Stromlo Running Festival 2026: Marathon Starts 5:50am Saturday 14 November, 10K 7:30am Sunday, No Entries on the Day, 487 Parking Spaces (Canberra, ACT)

The Stromlo Running Festival starts at 5:50am on Saturday 14 November 2026 with the marathon, and at 7:30am on Sunday 15 November with the 10K, at Stromlo Forest Park in the Molonglo Valley. The organiser’s FAQ says entries cannot be taken on the day, so anyone who wants to run needs to be registered before the weekend.

This guide pulls together what the organiser, Race Roster and the park have published about start times, entry prices, bib collection, parking and what to carry. Where the only source is last year’s event guide, the guide says so and gives the year. Everything below was read on Monday 26 October 2026, and the festival’s own website is the page to trust if anything changes.

What time does each race start?

The festival schedule splits the program over two days. The longer races run on Saturday and the shorter ones on Sunday. Canberra is on daylight saving in November, so all times below are on the clock in Canberra.

Day	Race	Marshalling	Start
Saturday 14 November	SRF Marathon	5:45am	5:50am
Saturday 14 November	SRF30	6:25am	6:30am
Saturday 14 November	SRF15	6:55am	7:00am
Sunday 15 November	SRF10	7:25am	7:30am
Sunday 15 November	SRF5	7:55am	8:00am
Sunday 15 November	Kids 2.5K	9:15am	9:30am

The organiser is firm about start waves. You must run in your registered start time and changes will not be accepted on race weekend. If you start before your allocated wave, your result is listed as DSQ. If you start after it, your time is counted from your wave’s actual start, and you are not eligible for any awards. There are no prize presentations on either day.

How long are the courses, and are there cut-offs?

The organiser publishes a page for each distance. The figures below come from those pages, and the organiser notes that ongoing negotiations with other Stromlo Forest users could bring small adjustments to the courses.

Race	Distance	Climb	Cut-off	Minimum age
Marathon	42.24km	+1500m	8 hours	18
SRF30	30.40km	+860m	6 hours	18
SRF15	15.27km	+431m	None	16
SRF10	10.01km	+220m	None	Under 13 with an entered guardian
SRF5	5.07km	+106m	None	Under 13 with an entered guardian
Kids 2.5K	2.5km grass track	39m	None	Up to 13

The marathon and the SRF30 are both listed as ITRA and UTMB indexed. The organiser describes the SRF15, SRF10 and SRF5 as following slopes around Mt Stromlo, with a descent back to the event hub for the last few kilometres. The marathon takes in the summit of Mt Stromlo twice, and the organiser says the SRF30 and SRF15 climb to it once.

Can I still enter, and what does it cost?

Yes, for now, but not on the day. The entry fees page says there are no race-day entries, and the FAQ answers “Can I enter on the day?” with a plain “No”. Late-entry pricing began on 19 October, and Race Roster was showing the late prices when this guide was checked.

Race	Regular entry (to 31 October)	Late entry
Kids 2.5K	$30	$35
SRF5	$50	$55
SRF10	$90	$95
SRF15	$125	$130
SRF30	$160	$175
Marathon	$220	$230

Two details on the organiser’s pages do not line up. The fees page lists regular entry until 11:59pm AEST on 31 October 2026 and also gives late-entry prices from 19 October, while Race Roster showed a registration countdown that runs to the end of the festival. Treat 31 October as the date the cheaper price was meant to end, and check Race Roster for the last day you can actually register.

Race Roster’s terms also matter if your plans change. Entries can be transferred to a friend or family member up to 3 days before the event, at a $15 administration fee, although the fees page gives 11:59pm AEST on 31 October 2026 as a “strictly” applied transfer cut-off. No refunds are given within 14 days of the event start date. On event morning you can move to a shorter distance, but not transfer to another person.

Where and when do I collect my bib?

Bibs are collected at the Stromlo Forest Park event hub. The schedule lists three windows:

• Friday 13 November, 12pm to 5pm: shirt, bib and RUNCUP collection.
• Saturday 14 November: collection opens at 5:30am for the marathon, SRF30 and SRF15, and closes at 1:30pm with reduced staff after the race starts.
• Sunday 15 November: collection opens at 7:00am for the SRF10, SRF5 and kids race, and shirt collection closes at 10:00am.

The organiser asks runners to allow ample time to collect before their race. Everyone who registered before 11:59pm on 30 June 2026 gets a free event shirt, which is collected on the weekend, and the FAQ says uncollected shirts are not posted out and are recycled. Every finisher gets a medal, including the kids.

In 2025 the festival also ran a bib-only collection at the Canberra and Region Visitor Information Centre at Regatta Point in the days before the event. The 2026 pages do not mention a collection point away from the park, so plan on the event hub unless the organiser announces another.

How do I get to Stromlo Forest Park?

The park’s access page puts the main gate on Dave McInnes Road, off Opperman Avenue via John Gorton Drive, and describes the park as an easy 15 minute drive (15km) from the Canberra city centre. It also says there is no direct public transport. Transport Canberra’s events page listed only Run Canberra when it was checked on 26 and 29 October, so no festival bus or tram service is listed there.

The festival’s travelling page gives turn-by-turn directions from three directions:

• From Yass, Albury, Wagga or Melbourne (Barton Highway): turn right about 2km after entering the ACT, onto Kuringa Drive, then Kingsford Smith Drive, which becomes William Hovell Drive. Turn right at Coppins Crossing Road and right at Uriarra Road, then left into the park.
• From Sydney or Goulburn (Federal Highway): follow Northbourne Avenue, turn left at Cooyong Street, take Parkes Way, then the ramp to William Hovell Drive. Turn left at Coppins Crossing Road, right at Uriarra Road, then left into the park.
• From Cooma (Monaro Highway): follow Johnson Drive, Ashley Drive, Erindale Drive, Sulwood Drive, Namatjira Drive, Streeton Drive and Darwinia Terrace, then Hindmarsh Drive and Eucumbene Drive. Turn right at Cotter Road and left at Uriarra Road, then left into the park.

