Inaugurated by the Union Cycliste Internationale in 2003, the event is held annually in single classes for men and women.
[1] The 2003 event was organized as part of the UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships.
Subsequent marathon world championships, however, have been organised as a stand-alone event.
The UCI awards a gold medal and a rainbow jersey to the winner.
World champions wear their rainbow jersey until the following year's championship, but only in marathon events.