Men’s course record
1:06:29
Taonga Mbambo · 2024
- Average pace
- 3:09 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- −1.4 %
Queenstown Half Marathon
Queenstown, New Zealand The Saturday nearest 15 November Founded 2014
Down from Hunter Road to the Shotover River, then close to level along the rivers and Lake Wakatipu into Queenstown.
Overview
The half starts at 8:00am on Hunter Road, in farmland below Coronet Peak, and finishes with the marathon at the Recreation Ground in Queenstown. It has the road to itself for the first 1.5 km, then joins the marathon's course on Hunter Road and shares the rest of it. From there it drops on a trail to the river, crosses the Old Shotover Bridge and follows the Shotover and Kawarau rivers and the Frankton Arm into town.
Nearly all the descent comes early. The course loses 94 m in the first 6.0 km, and from there to the finish it stays within 15 m.
It's bigger than it used to be: 5,641 finished in 2025, and 2026 entries are still open.
Nearly all the descent comes early. The course loses 94 m in the first 6.0 km, and from there to the finish it stays within 15 m.
It's bigger than it used to be: 5,641 finished in 2025, and 2026 entries are still open.
- When
- The 2026 Queenstown Half Marathon is on Saturday, 14 November 2026, starting at 8:00am local time on Hunter Road, beside Coronet Fields (679 Malaghans Road).
- Course
- The Queenstown half's course climbs 92 m in all, with its lowest point at 308 m and its highest at 419 m.
- Entry
- Entry to the Queenstown half is open, with no ballot, and costs NZ$219 for 2026.
- Field
- The 2025 Queenstown Half Marathon had a half-marathon field of 5,641.
- Weather
- Across 31 years, the Queenstown half's race-day temperature has a median of 8.8 °C.
- Records
- The Queenstown Half Marathon course records are 1:06:29 (Taonga Mbambo, 2024) and 1:16:09 (Rebekah Greene, 2023).
- Time limit
- The Queenstown half's time limit is 8 hours 30 minutes.
Marathon Course · every marathon course, measured the same way
Queenstown Half Marathon
Down from Hunter Road to the Shotover River, then close to level along the rivers and Lake Wakatipu into Queenstown. Hunter Road, beside Coronet Fields → Queenstown Recreation Ground, Queenstown, New Zealand.
- Distance
- 21.1 km
- Ascent
- 92 m
- Descent
- 187 m
- Net
- −95 m
Course map and elevation
5 km splits marked · the dashed line is the marathon, which the half joins at 1.5 km · hover or drag the profile below to move along the courseElevation · measured on the organiser's 2026 course map · LINZ nzdem8m (8 m) · smoothed 100 m 308–419 m
—
0.04.28.412.716.921.1
kmmi — elev — grade — hover or drag the profile
The course is at its highest just after the start on Hunter Road, 419 m above the sea. The steepest kilometre is the trail down to the Shotover River, a 54 m drop between 3.6 km and 4.6 km. The steepest climbing kilometre follows straight after it, 11 m up from the river to Old School Road. From 6.0 km to the finish the ground stays between 308 m and 323 m. Add up the energy cost of every gradient and, for a 90-minute runner, the course comes out about 1.3 min quicker than a flat 21.1 km (1.4 %).
Take it with you
Course GPX Organiser's course map
The GPX is ours: our resampled line, a point every 25 m, carrying LINZ nzdem8m (8 m) elevation rather than the GPS noise a watch file usually holds.
LINZ nzdem8m (8 m), measured on the organiser's 2026 course map, smoothed 100 m · marathoncourse.com/half-marathons/queenstown/ · checked 2026-10-16
How to enter: dates and fees
The half is open for 2026, at NZ$219 including fees, and there's no ballot. Online entry closes at 5:00pm on 13 November, the day before the race, and the organiser takes late entries at check-in unless it has sold out by then.
