Race Training Plans
Sunshine Coast
Marathon
The Sunshine Coast Marathon is held each August along the stunning Mooloolaba waterfront and Maroochy River precinct. Fast, flat and spectator-friendly — it's a genuine PB course and one of Queensland's most popular winter marathons.
For official race information visit the Sunshine Coast Marathon official website.
Choose Your Distance
Why Sunshine Coast is a PB Course
August in Queensland means cool, dry mornings — typically 10–16°C at race start — which are close to ideal marathon conditions. Combined with the flat coastal course, this event regularly produces fast times for well-trained runners.
The course runs along the Mooloolaba Esplanade and Maroochy River, with good crowd support throughout. Wind can be a factor on the exposed waterfront sections, but generally this is as friendly a marathon course as you'll find in Australia.
Training tip: An August race puts your hardest training weeks in June–July — Queensland winter. Perfect running weather. Start a 16-week plan in late April, or 20 weeks in early April.
How Long to Train
For the full marathon, 16 weeks is standard for runners with a solid base (25km+ per week). Building from scratch? Allow 20 weeks to build safely without injury risk.
For the half marathon, most runners do well on 10–12 weeks. Use the extra weeks in a 14-week plan to build a stronger aerobic base before the quality sessions kick in.
Ready to Train for Sunshine Coast?
Sunshine Coast Plan
Set your race date to August, pick your distance and goal pace, and get a week-by-week plan straight to your calendar.
⚡ Build My Sunshine Coast Plan