At a glance
- When
- Sunday 8 November 2026: Half Marathon 7am, 10km 8:30am, 5km 8:45am, 3km 9am, 1km Kids Dash 9:30am (Geelong time, AEDT)
- Where
- Start and finish on Ritchie Boulevard, Geelong Waterfront; Event Village at Eastern Beach Reserve
- Race packs
- 192 Myers Street from Wednesday 4 to Saturday 7 November, or at the Registration Tent from 6am on the day
- Roads and parking
- Temporary road closures and public parking in the waterfront precinct; the closure list is not published yet
- Who it’s for
- Runners, walkers, families and supporters heading to the waterfront on Sunday 8 November
- What to do now
- Check your distance’s course map, plan to arrive 45 to 60 minutes before your start, and collect your pack on Wednesday 4 November or later
- Last checked
- Monday 26 October 2026, against the Run4Geelong site, the City of Greater Geelong event page and V/Line’s service changes page
- Not yet confirmed
- Which roads close and when, the detailed event schedule and extra train services
Run4Geelong is on Sunday 8 November 2026, and the Cleanaway Half Marathon goes first at 7am, with the Kids Dash last at 9:30am. Every distance starts and finishes on Ritchie Boulevard on the Geelong Waterfront, and the Event Village is at Eastern Beach Reserve. The organisers have said temporary road closures will be in place, but at the time of checking they had not yet published which roads or for how long.
This guide pulls together what the organisers, the Barwon Health Foundation, and the City of Greater Geelong event page have published, checked on 26 October 2026. We will update it if the closure list or the schedule changes.
What time does my race start?
The official event details page lists five races, all timed in AEDT, which is Geelong’s time in November. Organisers ask runners to begin first, followed by walkers, and your time starts when you cross the start line, so your position in the crowd does not change your result.
| Race | Start | Entry fee now (last-minute rate) | Who can enter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleanaway Half Marathon, 21.1km | 7:00am | A$105 | 16 years and over; two laps |
| Hanlon Industries 10km | 8:30am | A$62 | Run or walk |
| City of Greater Geelong 5km | 8:45am | A$52 | Run or walk |
| GMHBA 3km | 9:00am | A$42 | Run or walk |
| Villawood Properties 1km Kids Dash | 9:30am | A$20 | Under 12 only |
The organisers say last-minute rates apply from 24 October to 6 November, and entries close one hour before your race unless the event sells out first. They also warn that a higher entry fee may apply on the day. Fees are as shown on the Run4Geelong site on 26 October 2026.
When should I arrive?
The organisers ask you to arrive 45 to 60 minutes before your race start, and to allow extra time for parking and road closures. They say a detailed event schedule will be released closer to the event. For the half marathon at 7am, that means arriving between 6am and 6:15am. The Event Village opens earlier for bag drop and warm-up, according to the Run4Geelong home page, but it does not give a time.
If you are collecting your race pack on the day, the Registration Tent in the Event Village opens at 6am and closes for your race 30 minutes before the start. That means a half marathon runner has from 6am to 6:30am to collect a pack.
Where and when do I collect my race pack?
Your pack holds your bib, your event t-shirt and four safety pins. The organisers say the Race Pack Collection Zone is at 192 Myers Street, Geelong, next to St Mary’s Hall, with entry via the ramp. It is open only on these days:
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 4 November | 3pm to 6pm |
| Thursday 5 November | 3pm to 6pm |
| Friday 6 November | 9am to 6pm |
| Saturday 7 November | 9am to 5pm |
| Sunday 8 November (race day) | From 6am until 30 minutes before your race, at the Registration Tent in the Event Village |
Postage had to be bought at registration and was only offered until 2 October, so anyone who registered after that collects in person. Someone else can collect your bib for you if they bring a copy of your registration confirmation. Only the first 8,000 registered participants receive a free event t-shirt, and sizes cannot be exchanged.
The timing chip is on the back of your bib for the half marathon, 10km, 5km and 3km. The Kids Dash is not timed. If you lose your bib, email foundation@barwonhealth.org.au; a replacement fee applies.
Which streets will the course use?
The organisers have published a course map for each distance. We read all five. The 3km and 5km maps run west along the waterfront from the start, then loop through Bellerine Street, Ryrie Street and Swanston Street before returning along Eastern Beach Road. The 5km map adds a short turn at the Eastern Beach end of the course.
The 10km and half marathon use the same western streets and then head east through Eastern Park and along Hearne Parade. The half marathon, which is two laps, also reaches Limeburners Road near Howard Glover Reserve on each lap, according to its map. The organisers’ half marathon page says the course is almost entirely along the water, with one climb to get over on each lap.
The Kids Dash is separate. Its map shows two short laps along the Eastern Beach foreshore near Pavilion Geelong, with a stage between the start and the finish.
Which roads will be closed?
Not yet published. The FAQ says temporary road closures will be in place to ensure participant safety, and that closure information will be published before the event. The course maps show the route using Ritchie Boulevard, Eastern Beach Road, Hearne Parade, Bellerine Street, Swanston Street, Ryrie Street and Limeburners Road, but a route on a map is not a closure notice. We have not published a list of closed roads because no official one exists yet.
