The Run2PB - 2026 Melbourne Marathon Guide
Everything you need to know to race well, feel good, and cross the line inside the MCG with something left in the tank.
The Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival returns on Sunday 11 October 2026, and race week is here. If you've been following your plan and trusting your coach, the hard part is done. Now it's about arriving at the start line on Batman Avenue fresh, fuelled and clear on the plan.
We've pulled together what the Run2PB coaches have been saying on the Better With Running Podcast and on this blog about race week, fuelling, pacing and the mental side of the marathon, and matched it with the official 2026 race details so you've got it all in one place.
Race day at a glance
Date: Sunday 11 October 2026
Marathon start: 6:15am, Batman Avenue
Half marathon start: 9:45am, Batman Avenue (wave starts)
Finish: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
Marathon cut-off: 7 hours 45 minutes gun time, with everyone at the MCG course entry by 2:00pm
Marathon pace groups: 2:48, 2:50, 3:00, 3:10, 3:20, 3:30, 3:40, 3:50, 4:00, 4:10, 4:20, 4:30, 4:45, 5:00 and 5:30
Half marathon pace groups: 1:24, 1:30, 1:35, 1:40, 1:45, 1:50, 2:00, 2:10, 2:20 and 2:30
Pace group leaders are easy to spot in event gear with their time clearly visible. Look for the pace group signs in the start area. You don't need to register.
What's new in 2026: know the course
The marathon course has been reimagined this year to be faster and flatter. Here's what the organisers have changed:
Less climbing: elevation gain is reduced by up to 20%, and the 36km climb from Birdwood Avenue to Domain Road is gone.
Reverse direction: the marathon now runs in the opposite direction, heading to Beach Rd.
Fewer turns: a more streamlined route with wider roads, using more of the road and tram corridors.
No false finish: the old Southbank Boulevard and Alexandra Avenue diversion has been removed, so the approach to the MCG is a true, continuous run in.
Rolling mass start: the electric atmosphere of the mass start is staying. Allow for up to 25 minutes for the field to clear the start.
The half marathon also runs in the reverse direction this year, with wave starts for a smoother, less congested run. It also means half marathoners can watch the marathon finish before their own start.
Why it matters: a faster course is not a free pass. Respect the first half, and let the new course reward you in the second.
Race week: do less, not more
The biggest mistake runners make in race week is trying to do something. The fitness is banked. The only job now is to arrive fresh.
2:06 Marathoner & Run2PB coach Andy Buchanan has raced Valencia, London, Paris and beyond. On the Better With Running Podcast, he shared the race-week rules he comes back to every time.
Do nothing new. Same food, same routine, same everything. Andy's example: don't suddenly book a sauna session if you never have one, because you'll just cook yourself. The race is the new thing, and that's enough.
You can't get fitter, but you can wreck it.
Between now and race day, you're not gonna get any fitter, and you can definitely cook yourself. You'd rather come into a marathon underdone than overdone. - Andy Buchanan
Make the last long run stupidly easy. Cut back the duration, keep it flat if you can, and ask yourself how easy you can make this run.
Feeling terrible is a good sign. Andy has had some of his worst training the week of a marathon, including the strides the day before, when he felt clunky. Then race day arrives and everything clicks. Taper funk isn't a lack of fitness, so don't read into it.
Show off on race day, not before. If you feel good in taper, that's the point. Sit on it and save it for the start line.
Stop checking the forecast. It's going to change, and you have no impact on it. A look the day before to shape your plan is fine. Ten days out is just stress.
Think bigger than this block. Andy's reminder for taper doubt: think about the block before it, and the block before that. The fitness you'll run on is years of accumulated work, and it's already in your legs.
Distract your brain. Race week anxiety is real. Stay off your feet and keep your mind busy with a movie, a series, or a round of Mario Kart.
Logistics: sort the morning before it happens
An early start means there's no room to wing it. Run2PB coach Matt Davy, who has coached dozens of athletes through big city marathons, keeps the logistics simple: remove every variable you can control.
Collect your bib early. The Runners Expo is on the MCG external concourse between Gates 2 and 3. Marathon and half marathon bibs must be collected by Saturday 10 October, and there is no bib collection on Sunday. Expo hours are Wednesday 7 October 11am to 6pm, Thursday and Friday 8am to 6pm, and Saturday 8am to 4pm. Check the official race week page for any updates.
Don't wander the expo for hours. Every extra step on your feet is energy you won't get back on course.
