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Course pacing
How to pace the Melbourne Marathon
The 2026 Nike Melbourne Marathon is largely flat, with about 122 m of modelled climbing and 118 m of descent. Run the gentle rises by steady effort and account for coastal wind. The revised route removes the old Birdwood Avenue climb and finishes inside the MCG.
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New course for 2026Guide reviewed 30 September 2026
The 2026 route heads south to Brighton, north along the bay to Port Melbourne, then through Albert Park and back to the MCG. The old Birdwood Avenue to Domain Road climb is removed. The start is 6:15am on Batman Avenue.
Next Melbourne Marathon
Plan your race with JasonSunday 11 October 2026
In 6 days
Elevation gain
122m
modelled
Elevation loss
118m
modelled
Net change
+4m
Terrain
Rolling
Race-day forecast
Sunday 11 October
At the gun
15.9°C
~6:15am start
By the finish
15.9°C
about four hours in
Humidity
64%
82% cloud
Conditions
Warm
a little warm; expect a small slowdown
Early. This far out a forecast still moves by a few degrees. Treat it as a hint, not a plan. Forecast from MET Norway, CC BY 4.0.
Your race plan
3:34:45
The same effort as 3:29:39 on flat ground
Target pace
5:05/km
3:30:00 Melbourne +4:45 forecast = 3:34:45
▸Where that comes from
- Your goal for Melbourne
- 3:30:00
- Melbourne’s terrainshapes the splits, not the total
- —
- Race-day forecastearlyThis far out a forecast still moves by a few degrees. Treat it as a hint, not a plan.Read 3 hours ago for the hours you will be on course, 64% humidity, 82% cloud. Forecast from MET Norway, CC BY 4.0.
- +4:45
- On the day
- 3:34:45
↑ climbs +3:22 (122 m)↓ descents -3:01 (118 m)
About 21 seconds more than flat ground at the same effort.
15.9°C on course. +2.3% adapted.
Nike Melbourne Marathon
Melbourne, VIC
Hover the map or the profile, the other follows.
Interactive route map loads as you approach it.
Melbourne is a 42.2 kilometre course described as largely flat, mcg finish. It has about 122 metres of climbing. It has about 118 metres of descent.The elevation chart and split table below provide the same route information without requiring the map.
plan slows (give time) plan runs (take it back)each block ≈ 500 m of the course
Official 2026 course, checked 2026-09-30. Elevation is modelled from Geoscience Australia 5 m LiDAR DEM (CC BY 4.0). Sampled every 25 m, smoothed over 125 m; bridge decks are interpolated from their approaches. The organiser has not published a certified elevation profile.
Your race-day splits
Every
Units
| Marker | Target pace | Clock | Terrain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 km | 5:16/km | 5:16 | +6 m |
| 2 km | 5:06/km | 10:22 | flat |
| 3 km | 5:03/km | 15:26 | flat |
| 4 km | 5:02/km | 20:28 | flat |
| 5 km | 5:02/km | 25:30 | flat |
| 6 km | 5:11/km | 30:41 | flat |
| 7 km | 4:56/km | 35:37 | -7 m |
| 8 km | 5:02/km | 40:39 | flat |
| 9 km | 5:08/km | 45:47 | flat |
| 10 km | 5:03/km | 50:50 | flat |
| 11 km | 5:07/km | 55:57 | flat |
| 12 km | 5:10/km | 1:01:07 | flat |
| 13 km | 5:04/km | 1:06:12 | flat |
| 14 km | 5:06/km | 1:11:18 | flat |
| 15 km | 5:00/km | 1:16:18 | flat |
| 16 km | 5:02/km | 1:21:20 | flat |
| 17 km | 5:07/km | 1:26:27 | flat |
| 18 km | 5:03/km | 1:31:29 | flat |
| 19 km | 5:07/km | 1:36:37 | flat |
| 20 km | 5:04/km | 1:41:41 | flat |
| 21 km | 5:04/km | 1:46:45 | flat |
| 22 km | 5:06/km | 1:51:51 | flat |
| 23 km | 5:04/km | 1:56:54 | flat |
| 24 km | 5:06/km | 2:02:01 | flat |
| 25 km | 5:03/km | 2:07:04 | flat |
| 26 km | 5:06/km | 2:12:10 | flat |
| 27 km | 5:07/km | 2:17:17 | flat |
| 28 km | 5:07/km | 2:22:24 | flat |
| 29 km | 5:05/km | 2:27:29 | flat |
| 30 km | 5:04/km | 2:32:32 | flat |
| 31 km | 5:05/km | 2:37:37 | flat |
| 32 km | 5:07/km | 2:42:44 | flat |
| 33 km | 5:05/km | 2:47:48 | flat |
| 34 km | 5:04/km | 2:52:53 | flat |
| 35 km | 5:10/km | 2:58:03 | flat |
| 36 km | 5:04/km | 3:03:07 | flat |
| 37 km | 5:08/km | 3:08:15 | flat |
| 38 km | 5:08/km | 3:13:23 | flat |
| 39 km | 5:07/km | 3:18:30 | flat |
| 40 km | 5:04/km | 3:23:34 | flat |
| 41 km | 5:06/km | 3:28:40 | flat |
| 42 km | 5:05/km | 3:33:45 | flat |
| Finish | 5:05/km | 3:34:45 | flat |
These are modelled splits, not a validated prediction. The route and elevation data, weather, surface, congestion and your own uphill and downhill ability can all change the pace you can hold. Use the numbers as a planning guide, run the climbs by feel and stay relaxed on the descents. Heat builds as you go, so treat the closing 10 km as a feel check rather than a pace target.
