Results of the 2025 DX Marathon Sprint

First, I want to thank every participant for your effort in making the very first DX Marathon Sprint a success. The purpose of launching this new program was to give operators —especially those who have never entered the year-long DX Marathon— a chance to experience what the Marathon is all about. We intentionally aligned the Sprint with the CQ WW SSB Contest during the October 25–26 weekend to attract contesters and demonstrate how much fun DX Marathon can be.

The Results

I did not know what to expect in terms of participation for our first DX Marathon Sprint, but the final results show that we reached roughly 15% of the total number of entrants in the 2024 full-year DX Marathon. I am still reviewing the mix of participants, and much of that detail is reflected in the charts below.

Looking ahead, one of my key goals for future full-year Marathons is to increase participation in several significantly under-represented countries. At the top of that list is Japan, which has one of the largest amateur radio populations in the world yet produced fewer than six entries in the 2024 Marathon.

The chart below shows participation by continent. In terms of DXCC entities, North America led all regions, followed by Brazil, and a strong third-place finish from Poland. These were followed, in order, by operators from Indonesia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Turkey, Italy, Chile, and Australia. Japan recorded only two participants, underscoring the need for focused outreach there. Our program is indeed International yielding a 2/3 international participation rate.

Another noteworthy statistic is that we had participants from 22 of the 40 CQ Zones, an excellent level of global reach for a first-year Sprint.

We also saw a healthy distribution of entrants across all Classes. I am especially pleased with the strong showing in the Formula Class. This category targets what I believe is the largest segment of amateur radio operators worldwide —those running 100 watts or less with wire or vertical antennas. Over the past few years, participation in this class has grown by nearly 400%, which is tremendous progress. With Cycle 25 still providing excellent propagation and the continued popularity of FT8, DXing is more accessible than ever for these operators. So if you are in this class, come join the fun! You too can work lots of DX!

We also offered participants the option to enter in a single-mode category. As mentioned earlier, the number of CW entries was extremely low, which was disappointing. In contrast, the level of SSB participation was outstanding, far exceeding what we typically see in the full-year Marathon.

So if we look at the total QSO’s submitted (26,335), the above translated into the following QSO’s by Mode. (Digital: 54.9%, Phone:41%, CW: 4.1%)

As for where these QSO’s came from, as we might still expect due to the residual very good propagation resulting from Cycle 25, the most active bands were 10m followed by 20m.

As every DXer knows, DXing involves far more than simply working a station, logging it, and moving on. Accuracy is discipline that we all strive for when working DX. For that reason, we carefully track errors each year, with the hope that doing so helps participants strengthen their DXing skills. Speaking from my own experience in the DX Marathon, my error count decreased steadily each year until I finally reached zero in my last Marathon before becoming Program Administrator. I hope our participants will monitor this metric as well and use it as a guide for continuous improvement.

The most common error category was Calls Not Found, followed by Invalid Zone. We have emphasized many times that zone information on QRZ and other online databases is frequently incorrect. Every participant should verify the zone independently. The simplest method is to look up the station on QRZ, note the grid square (which is almost always accurate), and then use a tool such as https://zone-check.eu/ to confirm the correct CQ Zone.

And the Top Performers Are!

As stated in the rules, no plaques will be awarded for the Sprint. However, we have introduced a major enhancement to both the Sprint and the year-long DX Marathon: every participant will now receive a beautifully designed certificate, delivered by email, highlighting their key accomplishments in the program. These certificates will be sent out in December, so please keep an eye on your inbox.

I will highlight several of the top performances in the Sprint, though of course it is impossible to mention everyone individually. Please accept my apologies in advance if your name is not included —your participation is greatly appreciated.

Class Top Scores

In the Unlimited Class, congratulations to Oscar, EA1DR with a smashing 255 score which was the highest score in the Sprint. Truly amazing performance Oscar!

Runner up was John Carioti, K2ZJ with a close 254 score! John is a regular plaque winner in past years in the DX Marathon. Great job John.

I would be so remiss if I did not mention our World YL plaque winner last year, Ann, WA1S. Ann finished in third place and the third highest score in the Sprint with 243. You rock again Ann.

Moving to the Limited Class, the top position was claimed by Carlo Bonomi, IK2RPE, with an impressive 232 points. I’ll note —because he proudly includes it on his QRZ page— that Carlo was born in 1938, making him an active and remarkable operator at 87 years old. Carlo, I hope I’m doing what you’re doing when I reach your age! A truly outstanding performance, OM.