If you are driving to anything else on the waterfront that morning, treat those streets as unreliable until the organisers or the City publish the closures. We will add them here, with the times, as soon as they appear.
Can I park near the waterfront?
The organisers say public parking is available throughout the Geelong Waterfront precinct and to allow extra time. They do not name car parks. The City of Greater Geelong’s central Geelong parking page, as read on 22 October 2026, lists these options near the event:
| Car park or street | What the City says |
|---|---|
| Garden Street, Eastern Beach end | All-day free parking |
| Hearne Parade, above Eastern Beach | All-day free parking |
| Ritchie Boulevard, beyond Geelong Yacht Club | $10.30 all day |
| Bellerine Street, east side between Corio Street and Eastern Beach Road | $10.30 all day |
| Western Beach Car Park, next to Cunningham Pier | 3 hour parking, $3.80 per hour |
| Haymarket Car Park, Myers Street | $15.90 all day or $3.80 per hour |
Two cautions. Hearne Parade, Ritchie Boulevard and Bellerine Street all appear on the course maps, so they may be closed or restricted on the morning even though they are public parking at other times. The City’s page also does not say whether the paid rates apply on a Sunday, so read the sign and the meter before you leave your car. Our central Geelong parking guide explains how the meters and the EasyPark app work.
For accessible parking, the organisers say there are no dedicated accessible bays specific to the event, but there are public accessible spaces around the race precinct. A map showing those spaces and a drop-off and pick-up zone near the Event Village will be made available.
Can I get there by train from Melbourne?
Yes, but the first Sunday train is too late for the early races. In V/Line’s timetable effective 23 August 2026, the first weekend train from Southern Cross leaves at 7:04am and reaches Geelong at 8:09am, which is after the half marathon has started. Our Melbourne to Geelong train guide has the weekend times, stops and fares. A runner coming from Melbourne for the 7am start would need another way to arrive, such as driving or staying in Geelong the night before.
V/Line’s service changes page, checked on 26 October 2026, lists coach replacements on the Geelong line on the evenings of 25 to 27 October only. It shows no changes on the Geelong line for 8 November and lists no additional services. The Seymour and Shepparton lines have coaches on 7 and 8 November, and the Ballarat line has evening coaches from 8 November, but neither affects Geelong. The organisers’ pages do not mention public transport at all, so check the V/Line app or the journey planner on the morning.
What can I bring, and what is not allowed?
- Bag drop: A bag drop is available. Label your bag and attach the bag tag from your race bib. The organisers are not responsible for lost items, so keep money and valuables with you.
- Prams: Prams are welcome. Start at the back. Babies and toddlers in prams must be registered, too.
- Dogs: Not allowed, except accredited service animals. The organisers have removed RunPawGeelong from this year’s event.
- Bikes and scooters: Not permitted on the course.
- Headphones: The organisers discourage them for safety reasons.
- Water: Water stations are on the course and at the finish. For the half marathon, station locations will be confirmed closer to race day.
Children under 16 must be registered by a parent or guardian, and participants under 10 must be accompanied by an adult on the course, except in the Kids Dash. Only registered children under 12 are allowed on the Kids Dash course, so a parent who wants to accompany a child should email foundation@barwonhealth.org.au before race day.
What about discounts and refunds?
The pages disagree slightly on group discounts. The FAQ says there is a 10% discount when you register a group of four, and a $5 discount for under 18s. The event details page says groups of 2 to 4 get 10% off and that under-5s pay a fixed $20 for the 10km, 5km and 3km. Both say the discounts are applied automatically at checkout, so check your total there. Companion Card holders can ask for a carer discount code on (03) 4215 8900.
Registrations are generally non-refundable unless you bought Refund Protection when you registered. Transfers to another person are available until registrations close.
What is there for people who are not running?
The Event Village has public amenities and extra event toilets, and the Post-Race Precinct has limited food and drinks, including a coffee van, a sausage sizzle and sweet treats. The organisers say 6,750 people took part in 2025 and that 2025 sold out, and the accessibility page says over 8,000 participants are expected this year and that the area near the start line can become quite busy. Results are published in the Geelong Advertiser on Monday 9 November and online through Tomato Timing.
For accessibility, the organisers list a portable accessible toilet in the race precinct and another on Eastern Beach Road opposite the yacht club, a quiet reset zone, and a sensory map to be published online before race day. For anything else, contact the Barwon Health Foundation on (03) 4215 8900 or at foundation@barwonhealth.org.au.
Sources
- Run4Geelong 2026 home page (races, fees, start times; checked 26 October 2026)
- Run4Geelong FAQs (race packs, parking, road closures, rules)
- Run4Geelong event details (race times, race pack collection, discounts)
- Run4Geelong course maps and half marathon page
- Run4Geelong accessibility FAQs
- City of Greater Geelong: Run4Geelong event page
- City of Greater Geelong: Parking options in central Geelong (read 22 October 2026)
- V/Line: Service changes (checked 26 October 2026)
- V/Line: August 2026 timetable changes
Featured image: Eastern Beach Promenade, Geelong, February 2023 (photo: DXR / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with the Barwon Health Foundation, the City of Greater Geelong or V/Line. Event details can change; check the Run4Geelong website before you go.