Men’s course record
2:06:20
Haftu Strintzos · 2026
- Average pace
- 3:00 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- 0 %
Gold Coast Marathon
Gold Coast, Australia The first Sunday in July, 4 July in 2027 Founded 1979
Flat along the beachfront from Southport to Miami and back, then up the Broadwater to Runaway Bay, in the middle of a Queensland winter.
Overview
The marathon starts at 6:15am beside the Broadwater in Southport, in the middle of a Queensland winter. It crosses the Nerang River, runs out along The Spit and back, then follows the beachfront south through Main Beach, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach to a turn at Miami, about 17.5 km in.
The second half comes back the same way to Southport and keeps going north, past Labrador and Biggera Waters, to a turn at Runaway Bay at 36.6 km. From there it's a straight run back down the Broadwater to the finish in the same parklands it started from.
It's quick, too. Haftu Strintzos won in 2:06:20 in 2026, the first Australian to take the men's race in twenty years, and 14,546 finished. Entry is first come, first served, and the 2026 marathon sold out in eight hours.
The second half comes back the same way to Southport and keeps going north, past Labrador and Biggera Waters, to a turn at Runaway Bay at 36.6 km. From there it's a straight run back down the Broadwater to the finish in the same parklands it started from.
It's quick, too. Haftu Strintzos won in 2:06:20 in 2026, the first Australian to take the men's race in twenty years, and 14,546 finished. Entry is first come, first served, and the 2026 marathon sold out in eight hours.
- When
- The 2027 Gold Coast Marathon is on Sunday, 4 July 2027, starting at 6:15am local time on Broadwater Parklands, Marine Parade, Southport.
- Course
- Gold Coast's course climbs 78 m in all, with its lowest point at 1 m and its highest at 9 m.
- Entry
- Entry to Gold Coast is first come, first served (sold out in eight hours for 2026), and costs A$235 for 2026.
- Field
- The 2026 Gold Coast Marathon had a marathon field of 14,546.
- Weather
- Across 31 years, Gold Coast's race-day temperature has a median of 15.9 °C.
- Records
- The Gold Coast Marathon course records are 2:06:20 (Haftu Strintzos, 2026) and 2:24:22 (Yuki Nakamura, 2024).
- Time limit
- Gold Coast's time limit is 6 hours 40 minutes.
Marathon Course · every marathon course, measured the same way
Gold Coast Marathon
Flat along the beachfront from Southport to Miami and back, then up the Broadwater to Runaway Bay, in the middle of a Queensland winter. Broadwater Parklands, Southport → Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast, Australia.
- Distance
- 42.2 km
- Ascent
- 78 m
- Descent
- 81 m
- Net
- −3 m
Course map and elevation
5 km splits marked · hover or drag the profile below to move along the courseElevation · measured on the 2026 course file · GA DEM_LiDAR_5m_2025 · smoothed 100 m 1–9 m
—
0.08.517.025.534.042.5
kmmi — elev — grade — hover or drag the profile
The whole course sits between 1 m and 9 m above the sea, and the highest of it is Southport itself. The road rises gently into Southport on Marine Parade just after 30.0 km, the steepest climbing kilometre at 7 m, and drops straight off it again towards Labrador. Everywhere else the changes are a few metres at a time. North of Southport the ground is lower still: from about 32.5 km to the finish the course stays below 4 m, and the lowest point is near the Runaway Bay turn. Add up the energy cost of every gradient and the course comes out about level with a flat 42.195 km.
Take it with you
Course GPX Organiser's course map
The GPX is ours: our resampled line, a point every 25 m, carrying GA DEM_LiDAR_5m_2025 elevation rather than the GPS noise a watch file usually holds.
GA DEM_LiDAR_5m_2025, measured on the 2026 course file, smoothed 100 m · marathoncourse.com/marathons/goldcoast/ · checked 2026-10-11
How to enter: dates and fees
Gold Coast is first come, first served, and there's no ballot.
Entries for 2027 open in early December 2026, and the 2026 marathon sold out in eight hours, so be ready on the morning entries open. The 2026 marathon was A$235, one price with no tiers. Once it had sold out, the only ways in were charity places and the organiser's international travel partners.