Know your transport plan. With a 6:15am marathon start, you want to be dialled well before race morning. Plan your route to Batman Avenue and give yourself a buffer.
Lay out your kit the night before. Shoes, socks, kit, gels, watch, bib and pins, everything. Photograph it if you need to.
Plan your aid station routine. Practise grabbing a cup on the run in training. It's a skill, and doing it smoothly saves time.
Brady Threlfall, Run2PB co-founder and elite marathoner, also recommends rehearsing your whole race morning, from wake-up time and breakfast to travel, and keeping the 24 to 36 hours before the gun as calm and simple as possible.
Drinks and fuelling: know what's on course
Melbourne has a good aid station network, and knowing exactly where things are lets you plan your race rather than react to it. Maurten is the on-course sports fuel. Water-only stations are marked below, so you know when you can't count on anything else.
Marathon aid stations
Water only: 4.8km and 36.5km
Water and Maurten: 7km, 10.1km, 16.5km, 19km, 28km, 41km and the finish
Water only (no Maurten): 14km and 22km
Water and Maurten Gels: 25km
Water, Maurten and Maurten Gels: 33km
Half marathon aid stations
Water only: 5.5km and 15.2km
Water and Maurten: 7km, 20km and the finish
Water, Maurten and Maurten Gels: 13km
Medical support is available at every aid station. Toilets are at most stations, but not at 10.1km or 16.5km in the marathon, so plan your pre-race routine accordingly.
Practise with what's on offer. If you plan to use Maurten, train with it. Run2PB athlete and Accredited Practising Dietitian Liam Beecroft, a 2:37 marathoner, recommends testing your gel and hydration strategy on easier sessions so you know your gut tolerance. If you'd rather carry your own, that's fine too. The point is that nothing is new on race day.
Carb-load simply. Swap high-fibre foods for simple carbohydrates and bump up your portions. You're topping up glycogen while keeping bulk low. The night before matters as much as race morning, so make dinner carbohydrate-dense. If solids are hard to stomach early on race day, start with liquid carbs.
Stay ahead of your thirst. Liam's rule is simple: stop at every cup station. Don't wait until you feel thirsty.
Recover with food straight away. Aim for carbohydrate and protein within 30 to 60 minutes of finishing, even if you don't feel hungry.
Race the second half
Melbourne's faster course makes it tempting to go out hard. Don't Run2PB athlete Rory Flanagan's lesson from his journey from a 2:56 debut to a 2:40:46 PB is to stay a touch slower early, then go hunting. It's such a long race that you can ease off, adjust, and still gain a lot of time late.
Brady Threlfall's advice for the half marathon applies just as well to the full: the first half should feel more relaxed than the second. By halfway you should be able to say yes, confidently, to holding your pace for the rest of the race.
If the crowd is pulling you along and you're tempted to push, sit on your hands. Run with a pace group if you want to stay honest. And with the MCG finish waiting for you, there's a lot to save something for.
The mental side of the marathon
Dr Steve Langdon, a sports psychology specialist and seasoned runner, joined the Better With Running Podcast to share how to prepare your head for race day.
Embrace the nerves. They mean you care. If you weren't nervous, you'd probably not be taking it seriously enough. Reframe them as excitement.
Visualise the race. Picture the course, the crowd, your fuelling, even the tough moments. Practise it like any other skill.
Focus on process, not outcome. Instead of "I must run 3:30", try "I'll stick to my planned pace for the first half and adjust from there."
Use a mantra and smile. Positive self-talk and a smile can reduce how hard the effort feels. Practise it in training so it's automatic.
Matt Davy's coaching philosophy fits perfectly here: if we nail the process, the result takes care of itself. Don't get caught up in what others are doing or the numbers on your watch.
Brady Threlfall's final word on racing a marathon is hard to beat:
Have fun out there, smile when on course, follow the plan you've worked out with your coach, and when it gets tough, that's when you dig deep. - Brady Threlfall
After the race: don't wing the recovery
This gets overlooked every time. Brady is clear that the post-marathon training period is a risky time and just as important as the taper. Your Run2PB coach will have a recovery plan for you. Follow it. The week after a marathon is one of the highest-risk windows for injury and overtraining, so respect the process on the back end just as you did on the front end.
See you at the MCG
The work is done. Trust it, run smart, and enjoy a lap of the hallowed turf of the 'G. Good luck to every Run2PB athlete lining up on Sunday.
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