Men’s course record
2:25:02
Jack Moody · 2025
- Average pace
- 3:26 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- −0.11 %
Queenstown Marathon
Queenstown, New Zealand The Saturday nearest 15 November Founded 2014
Seventy percent hard-packed trail, between the Crown Range and the Remarkables, and no ballot to get in.
Overview
Queenstown sells itself as “flat out beautiful”, and one half of that is beyond argument. The course runs from Millbrook Resort through historic Arrowtown, along the Arrow River and around Lake Hayes, crosses the old Shotover Bridge, then follows the rivers out to the Frankton Arm and finishes on the Queenstown waterfront. Roughly 70 % of it is hard-packed trail, and for most of the morning the Remarkables are on your shoulder.
There's no ballot. Registration is open, and the race is well placed for a holiday: the finish is a short walk from the town centre, and race day falls in the Southern Hemisphere's late spring.
The flat half of the slogan doesn't hold up. Queenstown climbs more than New York and more than Boston. The long descent pays most of that back, and on the energy arithmetic it comes out about level with a flat course, before you account for running most of it on trail.
There's no ballot. Registration is open, and the race is well placed for a holiday: the finish is a short walk from the town centre, and race day falls in the Southern Hemisphere's late spring.
The flat half of the slogan doesn't hold up. Queenstown climbs more than New York and more than Boston. The long descent pays most of that back, and on the energy arithmetic it comes out about level with a flat course, before you account for running most of it on trail.
- When
- The 2026 Queenstown Marathon is on Saturday, 14 November 2026, starting at 8:45am local time on Millbrook Resort, near Arrowtown.
- Course
- Queenstown's course climbs 307 m in all, with its lowest point at 308 m and its highest at 436 m.
- Entry
- Entry to Queenstown is open, with no ballot, and costs NZ$277 for 2026.
- Field
- The 2025 Queenstown Marathon had a marathon field of 4,000+.
- Weather
- Across 31 years, Queenstown's race-day temperature has a median of 11.8 °C.
- Records
- The Queenstown Marathon course records are 2:25:02 (Jack Moody, 2025) and 2:48:31 (Bara Styblova, 2025).
- Time limit
- Queenstown's time limit is about 7¾ hours.
Marathon Course · every marathon course, measured the same way
Queenstown Marathon
Seventy percent hard-packed trail, between the Crown Range and the Remarkables, and no ballot to get in. Millbrook Resort, Arrowtown → Queenstown Recreation Ground, Otago, New Zealand.
- Distance
- 42.2 km
- Ascent
- 307 m
- Descent
- 398 m
- Net
- −90 m
Course map and elevation
5 km splits marked · hover or drag the profile below to move along the courseElevation · measured on the 2024 course line · LINZ nzdem8m (8 m) · smoothed 100 m 308–436 m
—
0.08.416.825.233.541.9
kmmi — elev — grade — hover or drag the profile
The first 10.0 km roll gently down along the Arrow River. The one real climb is the block from 15.0 km to 20.0 km, up Speargrass Flat and over Slope Hill, 45 m net. The hardest stretch isn't a climb, though. The drop off Lower Shotover Road into Quail Rise at about 24.5 km loses 54 m in a kilometre, and it arrives with 18.0 km still to run. From Frankton the last 10.0 km are flat along the lake. Add up the energy cost of every gradient and the course comes out about level with a flat 42.195 km.
Take it with you
Course GPX Organiser's course map
The GPX is ours: our resampled line, a point every 25 m, carrying LINZ nzdem8m (8 m) elevation rather than the GPS noise a watch file usually holds.
LINZ nzdem8m (8 m), measured on the 2024 course line, smoothed 100 m · marathoncourse.com/marathons/queenstown/ · checked 2026-09-21
How to enter: dates and fees
Queenstown takes open registration, and there's no ballot.
General entry for 2026 is NZ$277 including fees and GST, as listed on 21 September 2026. Prices step up as race day nears, so check the official entry page for what you'll pay today.
Online entries close at 5:00pm the day before the race. A limited number of late entries are taken in person at athlete check-in, unless the event has sold out first.
General entry for 2026 is NZ$277 including fees and GST, as listed on 21 September 2026. Prices step up as race day nears, so check the official entry page for what you'll pay today.
Online entries close at 5:00pm the day before the race. A limited number of late entries are taken in person at athlete check-in, unless the event has sold out first.
History
Michelle Pepper and Dave Beeche founded Queenstown in 2014, on the Frankton Track and the Lake Hayes trails. In 2020, with New Zealand's borders closed, it was run while most of the world's marathons were cancelled. The 2021 race was postponed to March 2022, then called off in the Omicron outbreak.