Finishing just two points behind in the Limited Class was Savas, SV2AEL, from Greece. Savas is a long-time DX Marathon participant, and I am especially grateful for his help in creating and maintaining the DX Marathon Facebook page. Excellent work, Savas.

Moving to the Formula 100 Class, congratulations go to Karel, OK2FD, from the Czech Republic. Karel has been a dedicated DX Marathon participant for many years, and his strong performance continues that tradition. The runner-up —also from the Czech Republic— was Josef, OK2LW, finishing with an excellent 215 points. Remember in the year long DX Marathon, we have a sponsor for a plaque for the highest score in the Czech Republic. We still are open to country plaque sponsors. If interested, contact me as soon as possible.

In the brand-new Formula 100 Unlimited Class, which permits operation at full legal limit, Nick from Gaithersburg, MD, took the top spot with 219 points. The second position was earned by Marcin, SP5ES, who posted a solid 155-point finish.

In the QRP Class, we were fortunate to have a sponsor step forward, allowing us to establish both QRP Limited and QRP Unlimited categories (see rules for details). Topping the QRP Limited category —despite its antenna restrictions— was the remarkable Anthony, K8ZT, with an excellent 138 points. Anthony gives back to this hobby more than almost anyone, through his extensive training, educational work, and involvement with CWOps. You are truly a trooper, sir, and we all appreciate everything you do to make our hobby more enjoyable —especially for those of us who love CW (myself included!).

Runner up in the QRP Limited was Jacob, KF0IZP.

For the QRP Unlimited, the top spot goes to Stefano, IZ3NVR.

High Continent Scores

I think it worthy to mention the highest scores in each continent that participated in the DX Marathon Sprint. In Africa, congrats to Jan, ZS4JAN with a point total of 147.

In Asia, Ridvan, TA2EJ had the highest individual score with Club Station, TC2E scoring 179 points. Good job! Of course EA1DR finished high in EU along with K2ZJ highest in NA (previously mentioned). In OC, Yana, YB1AR secured top spot with 204 points.

Down in South America, the top position was claimed by Billy, PR2D (also PY2LCD) —a long-time DX Marathon participant with numerous plaque wins to his name. I would also like to highlight the strong performance of a non-Brazilian station finishing second in the continent: Boris, CX6TU, from Uruguay. Boris, we hope to see you in the full-year DX Marathon as well!

I will not list them individually here, but please refer to the Zone High Winners table provided separately for additional noteworthy accomplishments.

Mark’s Other Comments

One of the most striking statistics from the Sprint was that 41% of all submitted QSOs were SSB. That is remarkable. During a typical full-year Marathon, SSB normally represents only 10–12% of total QSOs. On the other hand, the CW turnout was surprisingly low at 4%, which was disappointing. This year in the full Marathon, I have made repeated efforts to engage major CW organizations—CWOps, Long Island CW Club, and SKCC—inviting them into some friendly competition. Digital activity was around 55% compared to the full year Marathon level of 75%.

One of the biggest challenges we continue to face in the DX Marathon is getting the word out. As many of you know, I have conducted more than 100 Zoom presentations to clubs over the past 18 months. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many wonderful people and spreading the excitement of DXing. What I’ve learned, however, is that the clubs who truly engage with DX Marathon are the ones that assign an internal “champion” —someone who encourages participation, reports monthly progress, and helps members push their DXCC and CQ Zone totals upward. Unfortunately, only a small number of clubs have taken that step, and the participation results reflect that reality.

I don’t want to get overly philosophical, but I do have concerns about the future of our hobby —its growth, enthusiasm, and overall momentum. DXing was once a major driver of excitement in amateur radio. Of course, the hobby includes many other rewarding areas: rag-chewing, public service, ARES involvement, technical experimentation, and more. But today, with the average age of U.S. hams estimated around 74–78, many longtime operators have essentially “retired” from active pursuit of DX. This trend affects not only DX Marathon participation, but almost every contest and activity across amateur radio. I am currently conducting a more comprehensive research study on this issue and hope to publish a white paper that outlines the challenge and possible solutions.

In conclusion, congratulations to all of the winners and participants. I am truly inspired to run the Sprint again next year —and hopefully with even more operators joining in. It’s a fun event, requires little effort, and thanks to our streamlined submission system —no QSL or LoTW verification and no multipliers— it remains one of the simplest and most enjoyable programs to participate in.

JUST DO IT!

73 MARK WC3W