Cycling & running events in Canberra, 2026

64events this year

Canberra View all 64 events on map

64 races within 80 km of Canberra

Road, trail, gravel, MTB — you name it, we've got it. Find something worth telling your friends about.

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Top events

A few races to know in Canberra

We all need a goal — why not think big? Pick one and start training for it. Already happened this year? Find some practice races to build toward next year's edition.

Run·Road

Canberra

Canberra Day Appeal Fun Run

Listed in our event index as Fun Run Pink: Canberra.

Road

Tri·Other

Canberra

Challenge Canberra middle distance triathlon race

Listed in our event index as Riverland Challenge Triathlon 2025-26 Race 3.

Other

Run·Trail

Canberra

Black Mountain Run Up & Power Walk

The Black Mountain Run Up & Power Walk is a free monthly climb in Canberra, held on the third Tuesday of each month. It is a short 2.6 km run or walk from Acton to the summit of Black Mountain, but the 236 metres of climbing make it more like a lunchtime hill test than a casual flat fun run. The Australian Mountain Running Association organises it, with both runners and walkers participating. The route starts at the car park entrance on Clunies Ross Street, beside the Botanic Gardens area, with a mostly flat 800 metres on a 4WD trail before the climbing begins. From there it turns onto Frith Road for about 400 metres uphill, follows the Centennial Trail through the Canberra Nature Park gate, and finishes with the last 150 metres on Summit Trail. Participants arrive before the midday briefing, start soon after it, and have their finish times recorded at the summit; photos are usually shared later on the association’s Facebook page.

Trail

About cycling & running in Canberra

Canberra Training Notes

Running: Lake Burley Griffin is the easy default, because the 5km central basin loop, the 9km eastern loop, and the 28km whole lake circuit all keep you moving by the water. Locals use Commonwealth Park, Lennox Gardens, Ginninderra, Tuggeranong, and Point Hut Pond for steady Z2 and cleaner intervals. Mount Majura and Mount Ainslie feel like second home trails when you want dirt and a climb. Canberra Runners, Capital Athletics, Underground Run Club, Females in Training ACT, and Achilles Australia keep the week social. The Canberra Times Fun Run is the flat PB day, while Black Mountain Run Up and Mt Ainslie Run Up bring the sting.

Cycling: Stromlo Forest Park is the grubby bike home base, and it gives riders more than 50km of cross-country trails, dirt jumps, and proper zones for every skill level. Locals love Majura Pines, Cotter Pines, and Stromlo Forest Park for flows, jumps, singletrack, and cyclocross legs. Canberra Cycling Club brings Wednesday Worlds, crit energy, and gravel, while Canberra Off Road Cycling Club and Pedal Power fill in the dirt and daily-riding side. The Canberra Centenary Trail runs as a 145km loop, and the Epic Canberra Gravel Trail gives you 75km with 77% gravel. The climbs sit around Stromlo, the Arboretum, Cotter Uriarra, Tharwa to Horse Gully Hut, and the Brindabellas south and west.

Season: Autumn is the sweet spot, because Canberra mornings stay crisp, calm, and manageable once you warm into base miles. Late spring brings the highest rainfall, so locals still train, but they watch thunderstorms between October and April. January carries an average high around 28°C, so runners and riders start early, stay near Lake Burley Griffin, and leave hard intervals for cooler windows. July drops the average high to about 12°C, and frost makes gloves, layers, and windproof kit normal. Winter runners still use the lake and hills, while winter riders treat a 10kph headwind at 5°C like a proper cold-day test.