Race Training Plans
Great Ocean Road
Marathon
One of Australia's most spectacular running events. The Great Ocean Road Marathon traverses rugged coastal cliffs, ancient rainforest and famous surf beaches between Apollo Bay and Lorne. Held each May — this is not a PB course. It's something better: an experience.
For official race information visit the Great Ocean Road Marathon official website.
Choose Your Distance
Training for the Hills
The full marathon course features over 900m of elevation gain — significantly more than any flat city marathon. If you're targeting a finish time, add 30–60 minutes to your road marathon expectations. Many experienced runners treat this as a time-on-feet event rather than a race.
Your training plan should include one dedicated hill session per week. Running up steep inclines builds the leg strength and cardiovascular capacity you'll need when the course climbs away from the coast.
Training tip: Don't neglect downhill running. Long downhills trash your quads — and the GOR course has plenty of them. Include downhill repeats in your training to prepare your legs for the eccentric loading.
How Long to Train
The technical and hilly nature of this course means you need more time than a flat road marathon. 18–20 weeks minimum for the full, 14–16 weeks for the half. A longer build also gives you time to include specific hill work rather than bolting it on at the end.
Runners who've done this event before often describe the first-timer experience as humbling. Go in undertrained and the hills will punish you. Go in well-prepared and it's one of the most rewarding runs you'll ever do.
Ready to Train for Great Ocean Road?
GOR Training Plan
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