South Burnett to Host Rail Trail Relay

Entries are now open for the South Burnett Express Rail Trail Relay to be held on Monday 2nd May. Starting at Kingaroy, teams of between 5 and 8 run legs all the way to Wondai and back. The course is approximately 60km with distances averaging about 5km for each leg. 

The event was first held in 2021 with 8 teams. This year organisers are hoping to attract up to 20 teams from across Queensland. “We want to bring long distance relay events back to Queensland”, says event spokesperson Dan Murray “The South Burnett Rail Trail is perfect as it is well maintained, away from traffic and the scenery provides a real draw card”. 

While there is a competitive angle to the race, the underlying focus is the social side. Teams of all levels go head-to-head but it is all about supporting each other and not taking it too seriously. The local Kingaroy Scouts will also be providing a lunch BBQ for everyone. An all-teams dinner is also scheduled the night before the race at the Kingaroy Carrollee Hotel. 

Event organisers also believe running it on the May Labour Day long weekend provides a great opportunity for visitors to spend a little bit extra time in the region. “We expect a lot of runners to make the journey from Brisbane” says Murray. “When we ran it last year many commented they loved spending the weekend away in Kingaroy and were keen to come back again. We hope our event grows in time and provides a nice boost to the local economy. We want this to become the must do long distance relays in Australia”. 

The event is also backed from sponsorship from Ballistic Beer Co, which is one of Queensland’s largest independent craft breweries. “Ballistic is a real Queensland community-based brand and to have them onboard as our major sponsor is fantastic” adds Murray “They will also be entering a staff team, providing beer pack prizes as well as tastings at the end of the race” 

For more information or to register please visit www.southburnettexpress.run 

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