Marathon mania is about to take over Ballarat, with thousands of runners and visitors set to descend on the city this weekend.
The second annual Ballarat Marathon road running festival will be held on Saturday 26 April and Sunday 27 April, with all eyes of the running world turning to Ballarat.
There are already more than 9000 entries across all events registered so far - almost double the total from the inaugural event in 2024.
And of the total entries to date, about 80 percent are visitors to Ballarat, showcasing the city to thousands of people and resulting in accommodation being at capacity.
An expected injection of at least $3.1 million into the Ballarat economy is projected due to the event.
With almost 3000 entrants in the 42.2km full marathon alone, the event has already grown to be the fourth biggest marathon race in Australia, behind Sydney, Gold Coast and Melbourne. The half marathon event is capped at 3500 entries and has been sold out for weeks.
Entertainment offerings will be located throughout the course, with local businesses joining in to build the hype and monumental fundraising efforts under way, the event has once again captured the imagination of the entire city.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the two-day running festival promised to be another spectacular event.
"The rapid growth of the Ballarat Marathon is astounding, and I look forward to this year's event with great anticipation," she said.
"The positive effects from the event are enormous in terms of economic impact, fundraising, tourism and health and fitness, just to name a few.
"We acknowledge the event does have an impact on people's movement throughout the city, but we thank them for their patience to help us support an event that is so important for Ballarat."
Entertainment, food and drink
Ballarat is already abuzz with marathon fever and that atmosphere is only going to grow in the coming days.
This year there will be increased entertainment offerings throughout the course to ensure supporters are spread throughout the entire event to cheer on the runners.
The Sovereign Hill Red Coats will once again fire the starting gun for the race, plus there will be more than a dozen different musical acts and DJs dotted around the course on Sunday.
In terms of hospitality, there are 24 local businesses currently taking part in the Carb Party, highlighting one of their finest carb-loaded, energy-rich creations to fuel both local and visiting athletes (and spectators). See all the businesses participating in the Carb Party on the Ballarat Marathon website.
At least 15 local cafes will also be opening their doors early on Sunday to ensure a caffeine hit is available from the crack of dawn - some of them as early as 5am. See the full list of cafes who are extending their opening hours on the Ballarat Marathon website.
Courtesy buses will also run along Mair Street between Civic Hall and Pleasant Street to help spectators move around the course.
Fundraising
One of the key elements of the Ballarat Marathon is the fundraising for charity.
Already there has been almost $60,000 raised for charity, but this number is expected to keep climbing significantly even after the conclusion of the event.
The Ballarat Health Services Foundation is the headline charity partner for the event, with participants who raise $500 or more for the foundation via the Grassrootz platform able to have their entry fee refunded if they choose.
Anybody who raises money for the Ballarat Health Services Foundation will be entered into the Lucky Dip to win Shokz headphones, Sweaty memberships, a Runners Prep membership, and more. The top five fundraisers will also win Shokz Headphones, a $200 Running Warehouse Gift Voucher and Steigen running socks.
More than 2000 entrants have registered to raise money for more than 200 different charities.
To learn more about fundraising, visit the fundraising page on the Ballarat Marathon website.
Road closures
There will be various road closures throughout the duration of the event and people planning to travel are encouraged to plan in advance and allow extra time.
Most notably, Sturt Street will be closed to all traffic from Grenville Street to Golf Club Drive from 7am-3pm on Sunday.
Pedestrian access to shops along the course will be maintained at all times and there will be frequent pedestrian crossing points and opportunities.
Emergency access will always be maintained. In the event of an emergency, all emergency services will be able to access all properties and businesses within the road closures.
For a full list of road closures, visit the road closures page on the Ballarat Marathon road closures page.
There will also be other associated road closures on Friday 25 April for ANZAC Day commemorations. Visit the City of Ballarat ANZAC Day page
