Building on the brand and visual identity of the 7th World Marathon Major
Mana Group helped shape the creative and experiential presentation of the 2026 TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS.
Building on our work across previous editions, Mana delivered a program spanning creative direction, experiential design, brand development, event presentation, stakeholder and partner integration, and operational delivery.
The work reflects the scale and global profile of Sydney’s place among the world’s major marathons while creating an experience distinctly connected to Sydney.
From the start line to the Sydney Opera House finish, Mana created a cohesive visual experience across Sydney. Towering start structures, dynamic animated content across the LED finish arch and chutes, on course branding, venue wayfinding and city-wide branding transformed some of the city’s most recognisable landmarks into an integrated marathon experience, connecting participants, spectators and international audiences through a single creative language.
Beyond the course, Mana extended the event’s creative identity across the Sydney Marathon Running Show, finisher shirts, merchandise, volunteer uniforms and other participant touchpoints.
Motion Festival: a new cultural hub for race week
2026 marked the launch of Motion Festival, a new four-day experience designed to become the social and cultural heart of Sydney Marathon race week.
Mana developed the festival brand and visual identity resulting in a distinctive sub-brand within the broader TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS ecosystem, complementing the established marathon identity while giving the festival its own personality and long-term potential.
Set against the backdrop of Circular Quay, Motion Festival brought together runners, supporters and the wider Sydney community through live entertainment, wellness and recovery experiences, food and beverage, partner activations and community programming.
A creative identity carried beyond race day
Mana provided the creative direction for the 2026 TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS merchandise collection, working collaboratively with Pont3 and ASICS to translate the energy and emotion of race day into a distinctive visual identity.
Drawing inspiration from the rhythm and movement of thousands of runners through Sydney, the creative approach reimagined the city’s iconic landmarks through flowing graphic elements.
The resulting collection connected Sydney’s identity with the shared experience of race day, extending the event’s visual language beyond the course and into the wardrobes of participants and supporters.
WeRun Youth Summit powered by Pho3nix
First introduced in 2025, the WeRun Youth Summit powered by Pho3nix returned in 2026 as an important community and social impact component of Sydney Marathon race week.
Held ahead of the TCS Sydney Mini Marathon presented by ASICS, the Summit brought together young people from communities across NSW for an afternoon designed to inspire what comes next, creating a space to explore movement, mindset, resilience and self-belief.
Headlined by Olympic champion Emma McKeon, who students had the opportunity to meet, the Summit also brought together Olympians, TCS Sydney Marathon Ambassadors and community leaders to share their experiences and practical tools for building confidence and wellbeing through sport and beyond.
Through its work with the Pho3nix Foundation, Mana helped coordinate the delivery of the Summit to create a meaningful experience for participating young people.
At the heart of WeRun is a simple ambition: more people running more kilometres, more often. Through initiatives including Run Beyond, young people from communities across NSW are discovering the impact movement can have on their health, confidence and future.
The experience then moved from inspiration to participation, with the young people taking those lessons to the start line of the TCS Sydney Mini Marathon presented by ASICS the following day.
Mana’s 2026 scope
Creative Direction | Brand Development | Event Presentation | Partner Integration | Merchandise Creative Direction | Operational Delivery
