Race day is the date everyone knows. The date that actually decides whether you're on the start line comes months earlier, and at Australia's biggest marathons it arrives earlier and more competitively every year. Here's how entry works at each of the majors of the local calendar.
Australia's only Abbott World Marathon Major fills by ballot. It opens in late September, closes in mid-October and is drawn by the end of the month. The 2026 draw attracted more than 123,000 applications for roughly 40,000 places, odds of about one in three. Miss the draw and the fallbacks are charity entries and official travel packages. Entry costs around $280 for the race itself.
No ballot here, just speed. Entries for the 2026 race opened at 9am on 2 December 2025, and the marathon has sold out inside 48 hours in recent years. Put the December opening in your calendar and enter that morning, not that week.
Australia's biggest running festival moved its marathon and half marathon to a ballot, and demand has absorbed everything: the 2026 draws closed with both distances sold out, leaving a second-chance ballot that recycles withdrawn places plus guaranteed entry through charity partners and travel packages. The 10km and shorter festival events remain open entry.
The 23km half from Kennett River into Lorne has sold out within hours of entries opening. For this one, join the organiser's mailing list rather than trusting a reminder.
Hobart's April festival (until recently the Hobart Airport Marathon Festival) opens a priority list ahead of general registration, with early-access pricing saving up to $80. The list costs nothing to join.
The Uluru race sells entry only as a travel package bundled with accommodation at Yulara, and packages are gone well before July. Budget for a holiday, not a race fee.
Not everything is a scramble. The Canberra Times Marathon Festival, the country's oldest city marathon and a flat, certified April course, generally stays open much closer to race day, which makes it a reliable plan B when a ballot goes against you.
Entry dates shift a little each year, so treat the months above as the pattern rather than the promise, and confirm on each event's own site. And if you'd rather earn your place on the clock than in a draw, several of these races offer time-based pathways — our guide to qualifying for the Majors from Australia covers the standards and where to run them. The one constant: for the big races, entry day is the first race you have to win.
