The historic Heysen Trail forms the backbone of this event, traversing "pine forests, fields and bushland" and entering countryside that explains its status as one of South Australia's "iconic events." The Heysen Trail Ultra Marathon offers a genuine ultra running experience: lengthy, sufficiently exposed to warrant caution, and grounded in the Southern Hills Region and Fleurieu Peninsula rather than being artificially enhanced.
The course presents varied terrain, with trail, open fields, forest stretches, and bushland contributing to the journey before concluding at Soldiers Memorial Gardens on the South Coast. The participants are the dedicated ultra runners: individuals adept at enduring hardship discreetly, supporting one another during difficult moments, and genuinely meaning it when describing it as a "race packed with scenery, camaraderie and the making of lifelong memories."