There are no refunds and no deferrals to a later year. In 2026 you could transfer your place to another runner for A$20 between 24 March and 24 May, and switch to another race up to entry close. Check the official marathon page for the 2027 price when it's announced.
Entries for 2027 open in early December 2026, and the 2026 marathon sold out in eight hours, so be ready on the morning entries open. The 2026 marathon was A$235, one price with no tiers. Once it had sold out, the only ways in were charity places and the organiser's international travel partners.
There are no refunds and no deferrals to a later year. In 2026 you could transfer your place to another runner for A$20 between 24 March and 24 May, and switch to another race up to entry close. Check the official marathon page for the 2027 price when it's announced.
History
The Rotary Club of Surfers Paradise Central started the race in 1979 as a health campaign. On 2 September that year 124 entered a marathon of six laps from Evandale, over the Chevron Island and Isle of Capri bridges and through Surfers Paradise, and the two winners were each sent off to run Honolulu.
Pat Carroll, a Brisbane cabinetmaker, won it four times between 1984 and 1997. Shinji Kawashima became the first Japanese winner of the marathon in 1991, and Japanese men have won it often since. By 2000 the race was in debt and its airline sponsor had pulled out. A government rescue package followed in 2001, and the company that still runs it took over. It was cancelled in 2020 and again in 2021, in race week, and has grown quickly since. 5,956 finished the marathon in 2023, and 14,546 in 2026.
Pat Carroll, a Brisbane cabinetmaker, won it four times between 1984 and 1997. Shinji Kawashima became the first Japanese winner of the marathon in 1991, and Japanese men have won it often since. By 2000 the race was in debt and its airline sponsor had pulled out. A government rescue package followed in 2001, and the company that still runs it took over. It was cancelled in 2020 and again in 2021, in race week, and has grown quickly since. 5,956 finished the marathon in 2023, and 14,546 in 2026.
- 19792 September: 124 enter a six-lap marathon from Evandale, and the two winners are sent to run Honolulu
- 1983Cliff Young runs, started a little early so his professional status can't touch the amateur race, and finishes in just over 3:12
- 1984Pat Carroll, a Brisbane cabinetmaker, wins in the rain in his second marathon. He'll win three more
- 1988Carroll runs 2:10:44 for a course record. Lisa Martin wins the half, and takes Olympic marathon silver in Seoul two months later
- 1990The first man home, Yasushi Hashimoto, is disqualified for running the last 5 km behind a cyclist
- 1991Shinji Kawashima becomes the first Japanese winner
- 1995A marker in the wrong place at the southern turn leaves the course 300 m short
- 1997The mayor offers $500,000 for a world record. Nobody collects, and Carroll wins for the fourth time
- 2000In debt, with its airline sponsor gone
- 2001A government rescue package, and the company that still runs the race takes over
- 2013Yuki Kawauchi wins in 2:10:01, equal to the course record
- 2014Silah Limo runs 2:09:14 on debut, the first time anyone beats Rob de Castella's 1982 Australian all-comers record
- 2016Kenneth Mungara beats Kawauchi by one second, 2:09:00 to 2:09:01
- 2021Cancelled in race week by a snap lockdown, the second year in a row without one
- 2023Liam Adams runs 2:08:39, at the time the fastest marathon by an Australian on home soil
- 2024Yuki Nakamura runs 2:24:22 in only her second marathon, still the women's record
- 2026Haftu Strintzos runs 2:06:20, an Australian record and the first Australian men's win in twenty years
- 20274 July, the 47th edition
19801990200020102020
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
2:24:22
Yuki Nakamura · 2024
- Average pace
- 3:25 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- 0 %
Race day: start times and cut-offs
- 6:15am
- 1:15pm
- Time limit
- 6h 40m
- 16
The marathon starts in four waves from 6:15am at the Broadwater Parklands in Southport and finishes in the same parklands. The half marathon, 10 km, 5 km and junior races are all on the Saturday, so on Sunday morning the roads belong to the marathon.
