Ballarat Marathon named host of inaugural Australian Road Mile Championships

Running Warehouse Ballarat Marathon has been named host of the inaugural Australian Road Mile Championships which is anticipated to attract some of Australia’s best middle distance runners.

The Championships will be held on the evening of Saturday 26th April on a spectacular course in Ballarat’s CBD, with the world’s best preserved gold rush-era streetscape as the backdrop.

The races will cap off the Ballarat Marathon’s opening day program, which also features elite races over 5km along with mass-participation races over both one mile and 5km.

Athletics Australia Board Member and Ballarat Marathon Race Director, Steve Moneghetti enthused “we are delighted to be hosting the first Australian Road Mile Championships. It is our aim to build a world-class event that elevates the profile of road running over a range of distances and also celebrates my beautiful home town of Ballarat. Hosting the Championships is a big step along this journey.

“Our mile races were a brilliant part of the inaugural Ballarat Marathon program earlier this year, and this elevates the races to another level. We can’t wait to see some of our best runners blaze their way through the streets in April.”

Athletics Australia Chief Executive, Simon Hollingsworth added “Ballarat has a proud legacy in Australian athletics, highlighted by icons like Steve Moneghetti as well as the iconic Ballarat Marathon, and makes a natural fit to host the inaugural Australian Road Mile Championship as part of next year’s event.

“The addition of the Championships adds to the city’s rich running tradition and provides an exciting platform to showcase the best middle distance road talent in the country.”

The first Ballarat Marathon, held across the last weekend of April, drew almost 5000 participants onto the streets of Ballarat and generated an economic impact for the city’s economy of more than $5million.

Registrations are tracking very strongly for the 2025 event, which will be held across the weekend of 26th and 27th April.

The 5km and mile races will be held on Saturday 26th April.

The Sunday program, on 27th April, includes the Running Warehouse Marathon, Federation University Half Marathon and City of Ballarat 10km.

Image. Credit: Ballarat Marathon