Event Details
| DATE | Sunday 4 May 2025 |
| DISTANCE | 42.195 km |
| START LOCATION | Camp St, Heathcote |
| FINISH LOCATION | Barrack Reserve, High St, Heathcote (Google Map) |
| AGE RESTRICTIONS | Participants must be 18 years and older on event day |
| BIB COLLECTION OPENS | 6:00 AM from Barrack Reserve, Heathcote |
| BRIEFING | 7:45 am |
| START TIME | 8:00 am |
| CUT OFF TIME | 6 hours (2pm) |
| WATER / AID STATIONS LOCATIONS | DISTANCE FROM START (Distance from last station) |
| 1. Mia-Mia Derrinal Rd - Outbound | 6.4km (6.4km from last station) |
| 2. Derrinal Station - Outbound | 9.1km (2.7km from last station) |
| 3. Moorabee-Foreshore Rd - Outbound | 13.5km (4.4km) |
| 4. Knowsley - Outbound | 16.9km (3.4km) |
| 5. Knowsley Forest (Turnaround) | 21km (4.1km) |
| 6. Knowsley - Inbound | 25km (4km) |
| 7. Moorabee-Foreshore Rd - Inbound | 28.5km (3.5km) |
| 8. Derrinal Station - Inbound | 33.5km (5km) |
| 9. Mia-Mia Derrinal Rd - Inbound | 36.3km (2.8km) |
| 10. Speed Street - Inbound | 39.3km (3km) |
| FINISH | 42.2km - Finish (2.9km) |
| WATER / AID STATIONS DETAILS | There will be drink and aid stations, manned by local volunteer groups, along all course routes and at the start and finish locations. There are TOILETS at each of these aid stations. We will have lollies and water at ALL aid stations this year. Each entrant will be given a 'PURE' energy gel at bib collection that they can carry with them. All Aid Stations are accessible by support crew, so if an athlete has specific dietary or electrolyte requirements we encourage you to self-cater. |
| TRANSPORT | There is no transport available for this event. |
| ENTRY FEES* | Early Bird: $110.00 (Until midnight 3 Feb 2025) |
| Standard: $125.00 (Until midnight 5 Apr 2025) | |
| Late: $150.00 (until midnight May 2) | |
| Last Minute: $175.00 (until 15 mins before race start) | |
| RUNNER REWARDS | Finisher Medal, professional timing, road closures, first aid and medical support and on-course drink stations. |
| COURSE MAP | New Course Map, see here > |
| THE FINE PRINT | Please review our Terms and Conditions here > |
| *Entries include GST and Registration Fees. | |
| COURSE RECORDS | Male: Jamie Cook 02:32:38 - (2022) Female: Virginia McCormick - 2:48:14 (2019) |
Event Map
STRAVA COURSE MAP
Course Markings – Follow the Red Hoops & the arrows
The Marathon and Half Marathon and Relay courses all follow the O’Keefe Rail Trail and is clearly marked with red and silver reflective tape and hoops and directional arrow signage. There are also white wooden posts with ‘O’Keefe Rail Trail’ at cross roads along the way. There are arrows at all key intersection and decision points.
Course Description – Marathon & Ekiden Relay – Out and Back
The course directions are fairly simple in that you follow the magnificent ‘O’Keefe Rail Trail’ for most of your journey out and back from Heathcote.
Tens of thousands of people ride, run and walk along here each year and it is extremely well marked with signs at each crossing.
START AREA
We start in Camp Street and will head east towards Heathcote Hospital for 300metres.
You’ll then take a sharp right hand turn up a narrow path behind the Heathcote Skate Park. This path winds uphill gently until it reaches the O’Keefe Rail Trail where the athletes turn right.
HEATHCOTE – OUTBOUND
After following the O’Keefe Rail Trail to Holy Rosary Primary School (on the corner of Pohlman and Ebden Street in Heathcote), you’ll turn towards Bendigo for the long journey outbound.
From here the trail weaves and winds through bushland, past Lake Eppalock and through paddocks to Knowsley township.
KNOWSLEY TO THE TURN AROUND AND BACK
Once you reach Knowsley, it’s a quick left right right on some local roads that connects you to the next section of the O’Keefe Rail Trail towards Knowsley Forest. Once in Knowsley Forest, marathon athletes will run PAST the HALF MARATHON turnaround before coming to the far turnaround loop.
This loop will take you off the O’Keefe Rail Trail with a right hand track (there will be signs and marshals) before joining Hicksons Track and turning right again. Follow this back towards Heathcote (west) for approximately 2 kilometres.
From here it’s a blast back towards Heathcote.
Heads-up there’s a steady climb over the final 8 km, so save yourself for this!
HEATHCOTE – FINISHING
Once you arrive back into Heathcote, you’ll turn LEFT into Pohlman Street from Ebden Street at the Holy Rosary Primary School.
Follow Pohlman Street across High Street (the highway) and then turn RIGHT into Wright Street.
Wright Street will lead you all the way to the rear of Barrack Reserve near the lawn bowls club. To enter Barrack Reserve, follow the road on the left and then you’ll arrive at the oval.
After a short run on the grass oval, you’ll arrive at the O’Keefe Challenge poppet heads at the finish line!