Canberra in April is a genuinely beautiful city. Autumn hits the capital with proper colour — the exotic trees planted throughout the Parliamentary Triangle turn gold and red, the air is crisp, and the city's wide boulevards and parklands look exactly as Walter Burley Griffin intended: monumental, green, and impressive. It's the ideal backdrop for a marathon, and the Canberra Times Marathon Festival takes full advantage of it.
The 2026 Canberra Times Marathon Festival starts at John Dunmore Lang Place in the Parliamentary Triangle, right on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. The marathon and half marathon courses wind through the Triangle, past Parliament House and the National Gallery, along the lake foreshore, through Commonwealth Park, and across the Commonwealth Bridge. It's flat, fast, and surrounded by some of the best civic architecture in Australia. The autumn foliage adds a bonus layer of beauty that you don't get at summer events.
Five distances are on offer across the festival weekend (11–12 April 2026): the Marathon (42.2km), Half Marathon (21.1km), 10km, 5.4km, and a 2km Kids Fun Run. Saturday features the shorter distances and a festival expo, while Sunday is marathon and half marathon day. The multi-distance format makes it a perfect weekend event for groups of mixed ability.
The Canberra Times also sponsors the Canberra Times Fun Run in November — which is a different event entirely with shorter distances and a very different atmosphere. The Marathon Festival is the serious distance event, while the Fun Run is the community party. Both are worth doing; just don't accidentally register for the wrong one.
Canberra Airport receives direct flights from all major Australian capital cities. The course is right in the heart of the city, and the Parliamentary Triangle is walkable from most inner-city accommodation. The long weekend timing (around ANZAC Day) means many runners combine the race with a visit to the Australian War Memorial — an experience that puts the whole ANZAC Day tradition in moving context.
