The Golden 5km is a community fun run held by Australian Athletics on the morning of the Australian Cross Country Championships, run on the same undulating grass course at Victoria Park in Ballarat. The 2026 edition is on Saturday 22 August, starting at 8:15am, before the national championship racing gets underway later in the day — Ballarat hosts the championships from 2025 to 2027.
It's open to all paces and abilities, run as one 2km lap followed by one 3km lap on grass, a genuine cross-country surface rather than road, with professional timing, a finisher towel and bag drop included. A rare chance for everyday runners and families to race the same course as the country's best cross-country athletes, then stay to watch the championships unfold.
