80KM Course Map & Description

Get ready for a breathtaking 80km journey along the Cape to Cape coastline…!

Starting on the white sands of Hamelin Bay, the 80km Margaret River Ultra Marathon winds through a spectacular mix of landscapes – from towering karri forests to rugged clifftop trails, past world-famous surf breaks and over iconic headlands – before finishing in style amongst the vines at Howard Park Winery in Wilyabrup.

80KM COURSE SUMMARY

Course distance: 77.7km from Hamelin Bay to Howard Park Winery, divided into five legs.
Elevation gain and loss: 1,312m ascent / 1,250m descent (subject to the vagaries of various GPS devices!!)
Format: solo runners running the full 80km and relay teams who divide it between 2, 3, 4 or 5 runners

Leg breakdown:

COURSE MAPS

Click here for a full screen version of the interactive Terranium Map below, or click here for a PDF copy to print for runners and support crew.

MAPS ON YOUR PHONE: To load the course map on your phone for off-line usage, simply scan or tap the QR code to install the Avenza mapping app and download the course map to your phone. The map will work when you have no phone reception and your position will be identified with a blue circle.

Click here to download a GPX file of the course route to import into your own mapping app / watch…

SUPPORT CREW MAP. CLICK HERE to download a PDF map of the course with additional notes and checkpoint info.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND HIGHLIGHTS

Leg 1: 11.5km Hamelin Bay to Boranup Campsite.

The Margaret River Ultra Marathon gets under way on the crisp white sands of Hamelin Bay. Starting at the southern end of this beautiful beach, runners soon leave the coast and head inland (and uphill!) on a scenic run through a little visited part of the region.

Running through the heathland you will swap the sound of crashing waves for the sound of bird song and rustling leaves in the karri forests. Leg 1 follows a range of 4WD tracks and single tracks that weaves its way through the hinterland on a mix of lightly technical trail surfaces.

The last part of the course goes across some private land, so please respect the landowner and keep to the obvious track before dropping down a narrow single track into the checkpoint at Boranup Campsite.

  • Leg distance: 11.5km + Elevation gain / loss: 370m / 190m

Leg 2: 14.5km Boranup Campsite to Conto Campground. Total: 26km

Setting off from the Boranup Campsite, the course takes runners on a journey through the famous Boranup Forest with its towering Karri trees.

The sandy beaches and turquoise water of the coastline will seem a million miles away and won’t be seen at all on Leg 2 as you weave between these mighty trees on a mixture of 4WD tracks. The undergrowth has a lot of new life and regrowth after the 2021 fires and the tree canopy remains lush and green overhead, providing an interesting and varied run through the forest. The trail surfaces are flat and fast, making for easy running.

Leg 2 finishes with a 1km climb (that is two-way with outgoing runners), and you will soon enter Checkpoint 2 at Conto Campground at the 26km mark.

  • Leg distance: 14.5km + Elevation gain / loss: 350m / 440m

Leg 3: 20km Conto Campground to Riflebutts Reserve, Gnarabup. Total: 46km

Leg 3 commences with a long, flowing downhill as you leave the hinterland and return to the coast at the spectacular Cape Freycinet for some incredible rock hopping on the ancient granite domes that make this headland so significant.

Continuing north, the course rejoins the official Cape to Cape Track for one of the most popular (and most spectacular) sections above the Conto Cliffs and the Bob’s Holow Caves, past Redgate Beach and ultimately into civilization at Gnarabup. This leg includes many kilometres of beautiful single track providing uninterrupted views out to sea, interspersed with sections of soft sand beach running down at water level (the 4km secrtion along Boodjidip Beach is particularly challenging).

The limestone outcrops combined with the soft sand makes this leg a bit testing at times – but show us your mental and physical strength, swallow a concrete pill (!) and power on – the celebrations at CP3 at Riflebutts Reserve make it very worthwhile.

  • Leg distance: 20km + Elevation gain / loss: 380m / 485m

Leg 4: 18km Riflebutts Reserve to Gracetown Community Hall. Total: 64km

Rolling out from Checkpoint 3, runners pass the Margaret River mainbreak at Surfers Point before crossing the iconic Margaret River mouth on the beach. Leaving civilization behind once again, runners traverse more remote sections of the coast, past little visited beaches and coves with landmarks such as Cape Mentelle, Joeys Nose and Kilcarnup.

The course sticks to the Cape to Cape Track and includes some short sections of beach running and long sections of beautiful single track that weaves through hinterland dunes. There are sections sand on the single track along with some limestone reefs and rock outcrops that provide some technical running in parts.

Passing the historic Ellensbrook Homestead, the course continues along the coastline (but off the beach) providing sweeping views across the surf to the Indian Ocean beyond, ultimately entering the beautiful township of Gracetown and Checkpoint 4 at the community hall.

  • Leg distance: 18km + Elevation gain / loss: 280m / 290m


 

Leg 5: 13.7km Gracetown Community Hall to Howard Park Winery. Total: 77.7km

After leaving the checkpoint at Gracetown, the trail cuts through the township and then across North Point, where you’ll encounter some technical running over some rocky terrain for about 2 kilometres before reverting back to softer ground on some sandy single and 4WD tracks paralleling the coast.

Runners turn away from the Cape to Cape track after 5km after Gracetown and climb uphill along Juniper Road and into some Private Property. The next couple of kilometres are very sandy and suck any remaining energy from your legs, but soon enough you cross over Caves Road and continue along flat and fast 2WD dirt roads through lovely farming land that provide plenty of joy.