There are sixteen drink stations. The ones every 5 km, starting at km 5, have water and electrolyte drink, and the ones halfway between them, starting at km 2.5, have water only. Gels are handed out at km 30 only, and the organiser warns they're limited. Heat flags at each 5 km station show the risk on the day.
The G:link tram is free on your race number from 4:00am on Sunday; get off at Southern Broadwater Parklands. Extra buses run from 4:30am from Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise; the last leave Broadbeach at 5:15 and Surfers Paradise at 5:30. Bag drop is on the lawn behind the presentation stage, open from 5:00am, and you use the bag that came with your number.
There are sixteen drink stations. The ones every 5 km, starting at km 5, have water and electrolyte drink, and the ones halfway between them, starting at km 2.5, have water only. Gels are handed out at km 30 only, and the organiser warns they're limited. Heat flags at each 5 km station show the risk on the day.
The G:link tram is free on your race number from 4:00am on Sunday; get off at Southern Broadwater Parklands. Extra buses run from 4:30am from Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise; the last leave Broadbeach at 5:15 and Surfers Paradise at 5:30. Bag drop is on the lawn behind the presentation stage, open from 5:00am, and you use the bag that came with your number.
The morning, hour by hour
- 6:05am
- Wheelchair marathon start
- 6:15am
- Wave 1 · seeded, priority and zone A
- 6:25am
- Wave 2 · zone B
- 6:35am
- Wave 3 · zone C
- 6:45am
- Wave 4 · zones D and E
- 6:55am
- Start line closes
- 1:15pm
- Course closes, on the earlier of the organiser's two limits
The organiser gives the limit two ways: six hours 40 minutes from the last wave, and seven hours from the first. Those put the close at 1:25pm and 1:15pm, so plan on the earlier. The start line closes at 6:55am, and the organiser's pace guideline from there is 9:30 per kilometre. There are no intermediate cut-offs.
Race-day weather, 1995–2025
- Median
- 15.9 °C
- Warm years
- 5 of 31
- Wet years
- 2 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 Gold Coast Marathon flat?
Yes. The whole course sits within 8 m of vertical range, from 1 m to 9 m above the sea. Of the 29 courses compared on this site only Amsterdam's range is smaller, and only just. The highest ground is in Southport, at about 31.0 km.
Geoscience Australia 5 m lidar, sampled every 25 m, smoothed over 100 m.
Is it a fast course?
Its records say so. The men's record has been broken four times since 2018, most recently to Haftu Strintzos's 2:06:20 in 2026, and the women's record is Yuki Nakamura's 2:24:22 from 2024. The organiser says 60 % of its runners set a personal best.
Organiser race records and race reports.
When do 2027 entries open?
In early December 2026, according to the organiser, which hadn't set the date or the price when this page was checked. Entry is first come, first served, and the 2026 marathon sold out in eight hours.
Organiser marathon page, checked 2026-10-11.
How much does it cost?
The 2026 marathon was A$235, one price with no early-bird tiers. The 2027 fee hasn't been announced.
Archived organiser race page, 2026.
What is the cut-off?
Six hours 40 minutes from the last wave, or seven hours from the first; the organiser gives both, and the earlier closes the course at 1:15pm. The start line closes at 6:55am, and there are no intermediate cut-offs.
Organiser cut-off policy, 2026.
What's the weather like in July?
Cool and mostly dry. Over 31 years of race mornings the median temperature was about 16 °C, and only two had a millimetre of rain or more. The organiser warns that it can still be warmer or more humid than runners are used to, and flags the heat risk at every 5 km drink station.
ERA5 race-morning climatology, 1995 to 2025; organiser aid stations page.
How do I get to the start?
On the G:link tram, which is free on your race number from 4:00am on race day; get off at Southern Broadwater Parklands. Extra buses run from 4:30am from Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise, and the last leave at 5:15 and 5:30.
Organiser transport page, 2026.
Can I defer or transfer my place?
You can't defer to a later year, and there are no refunds. In 2026 you could transfer your place to another runner for A$20 between 24 March and 24 May, and switch to a different race up to entry close.
