My marathons

Perth Running Festival

Run on 11 October 2026. Next race: date not out yet. Perth
Optus Stadium
Optus Stadium. Photograph by Gnan garra, CC BY 2.5 au via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The 2026 Perth marathon on Sunday 11 October ran through Burswood Park beside the Swan River and finished inside Optus Stadium.

The course in short 2 lines
  • Burswood Park, the Swan River and a finish inside Optus StadiumThe organiser calls it a fast, flat marathon with every event finishing in the stadium.
  • Free trains, even-pace groups and bib collection at the stadiumBib collection at Optus Stadium on the Friday and Saturday.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseFinishBurswood Park, the Swan River and a finish inside Optus StadiumThe organiser calls it a fast, flat marathon with every event finishing in the stadium.

The organiser describes the 2026 marathon as beautiful, fast and flat, taking in Burswood Park, which it added to the course through a partnership with the park, and the Swan River. All events, from the 4 km dash to the marathon, finish inside Optus Stadium. The marathon is also billed as an official sister city marathon.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsFree trains, even-pace groups and bib collection at the stadiumBib collection at Optus Stadium on the Friday and Saturday.

Runners wearing their bib could take Transperth trains for free on race day, with some early trains laid on to reach the start line. The marathon had pacers holding an even pace for the whole distance, with aid stations serving water, LVL UP and LVL UP Gel. Bibs not posted out were collected at Optus Stadium on the Friday and Saturday before the race. Minimum age for the marathon was 18.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Perth, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

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In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi

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