It grew quickly all the same. By 2025 more than 13,000 entered across its four distances, from 88 countries, and it had become the biggest running event in New Zealand.
It grew quickly all the same. By 2025 more than 13,000 entered across its four distances, from 88 countries, and it had become the biggest running event in New Zealand.
- 2014First edition — a new destination marathon on the Frankton Track and the Lake Hayes trails
- 2020Run while most of the world's marathons were cancelled; New Zealand's borders were closed
- 2021Postponed to March 2022, then cancelled — the Omicron outbreak and the red traffic light
- 2024Tenth running: more than 12,500 entrants across all four distances, the biggest running event in New Zealand
- 2025More than 13,000 entrants from 88 countries; over 5,000 international — 38 %, a record share
- 2025Both course records fall — Moody 2:25:02, Styblova 2:48:31 on debut
- 202614 November, the twelfth running
201520202025
Course records
Pace is derived from the certified distance. Terrain-adjusted figures come from the same model that ranks every course on this site.
Women’s course record
2:48:31
Bara Styblova · 2025
- Average pace
- 4:00 / km
- Terrain-adjusted
- −0.11 %
Race day: start times and cut-offs
- 8:45am
- 4:30pm
- Time limit
- About 7¾ hours
- 11
The marathon starts at 8:45am at Millbrook Resort near Arrowtown and finishes at the Queenstown Recreation Ground, beside the Queenstown Gardens in the town centre, 15.4 km away in a straight line. The course closes at 4:30pm, a window of roughly 7¾ hours, with six intermediate cut-offs. Eleven aid stations carry water, electrolyte drink, toilets and first aid, with flat cola from station 8.
Athlete check-in is compulsory and in person at the Queenstown Events Centre in Frankton on the Thursday and Friday before the race. No bibs are posted, though someone else can collect yours with your confirmation email.
The organiser runs an event shuttle to Millbrook for NZ$20, not included in entry, picking up from the Boundary St car park or Wakatipu High School. Arrive fifteen minutes before your notified pickup time. Book it when you enter, and don't plan on driving.
Athlete check-in is compulsory and in person at the Queenstown Events Centre in Frankton on the Thursday and Friday before the race. No bibs are posted, though someone else can collect yours with your confirmation email.
The organiser runs an event shuttle to Millbrook for NZ$20, not included in entry, picking up from the Boundary St car park or Wakatipu High School. Arrive fifteen minutes before your notified pickup time. Book it when you enter, and don't plan on driving.
The morning, hour by hour
- 8:45am
- Marathon start
- 4:30pm
- Course closes
Cut-offs
- Lake Hayes Trail · 11.7 km
- 11:01am
- Speargrass Flat Rd / Slope Hill Rd · 19.5 km
- 12:23pm
- Spence Rd, aid station 7 · 26.5 km
- 1:43pm
- Frankton, aid station 9 · 32.0 km
- 2:39pm
- Sugar Lane, aid station 10 · 35.0 km
- 2:53pm
- Jubilee Park, aid station 11 · 39.0 km
- 3:36pm
Times as published by the organiser. Sugar Lane's 2:53pm is 14 minutes after Frankton for 3 km, against roughly 11 minutes per kilometre at every other point; treat it as a misprint until the organiser confirms.
Race-day weather, 1995–2025
- Median
- 11.8 °C
- Warm years
- 4 of 31
- Wet years
- 14 of 31
Race-day mean temperature, 1995-2025. Lime marks the hottest edition; the coldest and wettest carry a label only, so the colour still means one thing.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Queenstown Marathon hilly?
Yes, more than its marketing suggests. It climbs 307 m and descends 398 m, finishing 90 m below the start. Of the 28 courses we've measured, only Big Sur climbs more. Expect rolling ground, 70 % of it on trail.
LINZ nzdem8m (8 m), sampled every 25 m, smoothed over 100 m.
Is the course road or trail?
The organiser puts it at 70 % smooth hard-packed trail and 30 % road. Hard-packed is what matters. It's gravel and compacted surface, not single-track, and road shoes are the normal choice.
Organiser, marathon course page.
Is there a ballot?
No. Entry is open registration until it sells out or closes, at 5:00pm the day before the race. Prices step up as race day nears, so check the official entry page for the current figure.
Organiser entry page, checked 2026-09-21.
What is the cut-off?
The course closes at 4:30pm after an 8:45am start, a window of about seven and three-quarter hours, with six intermediate cut-offs along the way. The published points work out at roughly eleven minutes per kilometre.
