The Bunbury 3 Waters Running Festival is one of Western Australia's longest-running road races. The Bunbury Runners Club has staged it every year since 1982 bar one, and the 45th edition is on Sunday 11 April 2027. There are four races (a marathon, half marathon, 10km and 5km) from Ocean Drive, with the marathon gun at 6:30am, before sunrise.
The name comes from the course. One certified lap takes in Leschenault Inlet, Koombana Bay and the Indian Ocean: out along Ocean Drive and the Back Beach, up to the checkered lighthouse on Marlston Hill (the only real climb), down the zig-zag, over Whalebone Bridge into Koombana Bay, then home along the inlet. Marathoners run it twice. The men's course record, 2:24:17 by David Eltringham, has stood since 1985.
The marathon sold out at 300 places in 2026, and the cap rises to 500 for 2027. Entries opened on 1 October 2026. Finishers get an engraved cup as well as a medal, the first time the cup has been back since it was replaced in 2011. Bunbury is about two hours' drive south of Perth.