The park also says it can be reached by bike or on horseback through Canberra’s path and trail network. Check the park’s own website for closures before you travel.

Where do I park, and what does it cost?

The park’s parking page lists a carpark of 487 spaces, including a free 15 minute drop-off zone, motorbike parking, longer vehicle parking and accessible parking. The festival FAQ says there is on-site parking and points to the same upgraded carpark. Paid parking applies during the park’s opening hours, which are 6am to 9pm during daylight saving.

Time parked	Fee
Up to 15 minutes	Free
15 minutes to 3 hours	$1.90
3 hours to 6 hours	$2.90
6 hours or more	$4.00
Annual pass (optional)	$87.00

The machines take cash and Visa or Mastercard. Coins accepted are 10c, 20c, 50c, $1 and $2, and no change is given. The meters also work with the EasyPark app, area code 33340, which lets you extend or shorten your stay within the time limit. Marathon runners who use the full 8 hours will be parked for more than 6 hours, so they fall in the $4.00 band.

How full did the carpark get last year?

The festival’s 2025 event guide recommended carpooling or arranging a drop-off and pick-up, and listed an 80-space dirt overflow area at the Stromlo Leisure Centre on top of the 487 paid spaces. It said the organisers expected parking to be full by 6:30am on Saturday and intermittently limited on Sunday, when runners start and finish between 7:00am and 9:30am. The 2025 rates were $1.80, $2.80 and $3.90, so this year’s prices are 10 cents higher in each band. The 2026 event guide has not been published, so use last year’s pattern as a warning rather than a promise.

What do I have to carry?

Each course page lists mandatory gear. All distances need a working mobile phone, a compression bandage and the race number attached and visible on the outside front. The differences are in water and food:

Race	Water	Also required
Marathon	2 litre capacity, bottles or bladders	Food bars or portions
SRF30	1 litre capacity	Nothing further
SRF15, SRF10, SRF5	A water holder of any capacity	Nothing further

The compression bandage must be at least 7.5cm wide and 2.3m long unstretched. The 2026 schedule still lists RUNCUP collection. The festival’s 2025 guide said SRF is a disposable-cup-free event, so bring your own cup for electrolytes on the course unless the organiser says otherwise.

Can children take part?

The Indigenous Marathon Foundation SRF 2.5K Kids Run starts at 9:30am on Sunday on a grass cross-country track. It is for children up to 13, and entrants under 5 must run with a parent or guardian. Nominating an accompanying adult is free and must be chosen when the child is registered. Accompanying adults get a bib and a time but are not in the running for prizes.

For the longer Sunday races, the SRF10 and SRF5 pages and Race Roster say children under 13 must be accompanied by a guardian who is entered in the event. The festival’s age categories page gives a different line for the SRF5, saying children under 8 must be accompanied, and the FAQ says children aged 7 to 12 can run the 5km with a registered adult. If your child is between 8 and 12, follow the stricter wording on the SRF5 page and Race Roster, and email the organiser at info@stromlo.com.au to confirm.

What facilities are at the park?

The FAQ lists bathrooms, showers and the Handlebar Cafe for light refreshments at the event hub. There is no camping on site, and the nearest campground is the Cotter Campground. Race Roster says the festival will not be postponed or cancelled because of rain, and that organisers review site conditions in the days before if needed. Postponement or cancellation notices go out by email, social media and the festival website.

Which rules did last year’s guide set?

The 2026 event guide is not out, and the festival site still links the 2025 PDF. These rules come from that guide, so check whether they are repeated in 2026:

• Dogs are not allowed on the course, except service dogs on a lead, and dogs at the event hub must be on a lead.
• Trekking poles are allowed if used safely, and headphones are at the runner’s discretion.
• Pacers are not permitted, and non-runners may not run alongside participants.
• There are no fixed bins at the park, so runners carry rubbish out.
• Anyone who withdraws must tell an event team member, and the emergency first aid number given was 1300 663 600.

What is still not confirmed?

• The 2026 event guide, including the event hub map and any parking changes.
• The final day to register, because the fees page and Race Roster point to different dates.
• Whether there is a bib collection away from the park, as there was in 2025.
• The age rule for the SRF5, where the organiser’s pages differ.

Sources

• Stromlo Running Festival: Schedule (checked 26 October 2026)
• Stromlo Running Festival: Entry Fees (checked 26 October 2026)
• Stromlo Running Festival: Event FAQs (checked 26 October 2026)
• Stromlo Running Festival: Travelling (checked 26 October 2026)
• Stromlo Running Festival: Age Categories (checked 26 October 2026)
• Race Roster: SRF2026 (checked 26 October 2026)
• Stromlo Forest Park: Parking (checked 26 October 2026)
• Stromlo Forest Park: Opening hours and access (checked 26 October 2026)
• Stromlo Running Festival: 2025 Event Guide (PDF) (last year’s guide, read 26 October 2026)
• Transport Canberra: Events (checked 26 October 2026)

Featured image: Stromlo Forest Park (photo: Bidgee / CC BY-SA 3.0 au) (text added)

OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the Stromlo Running Festival, Race Hub Australia, Race Roster or Stromlo Forest Park. Times, prices and rules can change; check the official pages above before you travel.