The Race
| Next Race Date | Sunday 18 July 2027 |
|---|---|
| Course type | Loop: four laps of about 10.5 km |
| Registration | Open entry, no ballot |
| Ballot opens | No ballot |
| Start | Airlie Beach foreshore, 06:00 |
| Finish | Airlie Beach foreshore |
| Total finishers | To be Confirmed |
| Avg race-day temp | 15 to 25°C (July) |
| Cutoff time | To be Confirmed |
| Free race-day transport | No |
| Course certification | AIMS and World Athletics |
History
The Whitsunday Running Club stages the Airlie Beach Marathon Festival on the town's foreshore each July, with a half marathon, a 10 km, a 5 km, a corporate team challenge, children's races, a Magic Mile and a mixed relay around the marathon. Tassal, the salmon producer, is the title sponsor, and the marathon carries the North Queensland Championship title.
The course is unusual. Instead of closing roads, the club built it on the concrete footpaths and timber boardwalks along the Airlie Beach and Cannonvale foreshores and sends the field round four laps between the Coral Sea Marina, Cannonvale Beach and Port of Airlie. It has been measured and certified by AIMS and World Athletics, and the club is an AIMS member.
Caleb Noble holds the men's record, 2:31:50 from 2021, and Liv Compton the women's, 3:07:50 from 2025. The club pays a cash bonus to anyone who beats either.
The timing suits visitors. Mid-July is the middle of the Whitsundays' dry season, when humpback whales pass along the coast and the reef and island trips from Airlie run most reliably.
The course
The Airlie Beach Marathon is four laps of about 10.5 km from the Airlie Beach foreshore. Each lap runs west along the waterfront past the Coral Sea Marina, on Broadwater Avenue, Shingley Drive and the Turtle Boardwalk, to a turnaround on Coral Esplanade beside Cannonvale Beach 2.7 km from the start, and returns along the town side of the lagoon and Shute Harbour Road to the foreshore at about 8.3 km. It then runs a short spur east towards Port of Airlie, turns at about 9.0 km beside The Beacons and comes back to the start. Every lap has two turnarounds, so the race has eight.
The course is flat, and most of it is footpath and boardwalk beside the water. The elevation varies by only a few metres, and no climb worth naming appears anywhere on it. No elevation chart is drawn for this race: the path hugs the shore, and satellite terrain data along it reads the sea instead of the ground, which produces a false profile. The organiser publishes no total climb.
Three drink stations serve each lap, two of them with sports drink. The finish is on the foreshore where the race began.
Kilometre by kilometre
Km 0 to 1: the foreshore start. The gun goes at 06:00, around first light in July, and the field heads west along the waterfront. The paths are wide enough for a mass start to settle but not for a crowd to charge. Start slowly: the same scenery comes round four times.
Km 1 to 4.2: the marina and Cannonvale. The route runs along Broadwater Avenue and Shingley Drive past the Coral Sea Marina, on to the Turtle Boardwalk and out to a turnaround on Coral Esplanade beside Cannonvale Beach, the furthest point of the lap at 2.7 km from the start. Take the turn wide if the path allows and brake gently; eight turns over the race add up.
Km 4.2 to 8.3: back along the water. The return leg runs east on a slightly different line, by Shute Harbour Road and the town side of the lagoon. Runners on later laps meet slower and faster runners coming the other way, so keep left and hold a line.
Km 8.3 to 10.5: the Port of Airlie spur. Past the start area the course runs east, turns near The Beacons at about 9.0 km and comes back. It is the short leg of the lap, and it puts supporters at the foreshore in front of the runner twice in a few minutes.
Laps two to four. The same circuit three more times. The third lap is the hard one: the novelty has gone, the sun is up and the finish is still a lap away. The last lap ends on the foreshore beside the race precinct.
The organiser does not publish a blue line or a timing-mat plan. On a lapped course, count your laps and follow the marshals at each turnaround rather than a watch.
The marina, the Cannonvale turn at 4.2 km and the short Port of Airlie spur. Settle into goal pace after the first turnaround.
The paths get busier with runners in both directions. Keep left on the out-and-back sections and drink at every station.
Break it into its three drink stations instead of thinking about the full 10 km.
The final Port of Airlie spur means the finish is minutes away.
Course Map
Four laps of the same circuit from the foreshore: west past the Coral Sea Marina to Cannonvale Beach and back, then a short spur east towards Port of Airlie. The line overlays itself. Tap a marker for the turnarounds, the marina and the ferry terminal, and scrub the slider or press play to move the orange marker along the course.
