Australian event calendar
December is a short calendar with some big days. IRONMAN Western Australia and IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia both race in Busselton on 6 December, and the same weekend brings the Mt Buller SkyRun and the Tour of Bright to the Victorian Alps. HYROX Melbourne runs for five days from 9 December, the 6 Inch Trail Marathon takes WA trail runners from North Dandalup to Dwellingup the weekend before Christmas, and the Aussie Alpine Backyarder starts at Falls Creek on New Year’s Eve. In between there are Boxing Day ocean swims, beach runs and two powerlifting meets for anyone who wants one more hit-out before the holidays. These are the running and fitness events in Australia worth knowing about this month.
32 events · Dates and status checked 20 October 2026
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Showing all 32 events
4–6 December
11 eventsTwilight Relay Gold Coast
Broadwater Parklands, Gold Coast
Teams of four on a 5 km course
A Friday-evening team relay on the Broadwater. Round up three mates and race it after work.
Afterglow Night Trail Runs
Surf Coast
21 km, 13 km and 5 km night trail runs
Head-torch trail running on the Surf Coast, with three distances and a relaxed, dress-up feel.
Buckley’s 24hr Adventure Race
Eildon
24-hour team navigation adventure race, with a shorter course option
Run, ride, paddle and navigate around Lake Eildon for a full day and night. A real test of fitness and decision-making.
High Country Flyathlon: Delatite River Edition
Mirimbah Park, Mirimbah (foot of Mt Buller)
Trail run with river checkpoints and a fly-fishing time bonus
Single-track running at the foot of Mt Buller, a wade in the Delatite headwaters, and a time bonus if you catch a trout.
Hybrid 24H Backyard Ultra
Stromlo Forest Park, Canberra
Backyard ultra capped at 24 hours (one 6.7 km loop on the hour)
A backyard ultra with a 24-hour cap, so it is a good first go at the format for anyone inspired by the team championships.
North Curl Curl 3 Points Challenge & 2 km Ocean Swim
North Curl Curl Beach, Sydney
2 km ocean swim and the 3 Points run-swim-run challenge
An early-summer ocean swim on Sydney’s northern beaches, plus a run-swim-run for anyone who wants both.
Tour of Bright
Bright
Road stage race for licensed riders (U19, U23, Elite and Masters); AusCycling Victorian Road Series round
The Alpine Cycling Club’s long-running stage race in the hills around Bright. Racing is for licensed riders, but the climbs make it worth watching.
Beerwah@Daybreak
Mt Beerwah, Glass House Mountains
Trail marathon (4am start), half marathon and 10 km
A pre-dawn trail marathon around the Glass House Mountains. You start in the dark and finish before the heat.
IRONMAN Western Australia and IRONMAN 70.3 Western Australia
Signal Park, Busselton
IRONMAN (3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km run) and 70.3 (1.9 km, 90 km, 21.1 km) on the same day
Both distances race in Busselton on the same Sunday, with the swim around the jetty. Both are sold out, so this one is for spectators and 2027 planning.
Mt Buller SkyRun
Village Square, Mount Buller
45 km, 36 km, 22 km and 5 km, plus a 2 km kids trail
High-country trail running between Mt Buller and Mt Sterling, with four distances from the village.
Victor Harbor Half Marathon
Encounter Bay, Victor Harbor
21.1 km, 10 km, 5 km and free kids runs
A flat half marathon around Encounter Bay, an hour from Adelaide, and a good shot at a PB before Christmas.
9–13 December
9 eventsHYROX Melbourne
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, South Wharf
8 x 1 km runs and 8 workout stations: singles (Open, Pro, Adaptive), doubles and relays over five days
The last HYROX race in Australia this year. Men’s Open waves run every morning from Wednesday to Saturday.
Fremantle Ports Swim Thru
South Beach, Fremantle
250 m ‘Try It’, 1.6 km and 3.2 km
A WOW Swims community ocean swim at South Beach, with a 3.2 km for anyone building towards Rottnest.
IGA Callala Triathlon
Callala Beach, Jervis Bay
Standard-distance triathlon and aquabike (aquabike is the NSW State Championship)
A Jervis Bay triathlon to finish the year, with the NSW aquabike title on the line.
Narrabeen Allnighter
Narrabeen Lakes, Sydney
12-hour race (from 2026 the Allnighter is the 12-hour only)
Sydney’s long-running overnight lap race around Narrabeen Lagoon. From 2026 it is the 12-hour only, with a new 6-hour Twilighter moved to November.
Sydney Trail Half Marathon: Summer Edition
Lake Parramatta, Sydney
21 km trail half marathon (+386 m), Saturday or Sunday
Bush trails around Lake Parramatta, 15 minutes from the CBD. Pick the Saturday or the Sunday.
City of Joondalup Coastal Quest
Whitford Nodes Park, Hillarys, Perth
Sprint, Bolt and Aqua Bolt triathlons, aquabike and duathlon
A Perth northern-beaches triathlon for all levels, and a qualifier for the Australian age-group team for Hamburg 2027.
Founders City Beach Christmas Cup
Challenger Parade, City Beach, Perth
8 km and 4 km
An ocean-view 8 km on the coast road at City Beach, run by the West Australian Marathon Club.
Portarlington Triathlon
Portarlington Beach, Bellarine Peninsula
500 m swim, 18 km bike, 5 km run
A sprint triathlon on the Bellarine and the second race of the Torquay Tri two-race series.
The Last Legend
Woodlands Historic Park, Greenvale, Melbourne
2.5 km loop with a shrinking time limit each lap
A reverse backyard: the time allowed for each 2.5 km loop keeps shrinking until only one runner can make it.
