Ballarat Marathon 2027: Complete Race Guide, Course & Tips

Three years. That’s how long it took the Ballarat Marathon to become the fourth-largest marathon in Australia. No legacy, no famous finish-line photograph, no decades of brand-building to lean on — just a flat, World Athletics-certified course through one of Victoria’s most beautiful cities, a race director with a sharp eye for logistics and a course designer who ran 2:08 on these same streets as a kid. The 2027 edition is the fourth, and every metric from the previous three editions points upward. The 2026 race drew nearly 12,000 registrations from 19 countries, raised $160,000 for charity and produced a women’s course record that fell by more than three minutes. If you haven’t been paying attention, this is the year to start.

The course is two laps of a 21.1km loop designed by Steve Moneghetti — born in Ballarat, raised there, trained on Lake Wendouree and the Sturt Street boulevard that serves as the race’s spine. He’s a 1994 Commonwealth Games marathon gold medallist and the holder of a 2:08:16 personal best. He knows which roads give and which ones take. The total elevation gain is just 98 metres over the full distance, making this genuinely one of the fastest certified marathon courses on the Australian calendar. You run through Victoria Park, pass the Arch of Victory, circle the shores of Lake Wendouree and return along Sturt Street with the crowd roaring from the restaurant strip. In April the plane trees are turning gold. There’s a reason people keep coming back.

For 2027 the race has shifted one week earlier than recent editions to avoid Anzac Day falling on a Sunday. The marathon runs on Sunday 18 April, with the full festival — 10km, 5km, Community Mile and the Australian Road Mile Championships — spread across 17 and 18 April. The earlier calendar placement lands the race in slightly cooler autumn conditions, which for anyone chasing a time is a meaningful advantage. The men’s course record sits at 2:16:56 (Reece Edwards, 2025). The women’s record is 2:30:47 (Ellie Pashley, 2026). Both are there to be broken.

This race suits three types of runner particularly well. PB chasers who want a flat, well-organised course with genuine crowd support. Age groupers targeting an Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group World Championships qualifier. And anyone who wants a proper destination race in a city that actually gets behind its marathon. If you’ve been weighing up whether to make the trip, 2027 is as good a time as any.

Race at a Glance

What Makes the Ballarat Marathon Worth Running?

A PB course that earns the label

Ninety-eight metres of elevation gain over 42.2km is not a marketing claim — it’s a measured figure from the AIMS and World Athletics-certified course. For context, Sydney Marathon clocks around 365m, Melbourne sits near 195m and even the famously flat Gold Coast Marathon records roughly 62m. Ballarat sits comfortably in the fast end of the spectrum on a wide bitumen road circuit with no footpaths, cobblestones or chicanes. The one variable is wind around Lake Wendouree, which we’ll address directly in the strategy section. On a calm April morning with good preparation, this course is built for fast times.

Steve Moneghetti designed it on roads he knows

Not every course bears a designer’s name on the track around its most iconic landmark. Moneghetti holds the lap record at Lake Wendouree — 16:10 set in 1992, a mark that still stands. The track around the lake is officially named the Steve Moneghetti Track. He grew up racing on the roads of Ballarat Central, trained on Sturt Street and knows exactly where the course should breathe and where it should press. The race route reflects that knowledge: Victoria Park breaks up the early kilometres, the lake loop provides the visual centrepiece and the long Sturt Street stretches give spectators a chance to see and hear from their runners repeatedly across both laps.

A two-day festival, not just a race

Saturday at Ballarat is genuinely worth showing up for, even if you’re racing Sunday. The 10km runs at 12:30pm, the 5km at 3:15pm, the Community Mile at 5pm and the Australian Road Mile Championships from 6:45pm into the evening on Sturt Street under lights. Watching elite milers race past a crowd of thousands is a legitimate sporting spectacle. Almost 30 local cafes, restaurants and bars run a dedicated Carb Party across race weekend with carb-loaded dishes designed to fuel both runners and supporters. The CBD genuinely transforms. By Sunday morning, with tens of thousands of spectators lining Sturt Street, it delivers an atmosphere that most Australian regional cities can’t match.

Boston and the AWMM Age Group Championships are reachable here

AIMS and World Athletics certification means any time run at Ballarat is a legitimate qualifying time for Boston and other major marathons. From 2027, Ballarat is also an official qualifying race for the Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group World Championships. The age groups follow the AWMM categories exactly: 40–44, 45–49, 50–54, 55–59, 60–64, 65–69, 70–74, 75–79 and 80+, men and women. For age groupers chasing a qualifying time, a flat course in cool April conditions is about as favourable a setup as you’ll find in Australia.

Autumn Ballarat is genuinely beautiful

Victoria’s regional cities don’t always get credit as running destinations. Ballarat in mid-April has plane trees and elms turning gold along Sturt Street, morning mist coming off Lake Wendouree and a city that feels old and properly inhabited. The Arch of Victory you run through in Victoria Park was built in 1920 to honour soldiers from the district who served in the First World War. Lake Wendouree was the rowing venue for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. There’s real history underfoot, and the autumn light makes for better race photographs than any summer event can promise.