No elevation chart is drawn for this course: the path runs beside the water and satellite terrain data along it keeps reading the sea instead of the ground. Check the line against the 2027 map.
Pacers
None announced. The organiser's pages do not mention pacers or pace groups, so plan to run your own pace.
The marathon is one of more than eight events across the Tassal Airlie Beach Marathon Festival weekend, from a half marathon and 10 km to a Magic Mile and children's races, most of them on the same foreshore. A supporter who runs can enter something shorter on the Saturday.
July is the middle of the Whitsundays' dry season, milder, drier and less humid than the summer. The 06:00 start comes around dawn, often in the mid-teens, and the temperature climbs into the low to mid-20s by late morning under a clear sky.
Dress for the second half. A singlet and shorts suit almost everyone, and a light top for the wait can go to a supporter, since no clothing collection is advertised. There is almost no shade once the sun clears the hills behind the town, so sunscreen before the start, a cap and sunglasses count for more than any extra layer, especially after 09:00. The breeze off the water can make the early laps feel cooler than they are and hides how much fluid you are losing.
Concrete and timber are harder than asphalt, and timber can be slick after rain or heavy dew. A cushioned shoe with a grippy outsole is a sensible choice.
Entry
Entry is open, with a single price and no ballot. General entry opens on 1 January and the marathon costs A$150, about £80. Online entries close at 17:00 on the Friday before the race, and runners must be 18 or older on race day.
Entry includes a finisher's medal, a race singlet and free photo downloads. There is prize money for the first three men and women, a cash bonus for beating either course record and category medals for the fastest runner in each age group.
There is no good-for-age route, and no charity or tour-operator allocation has been announced. Refund, transfer and deferral terms sit on the Race Roster registration page. Read them before paying: for a July race, flights and island accommodation are booked months ahead and are the larger financial risk. Enter early, then book a refundable room straight away.
Fast runner standards
There is no good-for-age entry and no qualifying standard.
Airlie Beach Marathon (Whitsunday Running Club) →Race Weekend
Bib collection
There is no expo. Bibs are collected on the Saturday before the race, from 14:00 to 17:00 at the sound stage on the Airlie Beach foreshore, the same precinct as the start and finish. Runners arriving on Sunday morning can collect before the start.
Saturday is the better option: it removes one task from a 05:30 arrival and gives a chance to find the start area in daylight. The sound stage is in the middle of town, a short walk from most central hotels. ID and proxy rules are not published, so bring the registration confirmation and photo ID.
Getting to the start
The marathon starts at 06:00 on the Airlie Beach foreshore, and runners are asked to be in the race precinct by 05:30. Anyone staying in central Airlie can walk there in minutes. There is no race transport and none is needed for runners staying in town.
From further out. Runners staying in Cannonvale or on the hill need a plan for 05:15. Taxis are limited in a small town before dawn, so a room within walking distance or a pre-booked transfer is the safe choice, and the course itself runs along the Cannonvale foreshore, so crossing it on foot after the start is slow.
Bag drop. None was advertised. For a runner staying in town, the simplest plan is to leave everything at the hotel and walk down in race kit with a layer to hand to a supporter.
The finish. Runners return to the race precinct on the foreshore, with the Airlie Beach Lagoon, a public swimming lagoon, about 0.5 km away. Central hotels are a short walk back. The other distances start later in the morning on parts of the same course, so the foreshore gets busier as the marathon goes on.
Nutrition on course
Three drink stations serve each lap, twelve stops over the marathon, and two of the three tables on each lap serve sports drink as well as water. With a station every 3 to 4 km, each passed four times, a handheld bottle is unnecessary.
Gels and food are not listed, so carry your own and take them at a station. In a tropical July the heat builds quickly after 08:00, so drink early on every lap instead of waiting for thirst. Kilometre positions, the sports-drink brand and any personal-drinks arrangement will be in the athlete information released before the race.
Spectating
Airlie Beach suits spectators who do not want to move. The course passes the start area at the end of each lap and twice more on the way to and from the Port of Airlie spur, so a supporter standing on the foreshore sees a runner many times without walking anywhere.
The race precinct is the best spot, with the finish, toilets and cafés. The Coral Sea Marina is second, a 10 to 15 minute walk west, where the course runs beside Shingley Drive on the way out and again on the way back each lap. The turnaround at Cannonvale Beach, 2.7 km from the start, gives a quieter view.
