Your plan in four answers
Melbourne Marathon has not announced its next date, so we have estimated October. Change the date below once you know it.
- Distances
- 5K, 10K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Terrain
- Flat
- Field
- More than 60,000 participants across the festival weekend
Course
The Melbourne Marathon course
The marathon starts on Batman Avenue and finishes inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the race's finish for the past 20 years. On the way it passes Flinders Street Station, loops Albert Park Lake and heads down to the St Kilda foreshore, then runs the bayside roads south along Ormond Esplanade to Brighton Baths and back.
Read the full course notes
The 2026 edition reversed the direction of the Beach Road section, removed the false finish near Southbank Boulevard and dropped the climb from Birdwood Avenue to Domain Road at about 36 km, cutting elevation gain by up to 20%. What is left is mostly flat with gentle undulations, and the open bayside stretch is where wind matters most. The route changes from year to year, so check the 2027 map when it is released.
- Terrain
- Flat
- Distances
- 5K, 10K, Half marathon, Marathon
- Field
- More than 60,000 participants across the festival weekend
- Weather on race day
- Mid-October in Melbourne is usually cool at the 6:15 am start, around 9–13 °C, with highs near 20 °C. Spring weather is changeable: a northerly can bring a warm day and a cold front can bring wind and showers off the bay. On a windy morning, run in a group along Beach Road rather than pushing alone.
What to train for
A flat course rewards disciplined pacing and a well-practised fuelling routine.
Build long runs to 32–35 km with the final 10–15 km at goal marathon pace, and practise taking a gel or drink every 30–40 minutes at race pace.
Do some goal-pace work into a headwind so the bayside section feels familiar. With the Domain Road climb gone, the last 6 km into the MCG are a place to gain time: progression runs that finish faster than they start are the best rehearsal.
Sample week
A sample Melbourne Marathon training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Intervals: 5 × 1.5 km at 5K to 10K effort, easy jog between
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 10–11 km
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 16 km with 10 km at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 6 km, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 26–29 km, the last 6 km at race pace
- Sunday
- Easy run, 6 km, then 6 relaxed strides
Taper
Tapering for the Melbourne Marathon
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the Nike Melbourne Marathon in October. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Melbourne Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Melbourne Marathon?
Most runners give a marathon sixteen to twenty weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The plan above counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Melbourne Marathon course hilly?
Flat. The marathon starts on Batman Avenue and finishes inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the race's finish for the past 20 years.
What is the weather usually like at the Melbourne Marathon?
Mid-October in Melbourne is usually cool at the 6:15 am start, around 9–13 °C, with highs near 20 °C. Spring weather is changeable: a northerly can bring a warm day and a cold front can bring wind and showers off the bay. On a windy morning, run in a group along Beach Road rather than pushing alone.
When should I start tapering for the Melbourne Marathon?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is flat, so pacing decides the day: rehearse your goal pace in short segments during race week.
Do I need an account to get a Melbourne Marathon training plan?
No. The plan above builds in your browser with no account, no email, and no card. Make a free account only if you want to keep it, log your runs against it, and have the coach keep adapting it as your training goes.