The McGrath Launceston Running Festival holds a credential no other Australian race can claim: a World Athletics Elite Label. Held each May from Invermay, it offers the Peppers Silo Half Marathon, the Launnie 10, a 5km and a junior mile on flat, certified roads along the Tamar River, with a field of around 3,000 and entry from about $45.
The speed comes from the layout. After a short loop through Invermay's streets, the 10km settles into a near-straight out-and-back on the closed Tamar highways, turning just before the Tailrace at halfway. Late-autumn Tasmania supplies cold, still race mornings, and the results show what that combination is worth: the Launnie 10 has run since 2007 and produced a women's Australian All-Comers Record in 2023, while the half marathon's course records stand at 61:38 (Brett Robinson) and 71:04 (Sinead Diver), among the fastest ever recorded in this country.
Elite fields are announced ahead of each edition and the front of the race is seriously quick, but the same flat roads serve every pace behind them. The event supports the McGrath Foundation. If a PB is the goal, these are the shortest odds on the Australian calendar.
Hands down the fastest course in Australia! This has to be my favourite race, not just because the course is dead straight, but the official hotel is part of the race village. Make sure you book into Peppers Silo, your room to start line in 2 minutes. It’s cold, but that’s what you want and another reason why I’ve set a PB every time I’ve visited. Plus you have the James Boag Brewery around the corner to celebrate your result.
Timothy Broxup, Delta Running Project.