The elite field is legitimate

In three editions, Ballarat has attracted national-level marathon runners, Commonwealth Games athletes and — in 2026 — the first international winner in New Zealander Caden Shields. The prize structure ($6,000 to win, time bonuses reaching an additional $3,000 and a $500 course record bonus) brings a competitive elite field without the inflation of a World Major appearance fee. Watching front runners come through on Sturt Street while you’re somewhere in the 30km range of your own race is a good reminder of what the event is becoming.

The Course — Mile by Mile

km 0–3: Off the Line on Sturt Street

The gun fires in front of the Ballarat Town Hall on one of the widest boulevards in regional Australia. The first kilometre runs west along Sturt Street and it has a gentle rise of around 18 metres — subtle enough that fresh legs and crowd energy will make it feel like nothing. It is not nothing. That same section repeats at km 22, and by then your legs will have formed a different opinion. Hold yourself back in the first km regardless of how easy it feels. The field thins out quickly and by km 3 — when the course reaches the first drink station at the corner of Cedar Drive and Plane Avenue — you should be well inside your target pace, not sitting on top of it.

km 3–6: Victoria Park and the Arch of Victory

The course turns south off Sturt Street into Victoria Park, Ballarat’s historic urban parkland. This section has more turns than any other part of the course — multiple bends through the park that break the rhythm of the boulevard. The Arch of Victory is the visual centrepiece here: a bluestone memorial arch opened in 1920 to honour soldiers who served in the First World War. Running underneath it is one of those race moments that earns a photograph. The park section is shaded by mature trees and in April the leaf colour is usually at its peak. Drink station 2 sits at km 6 (Elm Avenue, before Oak Avenue) as the course exits the park. Refuel and settle — the wide Sturt Street sections ahead will invite you to open up, and you need to resist for a while longer.

km 6–12: East Along Sturt Street

After Victoria Park the course returns to the main road and heads east along Sturt Street. This is the most exposed section of the first lap: wide roads, good crowd presence along the restaurant and retail strip, and a flat surface that makes it very easy to run five seconds per km faster than you planned. Drink station 3 is at km 9.5 (Sturt Street at Ningana Street) and drink station 4 is at km 12.5, just before Pleasant Street outside the City Oval Bowling Club. The km 12.5 station is a useful checkpoint: your split here should feel controlled, not comfortable. If you’re already working harder than expected at this point, the second lap will hurt from the lake onwards.

km 12–18: The Lake Wendouree Loop

This is where the course earns its reputation. From Sturt Street the route turns onto Wendouree Parade and begins the full circuit of Lake Wendouree — roughly 6km around the water. In April, with morning light on the lake and autumn colour in the vegetation, this is the most photogenic section of any marathon in regional Australia. Drink station 5 is at km 15.5 at the corner of Wendouree Parade and Zoo Drive, sitting at the approximate halfway point of the first lap. This is also the moment when many runners feel best and are most tempted to push. Store that feeling carefully. The lake loop at km 30–36 on the second pass is a different experience entirely.

The loop itself has multiple direction changes as it follows the shoreline of the lake. Open water on one side means wind comes from different angles as you turn. A breeze that feels moderate on Sturt Street can feel like a wall at certain points around the lake. Drink station 6 is at km 19 on Pleasant Street near the City Oval Hotel, as the course exits the lake section heading back toward the CBD.

km 18–21.1: Back Through the CBD — First Lap

From Pleasant Street the course returns along Sturt Street toward the Town Hall and the timing gantry. Crowd noise builds again through the restaurant strip and by the time you approach the 21.1km mark, the energy can lift your pace without you realising it. Half marathon runners peel off at 21.1km and head to the finish. Marathon runners continue straight through the gantry — the timing chip passes at approximately 21.4km — and immediately start lap two. This is the psychological pivot of the race. You will see the finish line and keep running. Have something specific in mind for that 200 metres. Whether it’s a short mantra, a landmark to aim at on the second lap, or a split target — have a plan ready before you get there.

km 21.1–42.2: Lap Two — When the Race Decides Itself

The course is identical on lap two. The body is not. Drink stations repeat at km 24.5, 27.5, 30.5, 33.5, 36.5 and 40km — use every single one. The Victoria Park section on the second pass (roughly km 24–27) tends to feel manageable if lap one was run correctly. The Arch of Victory appears again and runners who have paced well often report this as their best part of the second lap. What follows is different.

The second pass of the Lake Wendouree loop — roughly km 30–36 — is where this race is decided for recreational runners. The direction changes that were merely scenic on lap one now create rotating headwinds that hit from different angles every few hundred metres. Combined with accumulated fatigue, this section produces more blown-up performances, cramped legs and dramatic positive splits than anywhere else on the course. Multiple race accounts describe the specific sensation: locked in on lap one, shuffling and cramping around the lake on lap two. The runners who hold form through the km 36.5 drink station are almost always the ones who ran km 3–15 at 5–10 seconds per km slower than they wanted to. From km 40, the course exits the lake, returns to Sturt Street and the final push to the Town Hall takes everything you have left.

