Half marathon a sell-out as Queenstown Marathon returns

With three months left to go until the return of the Queenstown Marathon, organisers have today announced that the ever popular half-marathon race has sold out.

The event is set to return to the town’s trails this November for the first time since 2020 after Covid forced its cancellation last year.

Race director Keegan McCauley reckons the Queenstown event is one of the most scenic marathons in the world.

“The destination coupled with the unrivalled athlete experience continues to make the Queenstown Marathon an event runners and walkers want to be a part of.

“The fact that the half marathon has sold out every year since the Queenstown Marathon’s inception in 2014 is testament to that.

“We can’t wait to welcome back thousands of athletes.”

All courses are relatively flat, and mostly on hard-packed trails, allowing competitors to travel through open countryside with mountain vistas and alongside the Shotover River and Lakes Hayes and Whakatipu, before finishing in the downtown.

Limited spaces remain on the 42-kilometre marathon course, and the 10-kilometre run, but would-be competitors are being advised to get in quick.

“The way entries are tracking we anticipate spaces for the marathon and 10 kilometre won’t stay open for much longer, so make sure you get your registration in quickly to confirm your spot on the start line,” Mr McCauley says.

The return of the Queenstown Marathon will provide a much-needed influx of athletes along with their friends and family to the region and a welcome boost to local business. In previous years, the weekend of the Queenstown Marathon has seen $10 million injected into the local economy. 

Keen to give it a go? Enter online for the marathon, 10 kilometre run, or Kids Run at the 2022 Queenstown Marathon.