Best Marathons in ANZ for a PB!
The best Marathons to clock your PB in Australia & New Zealand in 2025 have been revealed. Gold Coast Marathon ranked #1 in new data-driven study to determine the best marathon to achieve your PB in Australia and New Zealand in the 2025 season. The independent ranking of 28 major marathons has revealed the top courses for runners chasing personal bests in 2025, with the Gold Coast Marathon crowned the fastest and flattest overall.
The just-released ‘Hill Haters’ Guide’ scores every race on six performance factors that matter most to PB hunters: elevation gain (25%), temperature (20%), humidity (20%), historical fastest times (20%), altitude (5%), and popularity indicators (participants and Instagram mentions, 10%). The Gold Coast Marathon took the #1 spot with an overall score of 79/100, thanks to its near-pancake-flat profile (just 62 m elevation gain) and cool July average temperature of 18 °C.
Top 5 Marathons for Personal Bests in Australia & New Zealand 2025
1. Gold Coast Marathon
2. Christchurch Marathon
3. Wellington Marathon
4. Melbourne Marathon
5. Perth Marathon
Full data set available here: https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/26197859/
Running’s boom in recent years has turned marathon weekends into much more than just a race. Atlas Events Group are responsible for organising 4 key marathons across Australia, and as their CEO Mark LaForest observes, “Running has surged in the past few years as seen in growth of participation in run clubs and in our Atlas Events’ Marathon Festivals. People are chasing a healthy lifestyle and a sense of achievement while travelling with friends and family to special destinations. The excitement of lining up at the start line gives participants and their support crew immense enjoyment. They explore new places and connect with like-minded people.”
That shift has formed the typical race trip. SIXT Senior Marketing Manager Henry Carmichael explains: “Today, across Australia and New Zealand many are seeing marathons as the centre piece to a broader holiday or trip. More people than ever are turning race weekends into runcations – and rental cars are the key that unlocks the moment they cross the finish line.”
The complete 28-race ranking and methodology can be viewed in SIXT Australia’s website here.
