The fisiocrem GC50 Run Festival is the Gold Coast's other great running event — the one that happens in October, when the sun is warmer, the crowds have thinned a little from peak winter marathon season, and the Coolangatta coastline looks absolutely stunning. It's a race that caters to everyone from casual 5km participants to hardcore ultra runners, all sharing the same spectacular coastal roads in one of Queensland's most iconic beach towns.
Everything runs out of Queen Elizabeth Park on Marine Parade in Coolangatta, right on the beachfront. The coastal course is flat and fast — ideal for those chasing times — and offers uninterrupted views of the Pacific Ocean, Snapper Rocks, and the gentle sweep of Rainbow Bay. Running along the Coolangatta/Kirra beachfront in October sun is about as good as road running gets in Australia.
The festival runs across Saturday 10 October and Sunday 11 October 2026. Saturday features the headline event — the fisiocrem 50km Ultra, an IAU Bronze Label event that attracts serious ultra runners from around Australia — along with the 5km and Kids' races. Sunday brings the Intrepid 10km and the Half Marathon (21.1km) on a flat, closed-road course. The Sunday half marathon also hosts the Queensland Half Marathon Championships, drawing the state's best into the field. Four distances across two days means plenty of flexibility in how you want to participate.
The 50km Ultra is the beating heart of this festival and holds IAU Bronze Label status, which means it meets international standards for timing, course measurement, and elite athlete management. If you're an ultra runner looking for a fast, flat, certified 50km to benchmark against, this is one of the best on the Australian calendar.
Coolangatta sits at the southern end of the Gold Coast, right on the Queensland-NSW border. Coolangatta Airport (OOL) is just 3km away — one of the most convenient airport-to-race-village arrangements you'll find anywhere. Accommodation in Coolangatta and nearby Kirra ranges from budget-friendly to boutique, with Surfers Paradise options a short drive north for those who want the full Gold Coast experience.
Jamie Lacey won the 2025 GC50 50km in 2:56:36 on Saturday 11 October, the only runner in a 524-strong field to break three hours. Brittney Croker was the fastest woman in 3:42:13, 13th overall.
| Position | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JAMIE LACEY | 02:56:36 |
| 2 | WAYNE SPIES | 03:04:49 |
| 3 | DEAN EDMONDS | 03:06:29 |
| 4 | PAUL MARCHANT | 03:13:42 |
| 5 | MATT COOPER | 03:19:10 |
| 6 | MICK O'SHEA | 03:25:01 |
| 7 | XABIAN MCKAY-MAVIN | 03:26:39 |
| 8 | DOMINIC BOSHER | 03:28:03 |
| 9 | FINN O'MALLEY-JONES | 03:30:39 |
| 10 | LIAM MANTON | 03:33:42 |
| 11 | DANIEL LUSCOMBE | 03:40:56 |
| 12 | MARK TAYLOR | 03:41:43 |
| 13 | BRITTNEY CROKER | 03:42:13 |
| 14 | BLAIR DRABBLE | 03:42:23 |
| 15 | ADAM TAYLOR | 03:42:59 |
| 16 | NED STURROCK | 03:43:45 |
| 17 | ABIGAIL WHITE | 03:44:04 |
| 18 | MARTIN ALVARENGA | 03:47:45 |
| 19 | KYOKO MIURA | 03:47:46 |
| 20 | BEN CHANDLER | 03:48:04 |
| 21 | DUC THANH DO | 03:48:39 |
| 22 | SAMUEL HYAM | 03:49:56 |
| 23 | ANDREW KOTLAR | 03:52:38 |
| 24 | CALUM SNEDDON | 03:52:53 |
| 25 | CONNOR WRIGHT | 03:53:10 |
| 26 | MARK YAGER | 03:55:00 |
| 27 | JOHN REID | 03:56:18 |
| 28 | RYAN O’CONNOR | 03:57:22 |
| 29 | RHIAN MCCLELLAND | 03:57:40 |
| 30 | CLAUDIA CAMBON | 03:57:58 |
| 31 | DYLAN HUGO | 03:58:03 |
| 32 | CRAIG WHITING | 03:58:32 |
| 33 | RYAN KAMBOURIS | 03:58:56 |
| 34 | HANNAH ARDREY | 03:59:29 |
| 35 | TRENT HARDING | 03:59:36 |
| 36 | AARON ZHAN | 04:01:22 |
| 37 | LENON MANDIKIZA | 04:01:57 |
| 38 | JUSTIN TAYLOR | 04:02:15 |
| 39 | MICHAEL SAMMUT | 04:02:15 |
| 40 | ADRIAN MARCHIORO | 04:02:28 |
| 41 | AKUEI AKUEI | 04:02:53 |
| 42 | MARTIN SCHETT | 04:05:01 |
| 43 | ALEXIS DEAN | 04:05:19 |
| 44 | ALEX REZNIK | 04:06:41 |
| 45 | SON NGHIEM | 04:06:51 |
| 46 | MITCH AUSTIN | 04:06:52 |
| 47 | TRENT MCGRATH | 04:07:18 |
| 48 | AARON HANNAH | 04:07:48 |
| 49 | DERRICK PHIRI | 04:09:37 |
| 50 | ANNA SUTTON | 04:11:37 |
Timing by Sports Event Services: complete 2025 GC50 Run Festival results, all distances.