19–20 December
6 eventsChristmas 10K Swim
Coogee Beach, Coogee (Perth)
‘Merry Mile’ 1.6 km, ‘Santa’s Lap’ 3.4 km and 10 km
A 10 km ocean swim a week before Christmas, and a useful long hit-out for anyone training for the Rottnest Channel Swim.
Raw Strength Championships 11
Raw Strength, Moonah, Hobart
Powerlifting full meet plus bench-only and deadlift-only; Open, Youth, Junior and Masters
An all-comers Powerlifting Australia meet in Hobart, and a chance to post a qualifying total.
Victorian Open Water Swim
Eastern Beach, Geelong
500 m, 1.25 km, 2.5 km, 5 km, 7.5 km and 10 km
Swimming Victoria’s open water event on Corio Bay, with distances from 500 m up to 10 km. Sunday 20 December is the back-up day.
6 Inch Trail Marathon
North Dandalup to Dwellingup
46 km point-to-point on the Munda Biddi Trail
A point-to-point trail marathon through the jarrah forest south of Perth, with an early start to beat the summer heat.
Melbourne Open II
Advanced Athletes Performance, Melbourne
Powerlifting full meet; see site for divisions
Powerlifting Australia’s last Melbourne meet of the year.
Port Loop Coastal Run
Hart’s Mill, Port Adelaide
21.1 km, 10 km and 5 km
A flat half marathon around the Port Adelaide waterfront, the last long race of the SA year.
26–31 December
6 eventsPoint Leo Boxing Day Swim Classic
Point Leo Beach, Mornington Peninsula
400 m, 1.2 km and 2.5 km ocean swims, plus a 4 km beach run and swim
A Boxing Day ocean swim on Western Port Bay. Burn off Christmas lunch before the sales.
Anglesea Roo Run
Point Roadknight, Anglesea
8 km and 4 km, plus kids runs
A summer-holiday beach and cliff-top run on the Surf Coast.
Rip to River
Point Lonsdale lighthouse to Ocean Grove
10 km beach run, 10 km walk, 5 km and 1.4 km kids
A point-to-point 10 km along the beach from the Rip to the Barwon River, and Ocean Grove Surf Life Saving Club’s biggest fundraiser.
Rip View Swim Classic
Main Beach, Point Lonsdale
Ocean swim with three distances; see site
The 38th edition of this ocean swim inside Port Phillip Heads, a fixture of the Bellarine summer.
Aussie Alpine Backyarder
Village Bowl, Falls Creek
Backyard ultra: one 6.7 km loop every hour until one runner is left (31 Dec to 3 Jan)
A backyard ultra in the Victorian Alps that starts on New Year’s Eve. Its second edition, and the last-one-standing format the team championships just made famous.
NYE Rock Around the Clock
You Yangs Regional Park
5 km, 10 km, 21 km, 42 km, 50 km and 6-hour
See out the year on the You Yangs granite trails, from a 5 km up to a 6-hour run.
Watchlist: excluded, unconfirmed and date-conflicted December events
- Swim Thru Rotto (Rottnest): Hold for organiser confirmation. Only oceanswims.com lists the 2026 date. The organiser (Cottesloe Crabs) site did not load and no official 2026 page was found. Check source
- Al Koh Classic (Penrith): Date conflict, unconfirmed. Swimming NSW’s site blocks automated checks, and its 2026 open water schedule lists a 2.5 km Classic on 21 November at Speers Point, not Penrith. Confirm before adding. Check source
- The Wahluu 1,000 (Mount Panorama): Hold for organiser confirmation. A new walk/run fundraiser on 6.13 km laps of Mount Panorama. The official Raisely page did not render for checking. Good regional story if confirmed. Check source
- Greenvale Backyard Ultra (Forth, TAS): Hold: no official page. Only a Facebook page and aggregators; listings say the field is sold out. Check source
- Anglesea Rock2Ramp: Hold for organiser confirmation. The Anglesea SLSC site did not load. It clashes with Rip to River on the same morning nearby. Check source
- National Deadlift Only and State Bench Press Championships (Fremantle): Hold: federation unclear. Only a powerlifting.com listing, with no organiser page or federation named. Check source
- World Powerlifting Championships: Excluded, overseas. Held in India; listed on the Powerlifting Australia calendar. Check source
- Hunt 1000 / Ultra-Trail Kosciuszko / Narrabeen Twilighter: Covered in November. Hunt 1000 finishes in Melbourne on 5 December but starts 21 November; UTK is 26–28 November; the new Narrabeen Twilighter is 28 November. Check source
- BTC Women’s Triathlon / Women’s and Girls’ Jogalong: Excluded, editorial fit. Women-only events are excluded, the same rule as October and November. Check source
- Strength, bodybuilding and OCR: Category gap. Australia’s Strongest Man was in May; the mycompprep bodybuilding calendar ends in November; no Spartan, DEKA or True Grit race in Australia in December (True Grit VIC is 28 November). Strength is two Powerlifting Australia meets. Check source
- Cycling: Category gap. No December gravel events on the AusCycling 2026 calendar and no Bicycle Network ride. The Huskisson Santa Ride page still shows 2025. Hellfire Cup (TAS MTB) has no 2026 date. Check source
- Club and weekly series: Excluded, editorial fit. Tri club series (Penrith, Mandurah, Altona, Northern Beaches, Raby Bay), MAWA, Westies Joggers, WS10, SMC, ABC Biathlon, Canberra Runners relays and Christmas fun runs are left out as not calendar-worthy. Check source
Event dates, formats and entry availability can change. Always check the organiser’s website before entering or booking travel.