Brighton Beach Marathon

Brighton is Melbourne at its most classically Melbourne: beach boxes painted in cheerful stripes, Port Phillip Bay glittering in the morning light, and well-heeled locals doing their morning runs along the foreshore path. The Brighton Beach Marathon takes that setting and turns it into a properly organised running event with World Athletics and AIMS dual certification — meaning your time counts for international rankings, qualifier purposes, and bragging rights with your running club.

The course

Starting at Green Point, Brighton, the course follows the Port Phillip Bay foreshore — one of Melbourne's most scenic stretches of running path. The terrain is essentially flat, the bay views are continuous, and the iconic Brighton beach boxes line much of the route. For a late August morning, conditions are typically cool and still: ideal for anything from a social half to a competitive marathon. Standard pricing closes 11 June, so don't leave it too late.

The distances

Marathon (42.2km), Half Marathon (21.1km), 10km, and 5km. The event is organised by Sole Motive, one of Melbourne's most experienced event companies, so the logistics are consistently well-executed. Onsite entries are available Saturday 29 August (12pm–3pm) and from 5am on race morning.

The certifications

The Brighton Beach Marathon holds both World Athletics and AIMS certification — a relatively rare combination for Australian events. This matters if you're chasing a personal best for ranking purposes or need a certified time for a major marathon ballot application.

Getting there

Brighton is about 14km south of Melbourne CBD, easily accessible by train from Flinders Street (Sandringham line to Gardenvale or North Brighton). Parking is available in the area but fills quickly on race morning. The suburb itself has excellent cafes for the obligatory post-race coffee.