Matt Cooper took the 2024 GC50 50km in 3:16:42 on Saturday 23 November, four and a half minutes ahead of Eddie Keogh. Maddyson Mallet ran 3:35:37 to finish fourth outright and win the women's race from a field of 725 finishers.
| Position | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt COOPER | 03:16:42 |
| 2 | Eddie KEOGH | 03:21:10 |
| 3 | Ben MACCRONAN | 03:22:26 |
| 4 | Maddyson MALLET | 03:35:37 |
| 5 | Andrew KOTLAR | 03:36:41 |
| 6 | Andy CHONG | 03:36:51 |
| 7 | Riley MCCLUNG | 03:37:09 |
| 8 | Dean ROBINSON | 03:38:01 |
| 9 | Xinwei QIAN | 03:38:34 |
| 10 | Antony SEDMAN | 03:38:48 |
| 11 | Michael SPENCE | 03:39:44 |
| 12 | Adrian ROYCE | 03:40:00 |
| 13 | Kwok Yin WONG | 03:40:20 |
| 14 | Reece HAINES | 03:43:41 |
| 15 | Sonja JANSEN | 03:44:26 |
| 16 | Michael COMBE | 03:45:48 |
| 17 | Kyoko MIURA | 03:47:49 |
| 18 | Heath CONOLLY | 03:49:08 |
| 19 | Zaine HILCKE | 03:51:12 |
| 20 | Ben BINGLEY | 03:51:14 |
| 21 | Paul MACKENZIE | 03:52:33 |
| 22 | Ricky ARNOLD | 03:52:40 |
| 23 | Jacob PARTEL | 03:52:50 |
| 24 | Isaac NATION | 03:53:40 |
| 25 | Caine BATTEN | 03:54:25 |
| 26 | Nathan ALLAN | 03:55:31 |
| 27 | John White HWANG | 03:55:56 |
| 28 | Bowen XU | 03:56:33 |
| 29 | Daniel WEUFFEN | 03:56:40 |
| 30 | Zhixiang LI | 03:56:41 |
| 31 | Daniel BRUCE | 03:56:42 |
| 32 | Brandon TURTON | 03:56:48 |
| 33 | Dylan MCCORMACK | 03:56:52 |
| 34 | Samuel HYAM | 03:58:05 |
| 35 | Samuel BONOMO | 03:58:08 |
| 36 | Tony CARBONE | 03:58:12 |
| 37 | Akuei AKUEI | 03:59:08 |
| 38 | Riley FISHER | 03:59:24 |
| 39 | Richard MANKS | 03:59:32 |
| 40 | Keryn PAULEY-MILLER | 03:59:43 |
| 41 | Jeremy PATCH | 03:59:43 |
| 42 | Michael GRIFFIN | 03:59:46 |
| 43 | Luiz MARQUES | 03:59:50 |
| 44 | Michael MINEO | 04:00:42 |
| 45 | Josh ROFE | 04:00:58 |
| 46 | Joseph HURNALL | 04:01:36 |
| 47 | Matthew ELWORTHY | 04:02:29 |
| 48 | Tim RYAN | 04:04:13 |
| 49 | Jack BRAUMAN | 04:04:20 |
| 50 | Paul LINDSAY | 04:05:20 |
Timing by Sports Event Services: complete 2024 GC50 Run Festival results, all distances.
