The Six Foot Track Marathon has a charm that most modern running events simply can't replicate. No flashy sponsors. No inflatable arches at every kilometre. No Instagram moments engineered by an events company. Just 1,100 runners, 45km of honest Blue Mountains trail, and a finish line at Jenolan Caves that has been making runners cry happy tears since 1984. It's one of the oldest, most beloved, and most genuinely challenging trail events in Australia — and getting an entry is half the battle.
The race starts at the Explorer's Marked Tree near Katoomba, just off the Great Western Highway. From there, the 45km point-to-point course follows the historic Six Foot Track through the Blue Mountains wilderness to the finish at Jenolan Caves. The track descends sharply into the Megalong Valley (your quads will know about this), crosses the Cox's River at the bottom, climbs back out, and then traverses the Black Range before the final descent to Jenolan. It's beautiful, it's brutal, and the finish — at one of Australia's most famous limestone cave systems — is one of the great moments in Australian trail running.
Getting into the Six Foot Track Marathon requires a bit of luck. The event doesn't operate a first-come-first-served entry system or a waitlist. Instead, Preferred Entries open first for past finishers and volunteers, followed by a public lottery. If your name is drawn, your card is charged automatically. If it isn't, you try again next year. The entry fee is $240, with all profits going to the Blue Mountains Rural Fire Service — a cause that resonates deeply given the region's history with bushfires.
The Six Foot Track is a genuine trail marathon: don't show up expecting a road race on dirt. There are water crossings, steep climbs and descents, technical rocky sections, and exposed ridgelines. The cut-off is generous enough for most runners to finish, but this is not a walk in the park. The atmosphere, however, is extraordinary — it's a small-field event with a very tight community of runners who return year after year.
The start is near Katoomba, roughly 90 minutes from Sydney by car or train. A shuttle service typically runs from Katoomba to the start and from Jenolan Caves back to Katoomba post-race — check the Six Foot Track website for current shuttle arrangements as part of your registration process.
