Running is all the hype at the moment; it seems that just about everybody is trading their late nights out for early morning long runs. For those who are thinking of joining the latest run craze, a recent study by Net World Sports found that the Brooks Adelaide Marathon Festival is the second-best marathon for beginners in Australia.
In the study, 75 of Australia’s most prominent races were judged on race day conditions, pricing and prize money, course difficulty, support and accessibility, and sentimental value for the runners and overall reviews. Adelaide came second in the category for beginner runners and fifth for experienced runners.
You don’t have to look far to see that running is taking over South Australia. Runners are everywhere, and it’s no surprise why. Adelaide Marathon is just 7 weeks away, and for the first time in its 47-year history, it has sold out. If that doesn’t tell you that running is the latest trend, then I’m not sure what will.
With an increase of 22 per cent from last year’s entries, on Sunday, May 3rd, people will line up on the start line as they gather their nerves before running 42.2 kilometres.
The Brooks Adelaide Marathon Festival offers four distances, including 5km, 10km, half-marathon and marathon. The full marathon is a scenic two-lap course through Adelaide parklands, past Adelaide Oval and along the River Torrens. Marathon day in Adelaide has an average temperature of 14.9 degrees, 160 metres of elevation, 13 aid stations, and a generous cut-off time of 6 hours, making it ideal for people’s first marathon.
A marathon is no small accomplishment; people spend months training, and first marathons can be daunting. Adelaide Marathon, being voted second best for beginners in the country, should make the first timers take a deep breath. Barossa Marathon, normally held at the end of August, scored 8th best for beginners.
As runners gain experience, what they look for in a race tends to change. Beginners are usually drawn to events that feel welcoming and accessible, where the focus is on support and making it easy to get involved. As they move into the intermediate level, attention shifts toward chasing personal bests, with athletes often seeking out fast courses with long straights and favourable weather. For advanced competitors, the focus turns more toward prestige and competition, where prize money, strong fields and the technical challenge of the course start to define the quality of an event.
In the study for experienced runners, the Brooks Adelaide Marathon Festival scored 5th, and the Barossa Marathon was the 2nd best in the category. It’s cool average of 9.4 degrees is a contributing factor as runners feel they can push their pace without overheating. South Australia seems to keep popping up in the study, as the McLaren Vale Running Festival was found to be the 3rd best half-marathon for beginners, 3rd for experienced, and 9th for elites.
Thousands are set to hit the start line this May, with the scenic views, cool running conditions and plenty of support along the way, it’s easy to see why so many runners are choosing Adelaide to tackle their first 42.2 kilometres. The running boom doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon.
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