Melbourne Marathon Festival (Nike) 2026

The Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival is a major road-running event in Melbourne, held annually in October, offering races from the full marathon to short family runs. It is Australia’s largest road race by participation, attracting over 40,000 runners across the marathon, half marathon, 10km, 5km, 3km, and mini marathon events. The course is designed for consistent running: fast, flat, and passing Melbourne landmarks and coastal areas before finishing inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where participants complete a lap of the MCG. The festival now spans two days, with shorter races on Saturday and the longer events as the main focus on race day. It also attracts international runners via travel packages including accommodation, meals, race support, and guaranteed entry. The Nike title sponsorship generated additional interest after organizers issued an apology for altered social media images that removed rival shoe logos from runner photographs.