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Every time he crosses the finish line of a marathon, Chris Neil calls his sister, DeLyn, sharing a moment amidst the chaos of the finish chute. DeLyn’s two autistic sons, Cam and Adrian, inspired Chris to embark on an eight-month, eight-marathon, five-continent journey to run all the Abbott World Marathon Majors in support of OAR. To the best of his knowledge, this feat – completing all eight races in one year, having run none of them before – puts him in a category all to himself.

Chris’s quest started off with an application to the 2025 BMW Berlin marathon with OAR. While already a marathoner, Berlin was Chris’s first race of more mammoth proportions. He was elated and a little in awe at the prospect of flying over 5,600 miles to Europe to run a marathon – a World Major, nonetheless. As planning for Berlin started, registration opened for the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon with OAR, and he signed up. The pattern repeated itself with the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon, and with three on the books, Chris thought, “Hey, why not all of these?” Over the next months, pieces fell into place for the remaining five races, and he set off on his expedition.

Rarely daunted throughout the undertaking, Chris said, “It was just a matter of being patient, being present, being in the moment while still thinking about and making sure that I had all the planning done to get to the next [marathon].”  He found each race was distinct, marked by its own unique culture and atmosphere.

For Chris, the eight races grouped themselves into two categories by their ambiance – city and coastal. The coastal four (Chicago, Sydney, Cape Town, and Tokyo) were marked by abundant bodies of water, from Lake Michigan to the vast Atlantic Ocean, and by fresh seafood, while the city races (New York, Berlin, Boston, and London) offered tours of their historic elements.

Chris began with what he dubbed the “Fall Classic” – Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, and New York – all in the span of nine weeks.

After making the 24-hour door-to-door trek to Sydney, Chris settled into springtime in Sydney, with mild weather and a sea-salt breeze off the harbor. “Sydney is a magnificent city with so much vibrant life and culture, you’d be hard pressed to find a better place to enjoy a week or more.” He described Sydney as laid-back, with a coastal surfer vibe featuring boardwalks, maritime history, and abundant coffee. The race, while hilly, had great crowd support and set the tone for the rest of his races.

Less than three weeks later, after a series of travel snafus, Chris landed in Berlin. There, the history stood out, with stone and concrete giving the city a colder feel, and the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie standing as reminders of its history. Temperatures on race morning quickly crept into the 80s with oppressive humidity, and the Brandenburg Gate was a welcome sight near mile 26. “The marathon has eaten its share of athletes. Respect the distance, respect the elements. You don’t know what’s going to happen, so you just keep moving until you finally cross the line.” Chris and his wife Jen quickly left Berlin for more relaxing days in Barcelona.

After the 30,000 miles over 16 time zones between the Sydney and Berlin trips, Chicago was an easy jaunt. It felt like a hometown race, as he grew up in the Midwest and spent a stretch living in North Chicago. With fifty thousand runners, a million spectators, and near-perfect weather conditions, “Chicago is one of the greats!” he remarked.

The fall classic ended with the TCS New York City Marathon. “All the feels, all the songs, everything you hear about NYC is true. It’s a great big city with a personality like no other,” Chris said. He ran the 26.2 miles without headphones to experience the full magic of the city.

After four races in two months, Chris had a welcome break before Tokyo 2026. In Tokyo, the conscientiousness and kindness of the people stood out, with runners leaving space in start corrals for others to move around and warm up without being asked. There’s “almost a reverence in some of it,” he said of the temples and sites visited during his time in Japan.

The Bank of America Boston Marathon, a few weeks later, was “The Hollywood of Marathons” with stars of the running world emerging in full force. “You’re constantly walking the red carpet because you’re seeing all the famous people associated with running out there.” Boston was one of two races Chris ran with other organizations, this time with the Kenyan Kids Foundation USA, a charity founded by brothers and Boston Marathon champions John and Wesley Korir. He’d met them briefly in Chicago several months before, unaware he’d be soon running for their foundation. The foundation was thrilled to have Chris as their runner, but took a second look at his Hoka shoes, and Chris is now a proud new owner of a pair of Asics Metaspeed Tokyo shoes, a similar model to John’s Boston-winning model.

A mere four days later, Chris arrived across the pond for the 2026 TCS London Marathon. “If you mash New York and Boston, as far as the historic nature of Boston and the feel of the people from New York, and put them in one race, it would be London.” There was a moment just before the halfway mark that stood out as one of the best in the whole experience, crossing Tower Bridge against the backdrop of London with roaring crowds. London felt like closure on his journey – “from about mile 24, I just cried all the way […] all the stress, all the emotion, just let it all out.” He received his Abbott six-star medal and took his place with the finishers in the Guinness Book of World Records as the London Marathon broke the record for the most finishers of a marathon.

The Cape Town Marathon provided a fitting coda to Chris’s journey, running alongside Tower Mountain and the coast to earn his 8^th star (provisionally). Cape Town stood out as a race where runners were in it “for pure enjoyment of running,” with groups of runners smiling and laughing at every point along the way. “A love for the sport comes through.”

He was grateful for the village that supported him throughout, especially his wife, who traveled to Berlin and Tokyo with him, and his family, including his mom, who became a marathon expert and superfan over those eight months. As for how he’s feeling now – “Blessed. Fortunate. It was a tremendous journey.” He’s letting the journey soak in as he ponders his next challenge – a Boston qualifying marathon time.