights between them, all within a 168-hour window. The 2027 entry fee is $50,700, which covers the charter flights and race organisation but not your flights to Cape Town or home from Miami. It is the fastest and most expensive route to the club by an enormous margin.
Questions runners actually ask
How do I join the Seven Continents Club?
Complete a marathon on each of the seven continents and register your finishes with the club. Antarctica is the binding constraint, with waitlists historically running several years deep.
What is the World Marathon Challenge?
Seven marathons on seven continents within 168 hours, using charter flights between them. The 2027 entry fee is $50,700, excluding your travel to the start in Cape Town and home from Miami.
Can I combine it with the Six Star?
Yes, and most people do. The majors cover Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America, and from 2027 Cape Town covers Africa. That leaves South America and Antarctica.
Go to the source
Entry rules, dates, standards, fees, and odds change every single year, and the interesting races change them the most. Use this guide to build the plan; use the official site to confirm the details before you book anything.
If this is your kind of thing
Need the races in between? The hard part of a bucket list year is everything else on the calendar: the qualifier, the tune-up, the long run with a bib on.