Black Mountain Run Up & Power Walk

Black Mountain speaks for itself: a 4WD track alongside the Botanic Gardens fence, then the road ascends and challenges you. The Black Mountain Run Up & Power Walk is a free, straightforward event, part of a "monthly series held on the third Tuesday of each month," with runners and walkers aiming for the same summit finish. The start is functional: briefing first, then the "run starting promptly after." You have a mostly flat opening, turn left onto Frith Road for the climb, then right onto the Centennial Trail and through the Canberra Nature Park gate before the final right on Summit Trail. Times are recorded at the top, and "event photos are typically shared," useful proof once your legs have stopped arguing.