Compiled and fact-checked by Tommo, Verus founder · Last verified August 2026 · Spot an error?
Running · Marathons
Perth Running Festival Marathon 2026
- Race day
- Sunday, 11 October 2026
- Location
- Burswood, Perth, Western Australia
- Distance
- 26.2 mi / 42.2 km
Perth Marathon: 11 October 2026. Flat and fast through Burswood Park along the Swan River, finishing inside Optus Stadium. Entry, aid stations, 7-hour cut-off.
Perth Running Festival Marathon Race Timeline
31 days to go
This is where the real training happens — building your long run and getting comfortable with marathon race-pace.
Perth Running Festival Marathon 2026: quick answers
When is Perth Running Festival Marathon 2026?
Perth Running Festival Marathon 2026 takes place on Sunday, 11 October 2026.
Where does Perth Running Festival Marathon start and finish?
Perth Running Festival Marathon starts at Burswood Park, on the Swan River and finishes at Inside Optus Stadium, Burswood.
How many miles is Perth Running Festival Marathon?
Perth Running Festival Marathon is 26.2 miles (42.2km).
How much does Perth Running Festival Marathon cost to enter?
A$195 for adults, including race bib, race information booklet, finisher’s medal and finisher’s shirt. The 2026 marathon has moved to a waiting list.
How can I track a runner at Perth Running Festival Marathon?
The event is broadcast live, as it has been in recent years.
Key Race Metrics & Overview
- Date
- Sunday, 11 October 2026
- Distance
- 26.2 miles / 42.2km
- Location
- Burswood, Perth, Western Australia
- Start Point
- Burswood Park, on the Swan River
- Finish Point
- Inside Optus Stadium, Burswood
- Surface
- Sealed shared path and road through Burswood Park and along the Swan River, finishing on the stadium concourse
- Cut-off time
- Seven hours.
- Age requirement
- Minimum age 18 for the marathon, calculated at the event date.
- Tracking app
- The event is broadcast live, as it has been in recent years.
Not published by the organiser at the time of writing: start time. Verus records these as unconfirmed rather than estimating them — check the official race website closer to race day.
Direct Entry Summary
A$195 for adults, including race bib, race information booklet, finisher’s medal and finisher’s shirt. The 2026 marathon has moved to a waiting list.
Ballot Policy
No ballot — entry is direct, and the 2026 marathon is now on a waiting list rather than open sale.
Perth Running Festival Marathon Race Day Weather
A real forecast appears here once one exists for race day — usually about a week to ten days out. Nothing is shown until then, because a made-up forecast is worse than none.
Perth Running Festival Marathon Route Map & Elevation Profile
Starting at Burswood Park, on the Swan River and finishing at Inside Optus Stadium, Burswood. Total elevation gain is not published for this event, and Verus does not estimate one.
Is Perth Running Festival Marathon flat?
Yes. Burswood Park and the Swan River foreshore sit at close to sea level and the course is described by the organiser as beautiful, fast and flat. No official elevation figure is published, so Verus does not state one — but this is the flat, fast option in Western Australia, and a mid-October date puts it in the good half of the Perth year.
Perth Running Festival Marathon Course Profile
Elevation change not published for this event.
Tap a point on the course for details.
Burswood Park, on the Swan River
Start line.
Where Perth Running Festival Marathon starts and finishes
Perth Running Festival Marathon starts at Burswood Park, on the Swan River and finishes at Inside Optus Stadium, Burswood. We haven't been able to place those on a map accurately enough to show one — a pin in the wrong place is worse than no pin.
These are the start and finish points, not the route. Verus doesn't hold course files for this race, and drawing a line between two pins would be a guess you might end up training on. The official course map is the one to use: view it on the organiser's site .
Full Perth Running Festival Marathon Route Breakdown
A flat, fast marathon on the Swan River, and the only one in Australia that finishes inside a stadium. The course runs through Burswood Park and along the river — the same water and the same paths Perth trains on every morning — before turning into Optus Stadium for the finish on the concourse. Nine published aid stations sit between 4.6km and 28.2km with water, Gatorade and LVL UP gels at intervals.
Perth Running Festival Marathon Pace Calculator & Splits
Perth Running Festival Marathon Pace Calculator
Enter a target finish time to see your pace and projected splits.
Average pace / mile
9:10
Average pace / km
5:42
Perth Running Festival Marathon Pace Chart
Split markers calculated for standard checkpoints — no official pacers are confirmed for this event.