Refunds have closed: the last, at 22 %, ended on 4 October. You can still pass your place to another half-marathon runner for NZ$27, or move to another distance, online until 5:00pm on 13 November. Moving up costs the difference, and moving down refunds nothing. Entry works the same way for every distance, and the marathon page has the rest.
Refunds have closed: the last, at 22 %, ended on 4 October. You can still pass your place to another half-marathon runner for NZ$27, or move to another distance, online until 5:00pm on 13 November. Moving up costs the difference, and moving down refunds nothing. Entry works the same way for every distance, and the marathon page has the rest.
History
The half has been part of the race since the first edition in 2014, when Adam Jaques won it in 1:16:00. It has carried a sponsor's name in most years, most recently from 2022 to 2025, and in 2026 it's plain Half Marathon.
Both records are recent. Rebekah Greene ran 1:16:09 in 2023, and in 2024 Taonga Mbambo took nearly a minute off the men's record with 1:06:29, with the first three men all under 1:08. The race's full history is on the marathon page.
Both records are recent. Rebekah Greene ran 1:16:09 in 2023, and in 2024 Taonga Mbambo took nearly a minute off the men's record with 1:06:29, with the first three men all under 1:08. The race's full history is on the marathon page.
- 2014Adam Jaques wins the first half in 1:16:00
- 2023Rebekah Greene runs 1:16:09, still the women's record. Braden Currie, the Ironman triathlete, wins the men's race
- 2024Taonga Mbambo runs 1:06:29 for the men's record, and the first three men all break 1:08
- 20255,641 finish, up from 4,299 two years earlier
- 202614 November, starting at 8:00am on Hunter Road
201520202025
Course records
Pace is derived from the certified distance. Terrain-adjusted figures come from the same model that ranks every course on this site.
Women’s course record
1:16:09
Rebekah Greene · 2023
- Average pace
- 3:37 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- −1.4 %
Race day: start times and cut-offs
- 8:00am
- 4:30pm
- Time limit
- 8h 30m
- 5
There's no drop-off or parking on Malaghans Road or Hunter Road. Park at the venue, or book a shuttle: NZ$20 in advance, from Robins Road or Wakatipu High School in Frankton, each runner with their own pick-up time. Drop your bag in the official gear bag at the start, or at the finish venue before you board a shuttle, and collect it from the Event Hub at the Memorial Centre from 10:00am.
There are five aid stations, all of them the marathon's. The first is by the Old Shotover Bridge at about 5.5 km and the last at Jubilee Park at about 18.0 km. Each has water, electrolyte drink, toilets and first aid.
There are five aid stations, all of them the marathon's. The first is by the Old Shotover Bridge at about 5.5 km and the last at Jubilee Park at about 18.0 km. Each has water, electrolyte drink, toilets and first aid.
The morning, hour by hour
- 6:10am
- First shuttles from Robins Road and Wakatipu High School
- 7:10am
- Last shuttles
- 8:00am
- Half marathon start, Hunter Road
- 4:30pm
- Course closes
The organiser lists intermediate cut-offs only for the marathon. The course closes at 4:30pm, eight and a half hours after the half starts.
Race-day weather, 1995–2025
- Median
- 8.8 °C
- Warm years
- 0 of 31
- Wet years
- 7 of 31
Race-day mean temperature, 1995-2025. Lime marks the hottest edition; the coldest and wettest carry a label only, so the colour still means one thing.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Queenstown half downhill?
On balance, yes. The finish is 95 m below the start, and nearly all of that drop comes in the first 6.0 km. After that the course stays within 15 m.
LINZ 8 m elevation model, sampled every 25 m, smoothed over 100 m.
Is it a fast course?
Fast enough for 1:06:29. Taonga Mbambo set the record in 2024, when the first three men all broke 1:08. Part of it is trail, which the organiser describes as hard-packed.
Organiser results and course description.
Can I still enter for 2026?
Yes. General entry is NZ$219 including fees, and online entry closes at 5:00pm on 13 November. Late entries are taken at check-in unless it sells out first.
