Event Overview

10 – 11 May, 2025

The Margaret River Ultra Marathon delivers plenty of magnificent trail running through one of the most breathtaking regions of Australia – the Cape to Cape coastline of south west Western Australia.

The event includes an 80km ultra marathon open to solo runners and relay teams and a popular 42km trail marathon for solo runners (added in 2024).

Complete either course as an individual and you will go on an epic journey you will never forget, or gather your mates and complete the 80km in a relay team of 2-5 runners and spend some quality time in this much loved part of the world.

My #1 favorite event for the stunning location, extraordinary event team and amazing community ! Diane – 2022 Competitor

A must-do trail running event of the year with breathtaking scenery and a wonderful atmosphere. We have taken part every year since the beginning and each year has just been the best race ever, so well organised with a wonderful crew. Bri – 2021 Competitor

Location and courses

Located between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin, the region is renowned for its superb wineries, rolling country farmland, pristine beaches, world-class surf breaks, limestone caves and magnificent tall-timber forests. To run though this rich tapestry of natural wonders will be a joy for anyone who enjoys being in the great outdoors.

The full 80km course starts on the crisp white sands at Hamelin Bay in the south and follows large sections of the Cape to Cape Track to our finish point at Howard Park Winery in the north. It’s a sizeable (but achievable) challenge for any athlete and caters for the growing population of ultra marathon runners the world over.

The 42km course starts on the beach at picturesque Yallingup in the north and follows a varied and equally spectacular course heading south to finish at Howard Park Winery. It’s a great course in its own right or can act as a stepping stone for those working up to the 80km distance one day.

The course is magic and super accessible for runners of all levels. I love this event and we look forward to it every year. – Sarah, 2022 Competitor

Full Service

This is a ‘full service’ event with all the customer service considerations you’d expect from an industry leader such as buses to the start for runners, well stocked checkpoints, a marked and marshalled course, and stop off points for spectators and support crews that allow them to take in the best of the landscape as well.

Terrain

Utilising large sections of the famous ‘Cape to Cape’ walking track, the terrain underfoot is not overly technical and includes a range of trail types, from hard packed clay trails to soft sandy beaches with plenty of weaving single track in between. It would be unfair to call the courses ‘flat’ as they both include some slow undulations delivering ‘just’ 1,700m of climbing over the 80km course and 1,000m across the 42km course.

THE 80KM COURSE BREAKDOWN

80km Course Map and Description HERE >>

THE 42KM COURSE BREAKDOWN

42km Course Map and Description HERE >>

80KM ULTRA – RACE SOLO OR FORM A RELAY TEAM (2-5 runners)

The 80KM Ultra Marathon can be completed by individual runners doing the whole thing, or by relay teams of up to 5 doing one or more legs each.

Relay teams have the opportunity to gather team members of varying abilities who can still race in one team, eg. less capable runners can do the shorter legs and more capable runners can do the longer legs, or do more than 2 legs.

 Eg, a team of 3 may split the course as follows:

  • Runner 1: Leg 1 and 5 (24.5km) | Runner 2: Leg 3 (20km) |  Runner 3: Leg 2 and 4 (33km)

There are many different ways to divide the legs between a team – see our suggested leg groupings here.

ITRA pts  /  UTMB qualifying race

The Margaret River Ultra Marathon 80km individual race is registered with the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) and will provide successful runners with ITRA points (to help runners qualify for large international races), and UTMB points as an official qualifying race for this iconic event:

80km solo

  • ITRA rating: 3 Endurance Points, 2 Mountain Points and Finisher Rating of 260.
  • UTMB points: 3 Points (new system).

For further information on what the ITRA points mean click here and for more information on the UTMB (Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc) click here.

2024 Highlights video – get a feel for the action!

2023 Promo video

2022 Highlights video – inspiring!

2020 Highlights video – wow, what a race day!

2019 Highlights Video – relive the memories

All in all, this is ultra marathon running at its best with a spectacular course that caters for runners of all abilities in one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations.