Rotorua Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Red Stag Rotorua Marathon is a road marathon around Lake Rotorua in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty, first run in 1965 and billed as the country's oldest major marathon. It is organised by Athletics New Zealand with Red Stag Timber as naming partner, and is held on a Saturday in early May. The marathon is a single lap of the lake with a gently rolling profile and about 270 m of total climbing, on a course certified by World Athletics and AIMS. Since 1977 the lap has run clockwise; from 2027 it runs anti-clockwise, the direction of the first race in 1965, and the organisers say this puts runners closer to the water with longer views of the lake and Mokoia Island. In 2027 the whole event is based at the Rotorua lakefront, with the start and finish around the event village outside the Novotel Rotorua Lakeside. The same day has a half marathon starting at Hamurana Springs, a 10 km starting at Te Puia, a 5 km, and a Kids Mini Marathon the day before. The marathon has personalised drink-bottle stations along the course, and official timing for all events closes at 5 pm on race day. Around 6,000 runners and walkers take part across all distances each year.