Australia is one of the ten largest countries in the world.
It is therefore not surprising that there are also a lot of running events in Australia. Many are held in the form of running festivals. Most events take place on the coast and impress with a beautiful ambience.
Well-known running events can be found in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth.
The biggest running events in Australia
The City2Surf, which takes place in the summer, is known worldwide. This 14-kilometer road race is one of the largest running events in the world. It has even been named the biggest running event in the world several times. After all, there are around 80,000 starters every year. The event therefore describes itself as the biggest fun run in the world. Top international runners do not compete here, but now and then some top national runners do. The course leads through the city center, the finish line is at Bondi Beach. The event has been held since 1971 and usually sells out very quickly.
Marathon in the city
There are several well-known city marathons in Australia. One of them is also held in Sydney. In September, the Sydney Marathon is held as part of the Sydney Running Festival, with several thousand runners competing. Other city marathons include the Gold Coast Airport Marathon (July), the Townsville Marathon as part of the Townsville Running Festival (August), the Australian Running Festival in Canberra (April), the Melbourne Marathon Festival (October), the Perth Marathon (October) and the Brisbane Marathon (June). A famous ultra race is called "The Track - Outback". This one has an incredible distance of more than 500 kilometers. Also very famous is the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon, where you can see the Rocks, the Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Beautiful runs in Australia
Some of the most beautiful running events in the world include the Great Barrier Reef Marathon in Port Dougals and the Great Ocean Road Running Festival. The Great Ocean Road Running Festival was even included in the list of the 25 most beautiful marathons in the world by our editorial team. It is run annually in May along the coast. The marathon is 44 kilometers long, and there is also an ultra race and shorter races.
Triathlons in Australia
Due to the many coastal cities, it is not surprising that Australia also hosts several triathlon events. Many of them are part of the IRONMAN series or the competing Challenge Family. In Shepparton the Challenge Chepparton is held regularly. The Ironman series makes stops here in Cairns, Busselton, Mooloolaba (Sunshine Coast), Port Macquarie, Geelong and Western Sydney, among others. There is almost no other country in the world where so many IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races are held as in Australia.
All Running Races in Australia (sorted by date) can be found in the following overview:
Running competitions 2026 in Australien
Sri Chinmoy 48 Hour Festival Canberra
 | 20.03.2026 ✔ |
| |
 | Belconnen |
 | 48 Stunden / 24 Stunden / 12 Stunden / 6 Stunden / 42,2 km |
Busselton Festival of Triathlon: IRONMAN 70.3 Busselton
| 03.05.2026 ✔ |
| |
| Busselton |
| Mitteldistanz / Ironkids / Fun-Run / Duathlon |
7 Sunshine Coast Marathon - Queensland
| 02.08.2026 ✔ |
| |
| Alexandra Headland |
| 42,2 km / 21,1 km / 10 km / 5 km / 2 km |
Townsville Running Festival - Townsville Marathon
| 02.08.2026 ✔ |
| |
| Townsville City |
| 42,2 km / 21,1 km / 10 km / 5 km / 2,5 km |
IRONMAN & IRONMAN 70.3 Australia - Port Macquarie
| 18.10.2026 ✔ |
| |
| Port Macquarie |
| Langdistanz / Mitteldistanz / Ironkids |
IRONMAN & IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia - Busselton
| 06.12.2026 ✔ |
| |
| Busselton |
| Langdistan / Mitteldistanz / Ironkids |
Go to the running calendar Australia
More about running in Australia:
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