Preparation guide · TCS Sydney Marathon
Sydney Marathon 2027: how to run it, aid stations and keys
The next edition is on Sunday 29 August 2027 (provisional date: the organisers haven't confirmed it yet; in 2026 it was held on 30 August. Start time is indicative), starting in Sydney (Australia) at 6:30. Here you have the Sydney Marathon route, split times for your target, what's at each aid station, how many gels to carry and the usual weather.
Sydney Marathon: route and profile
Official website: 313 m of climbing.
The course, section by section
| Section | Length | What it's like and how to run it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. North Sydney and the Harbour Bridge km 0 | 5 km | Start in North Sydney and across the Harbour Bridge into the centre, climbing onto the bridge and down into The Rocks. The bridge is thrilling: don't go off too hard. Climb by effort and let your pace settle on the way down. |
| 2. City centre and Pyrmont km 5 | 10 km | Central streets, Barangaroo and Pyrmont, with turns, short rises and tunnels: the GPS drifts. By feel or heart rate, not pace: many turns break your stride. First gel around km 8–10. |
| 3. East: Moore Park and Centennial Park km 15 | 15 km | The longest, most rolling section, along avenues and parks to the east, with fewer spectators. This is where most of the climbing is: same effort on the climbs and relax on the descents. A gel every 30–40 minutes. |
| 4. Back to the centre km 30 | 10 km | Back towards the centre and the harbour, with a few hills in the marathon's toughest kilometres. Go station to station and watch your form on the descents: your quads are already loaded. |
| 5. Finish at the Opera House km 40 | 2.2 km | Final metres beside the harbour, finishing in front of the Sydney Opera House. Whatever you have left, here. Enjoy it: it's one of the most beautiful finishes of the majors. |
Route keys
- With 313 m of climbing it isn't flat: it has real hills for a major marathon, and the Harbour Bridge and the city streets don't allow an even pace. Better by feel or heart rate than by pace.
- The organisers provide water, electrolytes and gels at stations along the route, but without verified kilometres in the information we have. Check the official 2026 map and mark your points.
- In late August it's winter in Sydney: cool mornings (sometimes 8–12 ºC) and little heat. Throwaway clothes at the start, then run.
- As in any marathon with bridges, wind and GPS drift: go by the markers at each kilometre.
2 more keys in WinWatts: with the forecast for the days before, the wind and heat, and your split times at your pace.
Split times
At an even pace (we haven't loaded the official track yet, so climbs and descents aren't adjusted: use it as a reference), with the clock time counted from the 06:30 gun. If you start from a later corral or wave, add the time it takes you to cross the start. Write yours down or wear them on a pace band: watch GPS usually reads long.
| Point | 3 h | 3 h 30 | 4 h | 4 h 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average pace | 4:16 /km | 4:59 /km | 5:41 /km | 6:24 /km |
| km 5 | 0:21:20 6:51 | 0:24:53 6:54 | 0:28:26 6:58 | 0:32:00 7:02 |
| km 10 | 0:42:40 7:12 | 0:49:46 7:19 | 0:56:53 7:26 | 1:03:59 7:33 |
| km 15 | 1:03:59 7:33 | 1:14:39 7:44 | 1:25:19 7:55 | 1:35:59 8:05 |
| km 20 | 1:25:19 7:55 | 1:39:32 8:09 | 1:53:45 8:23 | 2:07:59 8:37 |
| Halfway | 1:30:00 8:00 | 1:45:00 8:15 | 2:00:00 8:30 | 2:15:00 8:45 |
| km 25 | 1:46:39 8:16 | 2:04:25 8:34 | 2:22:12 8:52 | 2:39:58 9:09 |
| km 30 | 2:07:59 8:37 | 2:29:18 8:59 | 2:50:38 9:20 | 3:11:58 9:41 |
| km 35 | 2:29:18 8:59 | 2:54:11 9:24 | 3:19:05 9:49 | 3:43:58 10:13 |
| km 40 | 2:50:38 9:20 | 3:19:05 9:49 | 3:47:31 10:17 | 4:15:57 10:45 |
| Finish | 3:00:00 9:30 | 3:30:00 10:00 | 4:00:00 10:30 | 4:30:00 11:00 |
Aid stations: what's there and how much to drink
For a typical runner finishing in about 3 h 30: sip without stopping and take each gel just before an aid station, to wash it down with water.
The official website lists stations with water, electrolytes and gels along the course, marked on the official 2026 map. There are no verified kilometres for each station and we don't invent them: check the map before the race.
How many gels and how much to drink
What a typical runner (68 kg) needs depending on their time, with 35 g gels. When running the stomach tolerates less than on the bike: more than 60 g of carbs per hour only if you've trained it. Gels alone don't reach that figure (the first one comes around 45 minutes and none are due in the last half hour): the rest comes from drinking sports drink instead of water at a few aid stations.
| Time | Carbs per hour | Gels | Total drink | Sodium per hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 h | 60 g/h | 4 × 35 g | 1.5 l | 300 mg/h |
| 3 h 30 | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 1.8 l | 300 mg/h |
| 4 h | 60 g/h | 5 × 35 g | 2.0 l | 300 mg/h |
| 4 h 30 | 60 g/h | 6 × 35 g | 2.2 l | 300 mg/h |
Nothing new on race day: gels, breakfast, shoes and socks, all tested on your long runs. Vaseline on your feet, groin and armpits, and protect your nipples. If it's cold at the start, wait in your corral in old clothes you can throw away.
Sydney Marathon: weather in late August
What the weather was like during the race (from the start to the finish of a 3:30 runner) in recent editions:
| Year | Low | High | Rain | Max wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 8 ºC | 15 ºC | 0.0 mm | 7 km/h |
| 2023 | 8 ºC | 16 ºC | 0.0 mm | 9 km/h |
| 2024 | 14 ºC | 21 ºC | 0.0 mm | 16 km/h |
| 2025 | 7 ºC | 15 ºC | 0.0 mm | 12 km/h |
When running, heat slows you down: allow roughly 2 % more time for every 5 ºC above 12 ºC.
Your Sydney Marathon, tailored to you
This guide uses a typical runner. In WinWatts we calculate it with your data:
- Your time, your pace and your split times from your threshold pace and the expected heat.
- The race-day forecast, and what to wear at the start and during the race.
- How much to drink at each aid station and where to take each gel, with your own gels.
- Your training plan until Sunday 29 August 2027, adjusted every week to how you're doing.
WinWatts is not affiliated with the organisers of the Sydney Marathon. Dates, routes, schedules and registration: official website. Official website (climbing and aid stations, no kilometres); track not loaded yet (split times at an even pace); weather from past editions (Open-Meteo). For guidance only: it doesn't replace advice from a health professional.