Organiser refund and transfer page.
Where can spectators watch?
The organiser recommends the Broadwater Parklands, Cavill Avenue in Surfers Paradise, Pratten Park in Broadbeach, the Miami turn, and Harley Park and Len Fox Park in Labrador. Southport is the easy one: the course goes through it at the start, again at about 31.0 km, and at the finish.
Organiser spectator guide, 2026.
Is it a good first marathon?
It's a forgiving one. The course is flat, the morning is usually cool and the limit is six hours 40 minutes from the last wave. The catch is getting in: entries sell out within hours of opening.
Organiser race information; measured profile; ERA5 climatology.
How many people run it?
14,546 finished the marathon in 2026, up from 12,704 in 2025 and 8,665 in 2024. Across every race on the weekend the organiser counted 43,000 registered participants in 2026.
Organiser figures for the 2026 edition.
What is the weather like on race day?
About 15.9 °C during a typical race: that's the median across 31 years, which have run from 12.7 °C to 18.8 °C. 2 of the 31 were wet.
ERA5 reanalysis for the race date, 1995-2025.
Can I use a time here to qualify for Boston?
On net drop, yes. The course finishes 3 m below its start, nowhere near the 1,500 ft at which the B.A.A.'s net-downhill rule starts adjusting qualifying times, so a time run here counts at face value. The B.A.A. also needs the course certified by AIMS or the national federation. The organiser says every Gold Coast course is AIMS-certified, but no certificate is published, so confirm with the organiser before planning a qualifying attempt here.
Net drop −3 m from this site's course line; 2027 adjustment None. Certification label: World Athletics Label road race in 2026, the tier below Elite. AIMS-certified according to the organiser, though no certificate is published.
How accurate is the elevation figure?
It comes from GA DEM_LiDAR_5m_2025, sampled every 25 m along the course line and smoothed over 100 m. The raw-to-smoothed ratio here is 1.69. 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.
26 missing samples · 1 bridge spans corrected.
Sources
Every fact on this page, its source, and the date it was checked · 16
| Fact | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Course line | Third-party GPX for the 2026 edition, run on 5 July 2026. Its turns at Miami and Runaway Bay match the organiser's 2026 course description, and it measures 42.55 km, 0.8 % long | 2026-09-20 |
| Elevation | Geoscience Australia 5 m lidar DEM (2025), CC BY 4.0; the Nerang River bridge interpolated between its landfalls | 2026-10-11 |
| Race-day weather | ERA5 via Open-Meteo archive | 2026-10-11 |
| Course records | Organiser race records page | 2026-10-11 |
| Field size | Marathon finishers from ausrunning.net's results (2023, 2025, 2026) and Timing Sports (2024); the official 2025 and 2026 results host couldn't be reached | 2026-10-11 |
| Race date and start | Organiser marathon page (2027 date) and race weekend schedule (2026 start and waves) | 2026-10-11 |
| Cut-off | Organiser cut-off policy, 2026 | 2026-10-11 |
| Aid stations | Organiser aid stations page, 2026 | 2026-10-11 |
| Entry | Organiser marathon page and 2026 entries report; the 2026 fee from the archived race page | 2026-10-11 |
| Refunds and transfers | Organiser refund and transfer page | 2026-10-11 |
| Transport | Organiser transport page, 2026 | 2026-10-11 |
| History and timeline | Organiser history pages, 1979 to now, and race reports | 2026-10-11 |
| Course certification | AIMS-certified according to the organiser; no certificate is published | 2026-10-11 |
| World Athletics label | World Athletics label road race calendar, 2026 | 2026-10-11 |
| Steepest-kilometre place names | OpenStreetMap via Nominatim reverse geocoding (ODbL) | 2026-10-11 |
| Photography | Unsplash: City of Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise from the air; the Broadwater; the skyline from the sea), Peter Cover (Main Beach), Joseph Prospere (race morning, 2026) | 2026-10-11 |
Until the Gold Coast Marathon · 4 Jul 2027
— days
— hrs— min— sec
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