Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia · 42.195 km road marathon
Gold Coast Marathon 2027
Sunday 4 July 2027
Three out-and-back legs along the Gold Coast beaches and the Broadwater from Southport, flat and fast, with a cut-off counted on gun time.
Gold Coast Marathon at a glance
- Start
- 06:15 to 06:45 in four waves by start zone, Broadwater Parklands, Southport (2026 times)
- Finish
- Broadwater Parklands, Southport
- Course
- Three out-and-backs: The Spit, south to Miami and north to Biggera Waters, flat
- Elevation
- From about sea level to 10 m
- Time limit
- 6 h 40 on gun time from the last wave; 7 h from the first (2026 policy)
- Cut-offs
- None published
- Entry
- Not yet open; 2027 entries open in early December 2026, fee to be announced
- Bib pickup
- Broadbeach expo, Thursday to Saturday 16:00 in 2026; no race-morning pickup
- Getting to the start
- G:link tram free for entrants from 04:00 with a race number (2026)
- Aid stations
- Every 2.5 km, water and refreshment stations alternating; gels at km 30 only (2026)
Checked against the organizer's pages on 25 September 2026. Facts for the next edition can still change; the organizer's page is the final word.
Gold Coast Marathon course map and elevation
Three out-and-backs: The Spit, south to Miami and north to Biggera Waters, flat. Map, elevation profile and 3D flyover.
› running direction two lines: out and back on the same road race kilometresCourse: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Route drawn by TrailSplits from published race information; approximate. For illustration, not navigation.
What to expect on the course
- Over the Sundale Bridge near km 1 and again near km 30
- Turn on The Spit at about km 4.6, then south along the Esplanade in Surfers Paradise
- Southern turn at km 17.35 in Miami
- Northern turn at km 36.65 in Biggera Waters, then back along the Broadwater to the finish
- The organizer's profile runs between about 1 and 10 m, with 62 m of gain
The line follows the organizer's 2026 course on the streets; the 2027 course is not yet published, so check it again before race day.
Read the full course description
A flat, AIMS-certified course of three out-and-back legs from the Broadwater Parklands in Southport, about 29 km of it beside the beaches by the organizer's count. The field crosses the Sundale Bridge over the Nerang River near km 1 and runs north up Sea World Drive on The Spit to a turn at about km 4.6, then heads south through Main Beach and along the Esplanade in Surfers Paradise around km 8 to 10, past Broadbeach near km 12 and through Mermaid Beach to the southern turn at km 17.35 in Miami. The return runs north through Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise, partly on parallel streets, and back over the Sundale Bridge near km 30. From Southport the course follows the Broadwater shore through Labrador to the northern turn at km 36.65 in Biggera Waters and comes back the same way to the parklands, crossing two short creek bridges each way. The organizer's profile stays between about 1 and 10 m, with 62 m of climb in total. In 2026 aid came every 2.5 km, water stations alternating with refreshment stations serving Fuel X, gels only at km 30, and pacers covered 2:50 to a 6:40 chaser.
Source, licence and file
TrailSplits reconstruction of the published route. Course: TrailSplits reconstruction; map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL · original source · Download reference GPX (42.8 km in the file). Approximate terrain-model heights added by TrailSplits, sampled and smoothed at roughly 100 m intervals. Buildings, bridges and small road gradients are not surveyed road elevations.Produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30 © DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018 provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA; all rights reserved.
Three decisions to make before race day
Choose your start zone with the gun-time cut-off in mind
The cut-off counts from the gun: in 2026 zones D and E left 30 minutes after zone A, so a runner near the limit there has about 6 h 30 to 6 h 40 and needs roughly 9:30 per km.
More detail
The limit counts from the gun, not from your crossing. In 2026 zones D and E left at 06:45, 30 minutes after zone A, and the 6 h 40 chaser ran to that last gun, so a runner near the limit in zone E has about 6 h 30 to 6 h 40 and must hold roughly 9:30 per km. On the day you may only move back a zone.
Carry your own gels for the first 30 km
Gels were handed out only at the 30 km station in 2026 and are not guaranteed; carry your own and practise with Fuel X if you plan to drink it.
More detail
Refreshment stations every 5 km serve water and Fuel X electrolyte, with water-only stations between them, but in 2026 gels were handed out only at the 30 km station and the organizer warns they are limited and not guaranteed. Carry what you need, and practise with Fuel X in training if you plan to drink it.
Collect your number by Saturday and plan an early tram
Numbers came only from the Broadbeach expo, closing Saturday 16:00 in 2026; arrive by 05:15 on race morning, when the G:link tram is free for entrants.
