The Spectacle
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The Spectacle
The Spectacle is a multi-day road and trail running festival in Whakatū - Nelson on 4–5 December 2026. The programme combines city road races, relays and trail races that use urban streets, single track, unformed track and forestry roads. Registration and an expo take place at the Rutherford Hotel and the event programme runs across Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Road events include a Mile on a flat, fast course through the heart of Whakatū - Nelson, a 5 km race run as seven laps through the city, and several relay formats that run on city streets. Road race options listed for the Mile and 5 km include open, junior and walker categories and an AWD Mile for athletes with a disability. Relay formats include corporate, open and school relays with lap lengths provided.
Trail events range from shorter trail outings to ultra distances. Course descriptions note single track, forestry roads and significant elevation on the longer distances. The programme includes an Elite Mile that features international and national champions, Olympians and World Championship representatives. The schedule also lists prizegivings and community concerts as part of the event weekend.
Distances and formats include Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
- Mile
- 5 km
- Relay formats
- 10 km trail
- 10 km relay
- 22 km
- 50 km
- 100 km
- 100 mile