Organiser entry information, checked 2026-10-16.
Where does it start?
On Hunter Road, beside Coronet Fields at 679 Malaghans Road, at 8:00am. There's no drop-off on Malaghans or Hunter Road, so use the venue's parking or a shuttle.
Organiser half-marathon page, 2026.
How do I get to the start?
By shuttle, booked in advance for NZ$20, from Robins Road or Wakatipu High School in Frankton between 6:10 and 7:10am. Each runner is given a pick-up time.
Organiser race-day information, 2026.
What is the cut-off?
The course closes at 4:30pm at the Recreation Ground, eight and a half hours after the start. The organiser lists intermediate cut-offs only for the marathon.
Organiser half-marathon page, 2026.
Does the half share the marathon's course?
For all but the first 1.5 km. The half joins the marathon on Hunter Road, where the marathon comes in from Speargrass Flat Road, and follows it to the finish, so you'll share the trails with marathon runners about 22.4 km into their race.
Both organiser course lines, compared.
Can I transfer or get a refund?
Refunds have closed; the last ended on 4 October. You can pass your place to another half-marathon runner for NZ$27, or switch distance, online until 5:00pm on 13 November.
Organiser entry information.
What's the weather like in November?
Cool. Across 31 race mornings the median temperature during the half was 8.8 °C, and seven of them had a millimetre of rain or more.
ERA5 climatology, 8:00 to 11:00, 1995 to 2025.
Is it a good first half?
It's a forgiving one. The hardest stretch is the drop to the river in the first 5.0 km, the rest is close to level, and the course stays open for eight and a half hours.
Measured profile; organiser cut-off.
How many people run it?
5,641 finished the half in 2025, up from 4,828 in 2024 and 4,299 in 2023.
Organiser figures for the 2025 edition.
What is the weather like on race day?
About 8.8 °C during a typical race: that's the median across 31 years, which have run from 4.2 °C to 14.2 °C. 7 of the 31 were wet.
ERA5 reanalysis for the race date, 1995-2025.
How accurate is the elevation figure?
It comes from LINZ nzdem8m (8 m), sampled every 25 m along the course line and smoothed over 100 m. The raw-to-smoothed ratio here is 1.48. Around 1.3 means the model is reading the ground, not rooftops; above about 2.0 the total climb carries real noise, and the net change is the sturdier number.
0 missing samples · 1 bridge spans corrected.
Sources
Every fact on this page, its source, and the date it was checked · 11
| Fact | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Course and start | Organiser half-marathon page and 2026 course, start-area and driving maps | 2026-10-16 |
| Course line | The organiser's Google My Map, the race-day spectator map, layer "Half Marathon". It measures 21.26 km, 0.8 % long | 2026-10-16 |
| Elevation | LINZ 8 m DEM via OpenTopoData, the model the marathon is measured on; the Historic Shotover Bridge interpolated between its ends | 2026-10-16 |
| Race-day weather | ERA5 via Open-Meteo archive, 8:00 to 11:00 on race morning | 2026-10-16 |
| Course records | Organiser race results page | 2026-10-16 |
| Field size | Half-marathon finishers on SportSplits, 2023 to 2025 | 2026-10-16 |
| Start, course and cut-off | Organiser half-marathon page, 2026. The course close is given as 4:30pm; earlier versions of the page said 4:00pm | 2026-10-16 |
| Entry, refunds and transfers | Organiser entry information page | 2026-10-16 |
| Shuttles, bags and aid stations | Organiser race-day information and the 2026 half-marathon course map | 2026-10-16 |
| History | Organiser tenth-anniversary article and SportSplits results | 2026-10-16 |
| Photography | Unsplash: Peter Luo (the Remarkables over the basin; Queenstown from the air), K Soma (the Remarkables), Eddie Lau (Queenstown Bay), Denise Jans (Arrowtown) | 2026-10-16 |
Until the Queenstown Half Marathon · 14 Nov 2026
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