- Airlie Beach foreshore race precinct from 06:00
- See runners at the start and on every pass of the foreshore, including the east spur at about km 9
- Finish in the same place
- Start at the foreshore
- Walk about 15 minutes west to the Coral Sea Marina on Shingley Drive for the outward and return passes each lap
- Walk back for the finish
- Walk or drive west along the shore to Cannonvale Beach for the turnaround at about km 4 of each lap
- Return to the foreshore for the final lap and the finish
Post-race food
Shute Harbour Road, the main street, runs beside the foreshore a minute from the finish, with cafés, pubs and restaurants along it. The Airlie Beach Hotel sits on Airlie Esplanade, close enough to walk straight to after the medal.
Most runners finish before 11:00, so brunch comes first. On a festival Sunday the cafés nearest the foreshore fill quickly, so book lunch for a group. Seafood is the local order, with prawns and fish from the Whitsunday coast on most menus.
Where to Stay
Stay within walking distance of the foreshore, which is the start, the finish and the bib-collection point. The town is small and dawn transport is thin, so a room you can walk from is the whole strategy.
Central Airlie Beach
Central Airlie, between Shute Harbour Road and the foreshore, puts the start, finish and bib collection within a few minutes' walk. It has the most restaurants and the most noise: the main street has late-night bars and backpacker hostels. Choose a room away from the main strip, or take earplugs.
Coral Sea Marina
The marina precinct at the western end of the foreshore is quieter and newer, with apartments and resort-style hotels about 0.8 to 1 km from the start along the course itself. It suits runners who want calm on Saturday night and a short walk back after the race.
Port of Airlie
Port of Airlie, at the eastern end, has apartment hotels beside the ferry terminal used by island and reef boats, about 0.6 km from the start. It is the most practical base for anyone planning island trips after the race.
Cannonvale
Cannonvale, west along the coast, has apartment-style and holiday-let accommodation at lower prices. The turnaround of each lap is on its foreshore, but the start is 2 to 3 km away, which means a drive or a transfer before dawn. It is better value and a worse race morning.
Resorts on the hill
Several resorts sit on the slopes above the town with views over the water. Most are a steep walk from the foreshore, and after 42 km the walk back uphill is worth weighing before booking.
Booking advice is in the timeline below.
Recommended hotels
On the water at Ocean View Avenue, a short walk along the foreshore from the start and finish. Quieter than the main street, and close to the boats for a reef day after the race.
On Airlie Esplanade, so the race precinct is at the door. The pub downstairs is convenient after the race and noisy on Saturday night.
A resort with pools and gardens, a festival partner in 2026. Too far to walk to a 06:00 start comfortably, so arrange a transfer.
Booking timeline
Book accommodation as soon as you enter. July is peak dry season in the Whitsundays, and the festival weekend adds several thousand runners and supporters to a small town. Rooms within walking distance of the foreshore go first. Reef and island trips are the other thing to book early: Whitehaven Beach and outer-reef day trips sell out in the weeks around the school holidays, and marine weather can cancel a day at short notice, so plan a spare day.
Whitsunday Coast Airport near Proserpine is about 35 to 40 minutes from Airlie by road, with transfer buses meeting flights. Hamilton Island's airport has more direct flights from the southern capitals and connects to Airlie by ferry. Arrive by Friday or Saturday morning to collect a bib on Saturday afternoon.
See & Do
Everything below is on or near the foreshore, within about a kilometre of the finish, apart from the boat trips.
Airlie Beach Lagoon
A large public swimming lagoon on the foreshore, with lawns and shade around it. Cool water is the obvious first stop after the medal.
Coral Sea Marina boardwalk
The flat waterfront the course uses, lined with cafés and the boats that run to the islands. An easy walk on race afternoon, with a bench whenever the legs ask.
Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet
Seven kilometres of pale silica sand on Whitsunday Island, reached only by boat. The Hill Inlet lookout involves a short climb, so leave it for the second day after the race.
Humpback whales
Humpbacks travel through the Whitsundays from June to September, and July sits in the middle of that window. Sightings from reef and island boats are common and never guaranteed.
After the Race
July is the heart of the dry season on the Queensland coast, with calm mornings, cooler nights and humpback whales passing through the islands. The trips below use boats and short walks. Leave snorkelling until the legs have had a day off.
A day cruise to the white silica sand of Whitsunday Island, with the swirling Hill Inlet from the lookout above. July is whale season in the channels on the way.
An island resort town with buggies instead of cars, flat marina walks and the Great Barrier Reef two hours away by boat.
Granite headlands, koalas in the gums and quiet bays off Townsville, with two nights to take the hill walks slowly.
Three nights on a skippered yacht through the islands, anchoring in sheltered bays and letting the boat do the moving while the legs recover.