Take it to your watch
These exact splits as a structured workout: one step per kilometre, each with its target pace band (±10 s/km). Your watch prompts every step, so on race day you run the terrain, not the arithmetic.
Garmin needs a cable and a computer. In this file: 43 steps · every km · 3:30:00 goal · even effort · typical October conditions · per-km paces. Change anything above and download again.
Getting it onto your watch
You will need a USB cable and a computer. There is no way around that: Garmin has never built a way to send a workout to a watch from a phone, from Garmin Connect, or from any file you can email yourself. Everyone who makes these files, us included, has the same constraint.
- Download the file above on a computer.
- Plug the watch in by USB and wait for it to appear.
- Copy the file into GARMIN/NewFiles. If your watch has no NewFiles folder, use GARMIN/Workouts instead.
- Eject the watch and unplug it.
- On the watch, go to Training, then Workouts. It will be there under the name of this race.
On a Mac the watch mounts as a media device rather than a drive, so you will need a transfer app such as Android File Transfer to see those folders. Windows shows them in Explorer.
Dragging it into Garmin Connect or TrainingPeaks will not work, and it is worth knowing why. .fit is a container that holds several different kinds of file. A recorded run uploads to both of them happily, which is what those drop zones are built for. A workout is a different file type inside the same extension, and neither platform will import one.
You have the splits. The question is whether they are the right ones for you.
In a Race Strategy Session, Jason reads your last twelve weeks and spends 60 minutes going through the Melbourne Marathon with you: what you are fit for, how to pace it, fuelling and the conditions. A$180.
The coach's read
Run the largely flat 2026 course by steady effort. Let pace ease over the gentle rises around 5, 27 and 35 km, and account for wind on the exposed bay legs. The old Birdwood Avenue to Domain Road climb is removed. Keep your rhythm through the city turns, then build your finish as you approach the MCG.
WHY Allowing for a typical October day, that's about 5:05/km of effort the whole way, the splits below shift with the gradient, not your pace.
Ease over the gentle rises, hold effort steady in coastal wind, and build your finish as you approach the MCG.
JHJason HuntFounder & Head Coach
·Race-day guide
Pacing the Melbourne Marathon
A coach's read on how the Nike Melbourne Marathon runs, and how to spend your effort across it.
01The course
Kilometre by kilometre
- 0–7 km: settle into St Kilda Road, ease over the gentle rise around 5 km, then descend towards the St Kilda foreshore.
- 7–24 km: run south to the Brighton turnaround, then north along the bay to Port Melbourne. Keep effort steady through the coastal wind and the turnarounds.
- 24–34 km: return from Port Melbourne and run through Albert Park. A gentle rise around 27 km interrupts the otherwise largely flat section.
- 34–40 km: return along St Kilda Road, easing over the rise around 35 km, then cross Princes Bridge. The old Birdwood Avenue to Domain Road climb is absent.
- City and stadium approach: keep your rhythm through Flinders Street and Wellington Parade South, then build towards the MCG finish.
- Princes Bridge outbound (~1.1 km): Cross the Yarra on the bridge deck, then settle into St Kilda Road.
- St Kilda foreshore (~7.0 km): Head south along the bay towards Brighton.
- Brighton turnaround (~13.0 km): Turn north for the long coastal return.
- Port Melbourne turnaround (~23.1 km): The northern coastal turn before returning to Albert Park.
- Albert Park Lake (~33.0 km): Flat circuit roads beside the lake in the final third.
- Princes Bridge return (~40.0 km): Return over the Yarra, then turn into Flinders Street for the stadium approach.
- MCG finish (~42.2 km): Finish inside the stadium.
02The plan
How to pace the Melbourne Marathon
- Read the revised route. From Batman Avenue, run south to Brighton, north along the bay to Port Melbourne, then through Albert Park and back to the MCG. The old Birdwood Avenue to Domain Road climb is removed.
- Settle into steady effort. Keep the opening kilometres controlled. Let pace ease over the gentle rises around 5, 27 and 35 km rather than chasing an identical split.
- Account for coastal wind. The bay legs are exposed. Hold effort steady into a headwind and avoid spending extra energy to force goal pace.
- Build your finish. Keep effort controlled through the city turns, then build your finish as you approach the MCG.
03Questions
Melbourne Marathon, answered
- Is the Melbourne Marathon hilly?
- It's largely flat, with gentle rises around 5, 27 and 35 km. The former Birdwood Avenue to Domain Road climb is removed. The model estimates 122 m of total climbing; run by steady effort and let pace adjust slightly with the ground.
- How should I pace the Melbourne Marathon?
- The 2026 Nike Melbourne Marathon is largely flat, with about 122 m of modelled climbing and 118 m of descent. Run the gentle rises by steady effort and account for coastal wind. The revised route removes the old Birdwood Avenue climb and finishes inside the MCG.
- Is the Melbourne Marathon a good course for a PB?
- Yes, the largely flat 2026 route can suit a personal best. The gentle rises need only small pace adjustments at steady effort; coastal wind, conditions and your pacing discipline still matter.
- How much elevation gain does the Melbourne Marathon have?
- About 122 m of total gain and 118 m of loss over the 42.2 km, modelled from the official route and Geoscience Australia 5 m LiDAR DEM (CC BY 4.0).
Race Strategy Session
The pacing above is free. The judgement is the part worth paying for.
This page knows the Nike Melbourne Marathon. It does not know you. Two or three weeks out, Jason reads your last twelve weeks and spends 60 minutes going through the day with you, then writes it down so you are not running on memory.
- An honest read on what your training says you can hold
- How to spend your effort across this course, and where it is won
- Fuelling and conditions, decided before you are standing on the line
Train for Melbourne. Not just the distance.
A coach builds this course's climbs, descents and race-day pacing into a plan made for you.