Then it’s a final sprint through the vines to the celebratory finish line at Howard Park Winery. Well done!

  • Leg distance: 13.7km = Elevation gain / loss: 250m / 150m

Elevation Profile

The entire 80km course includes ~1,730m of elevation gain and 1,675m of elevation loss. You finish at a higher elevation than you start.

Leg by leg statistics: 

Leg   Leg distance Elevation gain Elevation lossTotal dist at end Expected fastest teamExpected fastest soloCut off time for the leg
Leg 111.5km370m190m11.5km45mins50minStart time + 3h30min for solos OR Start time + 2h15min for teams
Leg 214.5km350m440m29.5km1hr101hr10Start time + 6h15min for solos OR start time + 5h for teams
Leg 320km380m485m49km1hr351hr45Start time + 10hrs for solos OR start time + 8h 45min for teams
Leg 418km330m340m67km1hr301hr45Start time + 13h30min for solos OR start time + 11h45min for teams
Leg 513.7km250m150m80km1hr1hr 10minThe Course closes at the finish line at 2230 Saturday for ALL competitors

On course checkpoints

Checkpoint locations:

  • Checkpoint 1: 11.5km at the Boranup Campsite (solo support crew only)
  • Checkpoint 2: 26km at the Conto Campground
  • Checkpoint 3: 46km Riflebutts Reserve, Gnarabup
  • Checkpoint 4: 64km Gracetown Community Hall.

Nutrition and hydration at checkpoints – for solo and relay team runners

The following nutrition and hydration will be available at each checkpoint (CPs):

CP1 at Boranup Campsite AND CP2 at Conto Campsite

  • Skratch Labs hydration –
  • Sandwiches – sweet (eg. jam) and savoury (eg. vegemite and cheese)
  • Bananas and oranges
  • Banana cake and/or honey and oat slice
  • Snakes and lollies
  • Potato crisps or Shapes (salty)
  • Cold boiled chat potatoes with salt

CP3 at Riflebutts Reserve AND CP4 at Gracetown Community Hall

  • All the items listed for CP1 and 2 above PLUS:…
  • Warm foods in paper cups such as: chicken noodle soup (CP3) and minestrone soup (CP4), two minute noodles
  • Cold pasta or potato salad (or similar)
  • Hot water and cups so you can make your own tea and instant coffee
  • Some Coke will be available in cups at CP4

Considerably more information on Checkpoints can also be found on the Support Crew page here

Course Terrain and Textures

In the same way that the course passes through a range of landscapes, the terrain under foot also has plenty of variety with anything from hard-packed dirt through to soft sand passing under your feet. 

Being a coastal race, sand is an overriding trail feature common to all legs. In the most part, the sand is quite runnable and the sandy trails often have a firm base below. Leg 3 (especially) and Leg 4 include some longer stretches on soft sandy beaches that make for slower going at times. Some parts of the course are moderately technical with roots and rocks to jump over but on the whole, the course is not overly technical, although the sand makes it harder than it looks on paper. .

Listed below is a very brief summary of the terrain types found on each leg:

  • Leg 1: Good running on a firm base. Minimal sand or technical aspects. Quite a bit of uphill.
  • Leg 2: Great running on firm, hard packed trails. No sand or technical aspects. Undulating.
  • Leg 3: Varied running with all trail types. A lot of running on soft sand – on beaches and trails, as well as some technical aspects with rock hopping and some trail obstacles. You’ve been warned!
  • Leg 4: Good running with all trail types. Quite a bit of running on sand, mainly on trails which mostly have a firm base with some sand on top. Some lesser technical aspects and trail obstacles.
  • Leg 5: Varied running with all trail types. A bit of running on sand – some super soft 4WD track sections – but otherwise there’s some lovely running on technical trails, 2WD roads and nearly everything in between.

Team mate combinations

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

Because each leg is different, relay teams can consist of team members with varying abilities – with less capable runners doing shorter legs and the fitter running further.

If all team members are roughly equal then here are some ways the course can be split up:

  • 2 runners: Runner 1: Leg 1, 2 and 5 (40km) /  Runner 2: Leg 3 and 4 (38km)
  • 3 runners: Runner 1: Leg 1 and 5 (25km)  /  Runner 2: Leg 3 (20km)  /  Runner 3: Leg 2 and 4 (34km)
  • 4 runners: Runner 1: Leg 1 and 5 (25km) /  Runner 2: Leg 2 (14.5km)  /  Runner 3: Leg 3 (20km)  /  Runner 4: Leg 4 (18km)

There are many different ways to divide the legs between a team!

UTMB Qualifying Race & ITRA Points

The 80km Margaret River Ultra Marathon individual race is registered with the UTMB and the International Trail Running Association (ITRA).

  • UTMB points
  • ITRA 3 points (80km)

Participants who finish the MRUM 80km race will receive a UTMB Performance Index in the category of the race as well as ITRA 3 points.

The Performance Index is used in a similar way as the ‘qualifying points’ to show a runner’s experience at different distances and can be used to enter the UTMB World Series Events and combined with Running Stones to enter the UTMB Finals. 

UTMB Index races to do not give Running Stones to finishers, these are only available to finishers at UTMB World Series Events and UTMB World Series Majors.

Visit ITRA here >>

Visit the UTMB website for more information here >>.