You cannot drive to this one. The Great Whitehaven Beach Run is held on Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, seven kilometres of sand with no road in and nowhere to stay. Entry includes the charter: Cruise Whitsundays vessels leave Port of Airlie at 7:30am, call at Hamilton Island Marina, and land on the beach around 9:15am. The return boat goes at 2:00pm, which makes the whole thing a day trip whether you planned one or not.
The 2027 running is Sunday 20 June. The half marathon starts at 10:00am, the 10km at 10:25am and the 5km at 10:40am, with junior 1.5km and 500m races at 12:30pm. Shoes are optional, and the organisers say so explicitly. Whitehaven's sand is 98% pure silica, fine and pale, and it holds far less heat than ordinary beach sand.
The field is a few hundred rather than a few thousand, which is part of the appeal on a beach this well known. It is the second event of the Hamilton Island Endurance Series, following the Hilly Half Marathon in May. Entry is $150 for any of the three main distances and $65 for the junior races, with spectator tickets at $75 for anyone who wants the boat trip without the running.
Roland Henderson won the 2026 Great Whitehaven Beach Run half marathon in 01:30:28 on Sunday 24 May 2026, 43 seconds clear of Raphaël Masson. Inaki Egibar took the 10km in 00:40:54. 69 runners finished the half and 94 the 10km, all of it on the sand.
| Position | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ROLAND HENDERSON | 01:30:28 |
| 2 | RAPHAËL MASSON | 01:31:11 |
| 3 | LIV COMPTON | 01:32:52 |
| 4 | NATHAN PHIPPS | 01:40:49 |
| 5 | GUS DU FEU-LONG | 01:44:35 |
| 6 | HAMZA AIT SIDI ABDELKADER | 01:45:14 |
| 7 | BEN DENNEHY | 01:45:18 |
| 8 | JACKSON TIDEY | 01:46:14 |
| 9 | TYSON STARFIELD | 01:46:15 |
| 10 | JARROD KEYS | 01:48:08 |
| 11 | ALVARO MORENO VIZCARRA | 01:48:10 |
| 12 | JUAN FRANCO URPI ZARLENGA | 01:50:27 |
| 13 | EVELINE MEINSMA | 01:51:01 |
| 14 | ALISON SCOLES | 01:52:44 |
| 15 | SAM RUSSELL | 01:52:45 |
| 16 | YANNICK KUNERT | 01:53:55 |
| 17 | NICOLE CLARK | 01:54:19 |
| 18 | CIARA MURPHY | 01:54:47 |
| 19 | DIEGO PEREDO | 01:55:47 |
| 20 | MAX BROWN | 01:55:52 |
| 21 | JAKOB MARKS | 01:57:36 |
| 22 | SIMONE LEGROTTAGLIE | 01:58:32 |
| 23 | MADDIE POOLE | 01:58:36 |
| 24 | CHRISTOPHER KAKOULLIS | 01:58:36 |
| 25 | BRADLEY NICOL | 01:59:28 |
| Position | Name | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | INAKI EGIBAR | 00:40:54 |
| 2 | TOBY PITT | 00:43:27 |
| 3 | ADRIEN FRAISSE | 00:44:17 |
| 4 | DONG YEOP KWON | 00:44:37 |
| 5 | GEOFFREY BERNARD | 00:46:44 |
| 6 | MARIAN TAMAS | 00:48:21 |
| 7 | JASHNEEL KUMAR | 00:49:40 |
| 8 | CHARLES LEENKNEGT | 00:49:53 |
| 9 | XAVIER TARBY | 00:50:25 |
| 10 | LOUIS PERRET | 00:51:03 |
| 11 | MICHAEL GERMANO | 00:51:17 |
| 12 | JAMES CLARK | 00:51:39 |
| 13 | VICTOR OLIVEIRA | 00:51:53 |
| 14 | ANDREA SCANZANI | 00:52:11 |
| 15 | NATHAN SIBERDT | 00:52:18 |
| 16 | BRAYDEN THOMPSON-HANSEN | 00:52:24 |
| 17 | MARGHERITA TINI | 00:52:27 |
| 18 | ANTON VAN DER SCHOOT | 00:52:34 |
| 19 | MARCUS FORSTERLING | 00:52:40 |
| 20 | JEFF GREENWOOD | 00:52:51 |
| 21 | AEOLYN GWYNNE | 00:52:56 |
| 22 | THOMAS FELL | 00:53:00 |
| 23 | RYAN GHOLAM | 00:53:03 |
| 24 | LOUIS TOGNINI | 00:53:06 |
| 25 | BEN HOWARD | 00:53:20 |
Timing by Sport Event Services: complete 2026 Great Whitehaven Beach Run results, all distances.
