About cycling & running in PerthPerth Training Notes
Running: Locals run the Swan River when they want rhythm, with the bridges run giving a clean 10km loop and Elizabeth Quay to Optus Stadium stretching around 12-16km. Kings Park gives you Jacobs Ladder, the Kokoda trail, and the stairs when Z2 turns into intervals. The park loop covers 5km in total. Scarborough to Hillarys gives about 20km of coastal path and barely any road shoulder. Dose Running, Perth Run Collective, Perth Urban Runners, and WA Marathon Club keep the week social. City2Surf, Perth Marathon, Ultra Perth, and Marathon de Perth sit as anchor events.
Cycling: Locals ride river loops, coastal returns, and long PSP days because Perth gives you room to stack base miles. The south perth foreshore bridges path takes in Narrows Bridge, Windon Bridge, Maylands, and Garratt Rd Bridge. The Tonkin Hwy PSP from Bayswater to Muchea is long and uninterrupted, and the ride makes about a 90km round trip. Mount Henry bridge opens the line south toward Mandurah. Kalamunda, Mundaring, Wungong, and Mount Dale hold the climbing, gravel, singletrack, firetrails, and nice downhills. Over 55's Cycle Club rides Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. West Coast Masters Cycling Council brings crit and road racing for over 30s, and Canola Classic gives the calendar a proper anchor.
Season: Summer owns the calendar from December to March, with hot, sunny, dry days and February usually landing as the hottest month. The Fremantle Doctor rolls in from the south-west on most summer afternoons and makes late rides and evening runs feel workable. Locals carry plenty of water once the route pushes past Ellenbrook or out into longer open stretches. January and March are strong cycling months, so bunch rides and gran fondo prep feel busy. Winter shifts the mood from May to September, with mild wet fronts broken by clear days. Runners lean on river loops, Kings Park stairs, and indoor MSWA Step Up Tower Climb efforts, while riders watch the hills and gravel after rain.
