Rainbow Beach Trail Festival
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About the race
The Rainbow Beach Trail Festival is a trail-running event held at Rainbow Beach and based at Phil Rogers Park. The festival includes three race distances:
- Marathon
- Half Marathon (21.1 km)
- 11 km
The course passes through the Cooloola Coast sand cliffs and along the Coral Sea, combining single track, fire roads and beach sections. Runners encounter lush forests, perched lakes, rising sand dunes and a historic lighthouse. The course is marked with reflective orange and silver flagging tape, red directional arrows and red crosses to indicate wrong turns; additional signs indicate upcoming turns. The organiser notes the course may change due to bush fires, flooding or harvesting.
Checkpoints 1, 3 and 5 provide water, electrolyte, lollies, fruit and small snacks but no cups. Checkpoints 2 and 4 provide minimal water only. The event operates a no disposable cup policy. There are no drop bags and no support crews allowed on course; support crews may be at the start/finish area only. Spectators can view runners at the start/finish location in Phil Rogers Park.
Entry is by pre-registration only with no entries on the day. Minimum ages apply: 12 for 11 km, 15 for half marathon and 18 for marathon. Refunds are available until 17 July 2027 with a $30 administration charge; transfers are not permitted. All finishers receive an event memento.
Mandatory gear includes a mobile phone, race bib, course map, water container (minimum 1.5 L for marathon; 500 ml for half and 11 km) and a compression bandage. Recommended items include sunscreen, insect repellent, bite and sting treatment, wet weather jacket and maps. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