| Target | Pace /mi | Pace /km | 5K | 10K | Half Marathon | 30K | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00 | 6:52 | 4:16 | 21:21 | 42:41 | 1:30:04 | 2:08:04 | 3:00:00 |
| 3:15 | 7:27 | 4:37 | 23:07 | 46:15 | 1:37:34 | 2:18:44 | 3:15:00 |
| 3:30 | 8:01 | 4:59 | 24:54 | 49:48 | 1:45:05 | 2:29:25 | 3:30:00 |
| 3:45 | 8:35 | 5:20 | 26:41 | 53:22 | 1:52:35 | 2:40:05 | 3:45:00 |
| 4:00 | 9:10 | 5:42 | 28:28 | 56:55 | 2:00:05 | 2:50:46 | 4:00:00 |
| 4:15 | 9:44 | 6:03 | 30:14 | 1:00:29 | 2:07:35 | 3:01:26 | 4:15:00 |
| 4:30 | 10:18 | 6:24 | 32:01 | 1:04:02 | 2:15:06 | 3:12:06 | 4:30:00 |
| 4:45 | 10:53 | 6:46 | 33:48 | 1:07:36 | 2:22:36 | 3:22:47 | 4:45:00 |
| 5:00 | 11:27 | 7:07 | 35:34 | 1:11:09 | 2:30:06 | 3:33:27 | 5:00:00 |
| 5:30 | 12:36 | 7:50 | 39:08 | 1:18:16 | 2:45:07 | 3:54:48 | 5:30:00 |
| 6:00 | 13:44 | 8:32 | 42:41 | 1:25:23 | 3:00:08 | 4:16:08 | 6:00:00 |
| 6:30 | 14:53 | 9:15 | 46:15 | 1:32:30 | 3:15:08 | 4:37:29 | 6:30:00 |
| 7:00 | 16:02 | 9:58 | 49:48 | 1:39:37 | 3:30:09 | 4:58:50 | 7:00:00 |
Perth Running Festival Marathon Finish Time Estimator
Enter a recent 5K, 10K or Half Marathon time to estimate your Perth Running Festival Marathon finish time.
Your 5K time
Estimated Perth Running Festival Marathon finish
3:59:36
An estimate only, based on Pete Riegel's race-time prediction formula. Real marathon performance depends on endurance, training specificity, pacing and race-day conditions — not just your speed over a shorter distance.
Training for a different distance? Try the full pace calculator, race time predictor or pace chart.
Got your target time? Save it to your profile.
Tag Perth Running Festival Marathon, set your goal pace, and let Verus track your countdown, training and fundraising in one place.
Start Your Verus JourneyPerth Running Festival Marathon Race Day Checklist
Tap items to mark off your race-day readiness.
- Race number attached, and any timing chip fitted per your race pack instructions
- Your wave known — the event publishes race waves separately from the start time
- Your own gels if you use something other than LVL UP, which is what is on course
- Sun protection; an October morning in Perth is mild but the UV is among the highest in the country
- A meeting point agreed at Optus Stadium rather than in the finish area itself
Training Strategy for Perth Running Festival Marathon
16-20 weeks is the target window for first-time marathoners; 12-16 weeks is solid if you're already maintaining a baseline mileage. Arrive with your longest run behind you in training, not on race day itself.
This is a largely flat course, so most of your long runs can mirror that — flat and steady, building time on feet rather than hill strength.
Reduce overall mileage across the final 2-3 weeks while preserving short race-pace bursts. Arrive at Burswood Park, on the Swan River fresh, energized, and primed — not fit, fresh.
Lock in your target pace using the interactive splits calculator below — no official pacers are confirmed for this event, so a pace band on your watch is the more reliable option.
Test your race-day fuel and hydration plan on your long training runs, not for the first time on race day — check the Race Day Checklist below for what's actually on this course.
Marathon Nutrition & Fueling Plan
A deliberate increase in carbohydrate over the two to three days before the race is the standard approach at marathon distance.
Eat a carbohydrate-focused breakfast two to three hours before the start, and stick to something you've already tested in training rather than trying anything new.
The nine published aid stations carry water throughout, Gatorade from 13.5km and LVL UP gels from 16.8km. If you fuel on something else, carry it — the provision is published in advance precisely so you can plan around it.
Recovery starts with what you eat in that first hour — a mix of carbohydrate and protein is what the evidence supports.
Perth Running Festival Marathon Charity Places 2026
Fundraising runs through Telethon, the event’s charity partner, alongside a normal entry rather than as a separate entry route.
Lead with your personal story — explain why the charity matters to you. Personal connection generates 3x more support than a generic link broadcast.
Share key training milestones on Instagram (first 10-miler, peak week, race week) with your fundraising link in bio. Publicly thanking donors prompts secondary gifts!
Running Perth Running Festival Marathon for charity?
Link your JustGiving page to Verus and show up right here alongside other Perth Running Festival Marathon fundraisers — goal, progress and story, all in one place.
Add Your Fundraiser to VerusWhere to Stay for Perth Running Festival Marathon
Burswood
Next to the start, the finish and the station. Nothing about race morning is complicated.
Limited choice beyond the resort complex.
Perth CBD and East Perth
The widest choice, and the Matagarup Bridge is a fifteen-minute walk across to the stadium.
A slightly longer morning, though still straightforward.
Travel & Logistics
Optus Stadium has its own station — Stadium Station on the Armadale and Thornlie lines — and the Matagarup Bridge connects it to East Perth on foot. This is one of the easiest marathon starts in Australia to reach without a car.
Closures around Burswood Park and the Swan River foreshore.
Spectator & Cheer Guide
The Swan River foreshore paths, and the stadium itself for the finish — which is the reason to come.
Stadium Station and the Matagarup Bridge put spectators within a short walk of most of the course.
The event is broadcast live, as it has been in recent years.
Perth Running Festival Marathon Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know for race weekend.
People Also Search For
Similar races
Chester Marathon
Chester, UK
Nike Melbourne Marathon
Melbourne, Victoria
Yorkshire Marathon
York, UK
Abingdon Marathon
Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
TCS Sydney Marathon
Sydney, New South Wales
Brighton Beach Marathon
Brighton, Melbourne, Victoria
Race details independently compiled and fact-checked by Tommo against the official Perth Running Festival Marathon site , last verified August 2026. Always confirm official timings and policies directly prior to race day.