More detail
In 2026 numbers were issued only at the Broadbeach expo, closing Saturday at 16:00, and the organizer advised marathon runners to come on Saturday because Friday gets busy. Arrival was advised by 05:15 for the 06:15 gun. Entrants rode the G:link tram free from 04:00 on showing their number, while trains from Brisbane were replaced by buses that weekend.
Your race-day sheet
Even elapsed splits for 42.195 km. All clocks are local to Gold Coast.
ESTIMATED FINISH
10:15:00
MOVING PACE BUDGET
5:34/ km
ELAPSED PACE
5:41/ km
180 min below the modelled finish limit
| Distance | Elapsed | Local clock |
|---|---|---|
| 5 km | 00:28:26 | 06:43:26 |
| 10 km | 00:56:53 | 07:11:53 |
| 15 km | 01:25:19 | 07:40:19 |
| 20 km | 01:53:45 | 08:08:45 |
| Halfway | 02:00:00 | 08:15:00 |
| 25 km | 02:22:12 | 08:37:12 |
| 30 km | 02:50:38 | 09:05:38 |
| 35 km | 03:19:05 | 09:34:05 |
| 40 km | 03:47:31 | 10:02:31 |
| Finish | 04:00:00 | 10:15:00 |
Training plan for Gold Coast Marathon 2027
A free week-by-week plan dated to this race. It starts from a stated default (weekly distance, longest recent run, days a week) that you can change; nothing is read from your watch or training history. It does not use the finish-time target above.
View my training planNo account required. Keep a fixed copy, download the calendar or get a subscription URL for Google or Apple Calendar.
Entry, bib pickup and rules
- Entry:
- Not yet open; 2027 entries open in early December 2026, fee to be announced
- Bib pickup:
- Broadbeach expo, Thursday to Saturday 16:00 in 2026; no race-morning pickup
Read the full entry and pickup rules
Entries for 2027 open in early December 2026 and the 2027 marathon fee is still to be announced; the 2026 entries opened on 2 December 2025. Runners must be 18 or over. You nominate a start zone, A to E, at entry and it is printed on your race number; on the day you may drop to a slower zone but not move forward. Transfer, deferral and refund terms were not found on the pages checked. In 2026 numbers were issued only at the expo in the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Broadbeach, from Thursday to Saturday 16:00, with no race-morning pickup, and a friend could collect with your entry certificate.
Sources
Checked 25 September 2026; next review due 2026-11-20. Event facts come from the organizer; the pacing sheet, decisions and plan are TrailSplits' own. Independently prepared by TrailSplits, not endorsed by the organizer.
- Marathon race page
- Entry page
- Cut-off policy and race etiquette
- 2026 event guide (PDF)
- Marathon course page and organizer map
- Aid stations and pace runners
- Race number collection and transport
- Frequently asked questions
What each source confirms
- Marathon race page: Sunday 4 July 2027, 42.195 km, minimum age 18, 2027 fee to be confirmed, 62 m elevation figure and 29 km of beachside running (2026 figures).
- Entry page: The 47th edition on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 July 2027 and 2027 entries opening in early December.
- Cut-off policy and race etiquette: Gun-time cut-offs, 7 hours from the first wave and 6 h 40 from the last, the 06:15 start and 06:55 start-line closure and the 9:30 per km pace guideline for 2026, and moving only to a slower start zone.
- 2026 event guide (PDF): 2026 wave times 06:15 to 06:45, zones by 06:05, arrival by 05:15, start and finish at the Broadwater Parklands, the 6 h 40 gun-time cut-off, the course map with its 62 m gain and 1 to 10 m profile, and gels at the 30 km station. 2026 facts.
- Marathon course page and organizer map: The 2026 course file download and the embedded map with kilometre markers, aid stations and the southern (17.35 km) and northern (36.65 km) turn points.
- Aid stations and pace runners: Water and refreshment stations every 2.5 km, Fuel X and limited gels at 30 km; the /race-weekend/pace-runners/ page gives the 2026 pace groups from 2:50 to the 6 h 40 chaser running to the last wave's gun.
- Race number collection and transport: 2026 pickup at the Broadbeach expo from Thursday 2 to Saturday 4 July, proxy collection with the entry certificate and the Saturday advice for marathon runners; /race-weekend/transport/ gives free G:link travel for entrants and the 2026 rail replacement.
- Frequently asked questions: AIMS certification and the 2 December 2025 opening of 2026 entries.