Paradise Road | Gold Coast Marathon Course Documentary
Two runners moving along the Gold Coast esplanade at sunrise

[RACE GUIDE]

Gold Coast

A course documentary  ·  42.195 KM  ·  5 JULY 2026

Scroll to start
KM 00.0 / 42.195 Start Line Southport to Sea World Next Broadwater Parklands 3:33 /KM

START LINE

The Gold Coast Marathon is flat, fast, and beautiful, which is exactly why it can catch you out. Our kilometre-by-kilometre Race Guide breaks down the course, key landmarks, pacing traps, and moments that matter, so you can build a smarter race plan before you reach the start line.

Goal time, h:mm:ss
GOAL PACE3:33 /KM
10 KM — SURFERS35:33
21.1 KM — BROADBEACH1:15:00
30 KM — BRIDGE1:46:39
FINISH2:30:00

00 – 05 KM  /  SOUTHPORT TO SEA WORLD

Don’t Be a Hero

“In the beginning, it was faster than I anticipated.”

Southport gives you noise, space, bodies, watches lighting up in the dark. Then the course turns you out through Main Beach and past Sea World, and suddenly it feels like you are already running well. The first five kilometres are not for proving fitness. They are for hiding it.

Runner framed low against blue sky
SOUTHPORT, STARTLINE, 6.15 AM
0–5 KM section, timed from your race plan.
NEXT05 – 12 KM  /  THE GLITTER STRIP

05 – 12 KM  /  THE GLITTER STRIP

It Should Be Beautiful

“Do not mistake the surf and beautiful bodies for permission to go harder.”

The ocean sits on your left. Surfers rolls by. Broadbeach waits ahead. Crowds pull you forward and the course feels effortless. Everything encourages speed. Nothing forces restraint.

Runner in motion beside the Gold Coast at dawn
NARROWNECK, 5KM — 6:32AM
NEXT12 – 21.1 KM  /  BROADBEACH RETURN

12 – 21.1 KM  /  BROADBEACH RETURN

The Quiet Math

“Don’t be fooled. You’re nowhere near halfway.”

Through Broadbeach, Mermaid, Nobby’s and Miami, you turn south, then head back toward halfway. It feels like progress should equal achievement. It doesn’t. Halfway is only halfway by distance. The first half rewards patience; the second reveals whether that patience was real.

Open Gold Coast esplanade section with morning light
MIAMI TURN, 17.4KM — 7:04AM
12–21.1 KM section, timed from your race plan.
NEXT21.1 – 30 KM  /  THE ESPLANADE

21.1 – 30 KM  /  THE ESPLANADE

Paradise Road

“It’s at this point that you feel like it could go either way.”

It is The Esplanade, Broadbeach into Surfers, the Pink Poodle and high-rise shadows. For a while, this section saves you. Crowds, noise and familiar landmarks provide a lift. Then the gaps open. Groups thin. The wind finds you. Flat starts to mean exposed.

Energy gel tucked into runner shorts during a coastal run
Running kit detail in hard coastal light
Runner portrait on the road

THE PINK POODLE, 25KM — 7:31AM

NEXT30 – 35 KM  /  THE LONG RETURN

[THE REWARD]

Get Race Ready, On Us

We want to see you nail your race plan. So we’re giving you a FREE FlyMesh Singlet to help ensure you leave nothing on course. Just spend $200 on any running product at Black Sheep, and we’ll add one in the cart for you. Valued at $140.

FREE FLYMESH SINGLET — VALUED AT $140

Build my race plan
FlyMesh Singlet in the purple haze colourway with lime Black Sheep mark

30 – 35 KM  /  SOUTHPORT TO RUNAWAY BAY

The Big Tease

“You get teased as you see sight of the finish line.”

This is the course’s psychological trick. You get a glimpse of the finish line, but you are nowhere near it. Labrador, Biggera Waters, Runaway Bay: harmless names hiding a hard truth.

Late-course road light and running texture
LABRADOR, 32.5KM — 8:03AM
30–35 KM section, timed from your race plan.
NEXT35 – 40.8 KM  /  THE REAL RACE

35 – 40.8 KM  /  RUNAWAY BAY RETURN

You’re Not Going To Die!

“You’re only 5km from the end. But you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere.”

The final leg from Runaway Bay is where races come unstuck, and where PBs are made. The headwind, the silence, the watch you stop trusting, the runner ahead becoming a target. By 39km, strategy is gone. Only form, fuel, and one decision repeated remain.

BIGGERA WATERS, 37KM — 8:19AM
NEXT40.8 – 42.195 KM  /  THE FINISH
Finishing texture from the Gold Coast shoot

40.8 – 42.195 KM  /  THE FINISH

Somehow, It Was All Worth It!

The finish line is not a rescue. It is a receipt.

Run it back ↑

YOUR RACE PLAN

Get Ready For Race Day.

You’ve done the training. Now you have the plan. We’d love to give you a gift for race day. A FlyMesh singlet - valued at $140, free if you spend $200 on Running.

BLACK SHEEP 05.07.2026

[RACE PLAN]

Gold Coast

DISTANCE
42.195 KM
ELEVATION
+62 / −65 M
PACE
3:33 /KM
GOAL
2:30:00
  1. Marina Mirage14:35
  2. Mermaid Beach42:40
  3. Broadbeach return1:15:01
  4. Pink Poodle1:28:52
  5. Biggera Waters2:00:09
  6. Labrador return2:18:39
  7. Finish2:30:00
PARADISE ROAD GOLDCOAST.BLACKSHEEP.CC
Purple FlyMesh Singlet with lime Black Sheep mark
FREE - FLYMESH SINGLET Valued at $140 — yours with $200 on Pinnacle Running

Includes the FlyMesh Singlet offer (valued at $140) at checkout.

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