Your plan in four answers
Set for August 1, 2027, about 40 weeks out.
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Sport
- Running
- Field
- Over 16,000 runners across all distances (2026)
- Taper starts
- July 14, 2027
Course
The Sunshine Coast Marathon course
All races start on Alexandra Parade at Alexandra Headland and finish at Buhk Family Park, home of the race village. The marathon is a single lap: the official GPX heads south to Mooloolaba first, turning at about 3.7 km, then runs north up the coast and across the Maroochy River to Twin Waters and Mudjimba, turning at about 25 km before retracing the route home.
Read the full course notes
The half marathon shares the southern turn at Mooloolaba, then heads north toward the Maroochy River before returning to Alexandra Headland. The organisers call the single-lap course one of the most scenic and fast on the running calendar. The course is AIMS certified with markers every 5 km, and the marathon starts at 6:00 am with a 6 h 20 min cut-off (half 7:15 am and 3 h 50 min, 10 km 9:00 am, 5 km 10:15 am).
- Distances
- Marathon, Half marathon, 10K, 5K
- Field
- Over 16,000 runners across all distances (2026)
- Weather on race day
- Winter on the Sunshine Coast is usually ideal for running: the organisers note mornings around 10 °C warming to about 22 °C, with a low chance of rain. Marathoners start in the cool of 6:00 am, but later starters will feel the sun on the exposed coastal roads, so wear a cap and sunscreen and keep drinking. The event uses WBGT heat flags on course, so check them as you go and adjust your pace if they change.
What to train for
This is a course built for even pacing and a fast time.
Build your long runs on flat roads to 32–35 km for the marathon (18–20 km for the half), with the final third at goal pace so the long, open coastal legs feel familiar.
Add one short hill session a week (6 to 8 x 60 to 90 seconds at 10 km effort) to build the strength to hold pace in the closing kilometres. Practise early breakfasts before 6:00 am long runs and rehearse your fuelling, since marathon special drinks are only at 12.5, 21.1, 29 and 37 km.
Sample week
A sample Sunshine Coast 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
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Sunshine Coast 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. With the race on August 1, 2027, your taper starts around July 14, 2027.
Also in Claude
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Build me a training plan for the EVA Air Sunshine Coast Marathon Festival on August 1, 2027. I run [distance] a week, [days] days a week, easy pace [pace].
Sunshine Coast Marathon training questions
How long should I train for the Sunshine Coast 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 Sunshine Coast Marathon course hilly?
All races start on Alexandra Parade at Alexandra Headland and finish at Buhk Family Park, home of the race village.
What is the weather usually like at the Sunshine Coast Marathon?
Winter on the Sunshine Coast is usually ideal for running: the organisers note mornings around 10 °C warming to about 22 °C, with a low chance of rain. Marathoners start in the cool of 6:00 am, but later starters will feel the sun on the exposed coastal roads, so wear a cap and sunscreen and keep drinking. The event uses WBGT heat flags on course, so check them as you go and adjust your pace if they change.
When should I start tapering for the Sunshine Coast 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. With the race on August 1, 2027, your taper starts around July 14, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Sunshine Coast 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.