Drink Station Locations — Full Marathon

Drink station contents subject to change. Confirm at ballaratmarathon.com.au/marathon

Registration: Ballarat Marathon 2027

Registrations opened on 12 July 2026 via Race Roster and the race is already drawing strong interest. In 2026 the marathon and half marathon both sold out well before race day. Entry caps are set to maintain a safe and managed experience and the caps are real — don’t assume you can register late. If you’re planning to run, the cheapest and safest moment to enter is now.

Register now via Race Roster | Full marathon page

Race Weekend Schedule 2027

Schedule subject to change. Always confirm at ballaratmarathon.com.au/schedule

Weather: What to Expect on Race Day

Ballarat sits at roughly 435 metres above sea level, which makes it a few degrees cooler than Melbourne on most days. If you’re checking the Melbourne forecast the night before the race, shave off a couple of degrees and add some wind. April is genuinely good running weather here: cool mornings, mild afternoons and autumn air that doesn’t drain energy the way summer humidity does. The lake loop is the weather variable worth watching. Open water amplifies wind and the direction changes on Wendouree Parade mean different sections of the loop create different headwinds. If the forecast shows any meaningful wind on race day, the Lake Wendouree circuit on lap two will be the hardest section of the course. A throwaway layer for the start and gloves for the opening kilometres are worth packing regardless of the forecast. By km 10 you’ll be warm. At 7:30am in your corral, you won’t be.

Prize Money and Elite Information

Past Results — Defending Champions

🏆 denotes current course record holder. Full results: 2026 Results | 2025 Results | All winners and records

Ellie Pashley’s 2026 women’s record is worth knowing about. She ran 2:30:47 just 12 months after the birth of her second child, in what she described post-race as difficult conditions — the second lap of the lake in particular. She ran the first half with assistance from male runners and then had to manage the wind around Wendouree Parade alone. Her run lowered Kate Mason’s 2025 record by more than three minutes and sits 2:17 under the current sub-2:30 time bonus threshold. The men’s course record at 2:16:56 is held by Reece Edwards, who ran the half marathon at Ballarat’s inaugural event in 1:05:27 before returning to win the full marathon a year later. Caden Shields’ 2026 win was unplanned — he had intended to run Dusseldorf but changed to Ballarat following flight disruptions, becoming the first international winner in the race’s history.

Spectator Guide: Where to Watch and When

Where to Stay in Ballarat

Accommodation in Ballarat CBD books out quickly for marathon weekend. In 2026, central hotels were full months in advance and the marathon itself sold out well before race day. The moment you confirm your entry, book your accommodation. Staying within walking distance of the Town Hall start removes almost all race-morning logistics stress — no parking, no traffic, no early alarm for a long drive.

International Runners: Visa and Travel Information

A Short History of the Ballarat Marathon

The Ballarat Marathon is three years old. That’s not a knock on its credentials — it’s the thing that makes its current size and quality remarkable. The race held its inaugural edition on 28 April 2024 with no legacy to stand on and no guaranteed audience, and immediately attracted more than 4,500 participants, drawing comparisons that more established events took decades to earn. The idea came from co-founder and Race Director Adam McNicol, who built a vision for a world-class running festival in a city that had the roads, the history and the running heritage to deserve one. He brought in Steve Moneghetti — Ballarat-born, raised on these streets, 1994 Commonwealth Games marathon gold medallist and a 2:08:16 man — to design the course and lend the event credibility that only a name like his could provide. Part of the genesis was the cancellation of the marathon event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which had briefly been planned for Ballarat. The intention was always to build something bigger and more lasting than any single Games could offer.

The growth curve has been steep. The 2025 edition added the Australian Road Mile Championships to the Saturday evening program — a genuine elite mile on a closed Sturt Street under lights — and raised the event’s national profile in a meaningful way. By 2026 the race had reached close to 12,000 registrations across all distances, drawn participants from 19 countries and generated an estimated $6 million in economic activity for Ballarat. The marathon and half marathon sold out well before race day. Charities benefited by $160,000 in fundraising. Caden Shields of New Zealand became the first international winner of the marathon, having changed plans from the Dusseldorf Marathon at the last minute due to flight instability. Ellie Pashley ran 2:30:47 to set a women’s course record just 12 months after having her second child. Both stories reflected an event with real competitive depth. The race is a World Athletics-ranked event and from 2027 is an official qualifier for the Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group World Championships. Future dates are confirmed through 2029.

The running heritage in Ballarat predates the marathon by decades. The track around Lake Wendouree was named the Steve Moneghetti Track well before the race existed. Moneghetti himself holds the lap record at the lake — 16 minutes and 10 seconds, set in 1992, still standing. The Arch of Victory in Victoria Park, built in 1920, has been a landmark for Ballarat runners for generations. The race has taken these existing elements — the roads, the landmarks, the city’s relationship with distance running — and built a proper event around them. It’s new enough that the records are fresh. It’s organised well enough that the trajectory only points one way.

How the Ballarat Marathon Compares to Other Australian Marathons

Entry fees and elevation figures are approximate and subject to change. Ballarat elevation is from official race data (98m). All other figures are publicly available estimates and should be verified at each race’s official website. AWMM qualifier status should be confirmed with each event closer to race day.