Organiser race-day information.
How do runners get out to Millbrook for the start?
The marathon starts at Millbrook Resort near Arrowtown, about 15.4 km from the finish in a straight line. The organiser runs a paid event shuttle, NZ$20, from the Boundary St car park or Wakatipu High School; arrive fifteen minutes before your notified pickup time.
Organiser race-day information.
Is it a good first marathon?
A strong case: open entry, a generous cut-off, and an organiser that welcomes walkers behind the runners. The catch is the terrain. It rolls throughout, and the long drop into Quail Rise at about 24.5 km arrives with 18.0 km still to run.
Measured profile; organiser race information.
How many people run it?
More than 4,000 took a marathon place in 2025, within about 13,000 across the event. 38 % of entrants came from outside the country.
Organiser figures for the 2025 edition.
What is the weather like on race day?
About 11.8 °C during a typical race: that's the median across 31 years, which have run from 5.5 °C to 18.5 °C. 14 of the 31 were wet.
ERA5 reanalysis for the race date, 1995-2025.
Can I use a time here to qualify for Boston?
On net drop, yes. Under the B.A.A. rules for 2027 qualifying, a course loses five minutes once its net drop reaches 1,500 ft. Queenstown's measured net drop is 90 m, about a fifth of that, so a time run here would count at face value. Certification is the open question. The B.A.A. accepts qualifying times only from courses certified by AIMS or the national federation. The organiser's site doesn't say the course is certified, and third-party guides describe it as AIMS-measured. Until you've seen the certificate, treat it as likely, and confirm with the organiser before planning a qualifying attempt here.
Net drop −90 m from this site's course line; 2027 adjustment None. Certification unconfirmed: Organiser doesn't state it; third-party guides say AIMS-measured.
How accurate is the elevation figure?
It comes from LINZ nzdem8m (8 m), sampled every 25 m along the course line and smoothed over 100 m. The raw-to-smoothed ratio here is 1.41. Around 1.3 means the model is reading the ground, not rooftops; above about 2.0 the total climb carries real noise, and the net change is the sturdier number.
0 missing samples · 1 bridge spans corrected.
Sources
Every fact on this page, its source, and the date it was checked · 17
| Fact | Source | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Course line | Third-party GPX, validated against the certified 42.195 km and identified by the race name embedded in the file | 2026-09-19 |
| Elevation | LINZ nzdem8m (8 m) via OpenTopoData, bridges corrected | 2026-09-19 |
| Race-day weather | ERA5 via Open-Meteo archive | 2026-09-19 |
| Course records, entry, start and cut-off times | Queenstown Marathon official site | 2026-09-19 |
| Boston qualifying adjustment | Boston Athletic Association 2026/2027 registration updates | 2026-09-19 |
| Steepest-kilometre place names | OpenStreetMap via Nominatim reverse geocoding (ODbL) | 2026-09-19 |
| Profile validation | Private GPS/barometer track from the 2024 edition, compared under the same method | 2026-09-19 |
| Field size | Organiser, 2025: more than 4,000 registered for the marathon, 13,000 across four distances, 38 % international | 2026-09-21 |
| Race date and entry fee | Organiser site: Saturday 14 November 2026; general entry NZ$277 including fees and GST | 2026-09-21 |
| Race day: start, cut-offs, aid stations, finish | Organiser race-day information, 2026 edition | 2026-09-21 |
| Athlete check-in | Organiser pre-race information: compulsory, in person, Queenstown Events Centre | 2026-09-21 |
| Entry fees by distance | Organiser entry page, 2026 | 2026-09-21 |
| Boston qualifying rules | B.A.A.: certification by AIMS or national federation; 1,500–2,999 ft net drop +5:00, 3,000–5,999 ft +10:00 | 2026-09-21 |
| Course certification | Not stated on the organiser site as of this date; third-party guides describe the course as AIMS-measured. Unconfirmed. | 2026-09-21 |
| Course line vintage | 2024 course file. The 2025 edition bypassed a flooded 500 m of the Lake Hayes Trail at about 11 km; start and finish unchanged. | 2026-09-21 |
| Photography | Unsplash: Peter Luo (hero, aerial), Tonia Kraakman (Lake Hayes), Eddie Lau (Queenstown Bay), Denise Jans (Arrowtown), K Soma (the Remarkables) | 2026-09-21 |
| Start shuttle | Organiser race-day information: event shuttle to the marathon start, NZ$20, from Boundary St car park or Wakatipu High School | 2026-09-21 |
Until the Queenstown Marathon · 14 Nov 2026
— days
— hrs— min— sec
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