townsville-running-festival

Thank you Tourism and Events Queensland

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 07:13:03 GMT

Thank you Tourism and Events Queensland for your contribution to the McDonald's Townsville Running Festival

Without the support of the Queensland Government through the Tourism and Events Queensland’s Destination Events Program, this event wouldn't be able to showcase the unique connection between our state’s vibrant communities and the diverse regions they call home.

Events like the The McDonald’s Townsville Running Festival bring people together, celebrate local culture and contribute significantly to the community’s pride and economy.

Because of the thriving Queensland Destination Events Program participants and spectators are encourage to explore all that the North Queensland Region has to offer—whether it’s its scenic beauty, local flavors, or the warm hospitality that makes this part of Queensland so special.

Townsville Marathon 10 Year Club

info@adventurethon.com.au (Joel Savage) — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 08:42:02 GMT

Townsville Marathon 10 year Club

(Picture above shows the 10year Club TSV Airport Marathon runners from 2021 McDonalds Townsville Run Festival)

The group of people in the below table have shown dedication to returning multiple years to the Townsville Marathon and have completed 10+ Townsville Marathons or are on their way to that number.

Look through the list of names and you will see some of the Townsville Marathons running history and amazing people from around the country.

this list is not about speed, this is about commitment and personal challenge year after year...if it was easy everyone would do it.

Share some of our history and you never know, you may be able to get your name up here one day?

This list is constantly being updated and is something people can aspire to achieve one day.

you don't have to be fast, you just have to keep showing up!

Become a FUNDRAISING SUPERSTAR!

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 11:06:33 GMT

Your Ronald McDonald House Charities North Australia Fundraising Guide

A Guide to Setting and Achieving Running Goals!

hello@townsvillerunningfestival.com (Michelle Adventurethon) — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 01:53:21 GMT

Elevate Your Active Journey this year: A Guide to Setting and Achieving Running Goals at The McDonald's Townsville Running Festival.

As we stand on the cusp of a new year, the opportunity to reflect and set goals for the upcoming months is upon us. For those considering embracing an active lifestyle. The McDonald's Townsville Running Festival offers an ideal platform to challenge oneself and find joy in the world of running. This guide will help you navigate the process of goal setting, drawing inspiration from the festival's unique atmosphere and diverse range of events, set against the scenic backdrop of the roads along the Strand and Pallarenda beaches in Townsville North Queensland.

Define Your Purpose: Before delving into your running goals for The McDonald's Townsville Running Festival, take a moment to reflect on your purpose. Clarify why you run and what you hope to achieve during this exhilarating event.

Setting SMART Goals: In the spirit of The McDonald's Townsville Running Festival, where runners of all levels converge, embrace SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). Whether you're a seasoned marathoner or a beginner, let your goals be a source of motivation and personal growth.

Gradual Progression: Just as the festival offers various races and stunning coastal views, ensure your objectives foster a sense of accomplishment without compromising your well-being.

Example - The Audacious Marathon Goal: Consider someone transitioning from a 5K to a marathon at The McDonald's Townsville Running Festival in August, set along the roads next to the Strand and Pallarenda beach. Instead of attempting the marathon unprepared, steadily build your weekly long run and relish the mental benefits of steady improvement.

Breaking Down the Goal: Main Goal: Complete a 42.2km run at The McDonald's Townsville Running Festival on August 4th

Weekly Goals:

Run 3 times per week under the guidance of a run coach or program
Designate Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings for runs
Use weekends for longer runs to progress distance each week or fortnight
Incorporate 5-10 minutes of stretching after each run

Lead-in Events: Consider additional events in the lead up as mini-checkpoints to gauge progress and maintain motivation.

Example:

Jan- run 5km event
Feb- run 8-10km event
March- run 12 km event
May-run 16km event
July- run 20km event

(Progress as needed for goal event)

Example - The Weight Loss Goal: In tandem with running goals, some people may set a weight loss objective. Main Goal: Achieve a 10-30kg weight loss (examples only not needed or recommended for all)

Weekly Goals:

Maintain a calorie deficit and consume healthy, low-calorie-density foods
Exercise 5 days per week, including 3 runs and 2 gym sessions
Prepare a series of meals for the week to support healthy eating
Conduct weekly/monthly weigh-ins or body fat tests etc to track progress

Involving Others and Personality Types: Accountability plays a crucial role in goal achievement. Whether it's friends, family, coaches, or other trainers, sharing your goals with others can boost motivation and commitment.

Basic Progression Rules: Adhere to the approximate rule of no more than a 10% improvement per week to mitigate the risk of injury. Ensure sufficient recovery time for muscles, tendons, and the central nervous system.

Long-Term Sustainable Approach: Success indicators, such as time or distance goals, should align with your overarching objectives. Don't embark on this journey alone—having accountability partners ensures mutual support and encouragement.

Conclusion: As you prepare for The McDonald's Townsville Running Festival, let the setting and achieving of meaningful running goals enhance your overall experience. Enjoy the journey, celebrate your achievements, and relish the unique atmosphere of the festival along the scenic roads by the Strand and Pallarenda beaches in Townsville North Queensland. See you at the starting line, ready to conquer your goals on August 4th, 2024!

We have a number of Free training guides and plans on our website:

From the Couch to your first 5km
From 5km to your first 10km
From 10km to your first Half Marathon (21.1km)
From Half Marathon to your First Marathon (42.2km)

Always Consult your doctor or health professional when starting a new health program, you need to consider your individual medical conditions and injuries when setting a goal.

Article By Joel Savage

Your yearly plan in just 5 steps!

hello@townsvillerunningfestival.com (Michelle Adventurethon) — Wed, 29 Nov 2023 22:28:39 GMT

Goal setting is an important part of your yearly planning and part of that process is writing a yearly plan to ensure your success. Use these helpful steps below to guide you:

5 steps to build your season:

1. While it's important to have goals in your training season, it's important to be clear about your expectations. An easy way to do this is to keep your approach to this simple yet very clear.

2. In the first step you identified your expectations. The next step is to plan your goals/races that will create your path to these events. An important thing to remember here is choose your main event/goal and around this you should include some more relaxed events/goals to compliment your main event/goal.

3. Understanding the demands of your goals is unique to each runner. Try not to focus too much on the difficult aspects of your event and look at it in the bigger picture in terms of how to train. To do this you will need to split your training season in to parts by looking at your events/goals as a whole and plan your training sessions accordingly. These will change and evolve over the year as you move closer to your main event/goal.

4. While thinking about the events/goals you listed in step 2, list the skills you need and when to develop them. It's important to remain objective here! Work hard on the skills you lack while still maintaing the strengths you already have.

5. Once you have followed the previous four steps, your season goals and training targets should be very detailed and clear. Now it's time to plan your training phases. In this last step you now want to set time frames for every part of your training, this includes your base training, peaking, tapering, racing and recovery periods. This step will require some training knowledge and will be specific to each runner.

Thank you to Sidney Willis, Founder and Coach at Hungry Runner for sharing this information. Please visit the Hungry website for the full article.

Wheelchair Athletes Information

Tue, 25 Jul 2023 09:12:31 GMT

Important information for wheelchair athletes

Lead up to race day:

Race Bib

You must pick up your race bib (race number), which is in your race pack, from the Jezzine Barracks Race precinct between 11am and 4pm on Saturday, 3rd August, 2024 (the day before the event).

It is compulsory to wear your race number on the front of your shirt in your race. A timing device is attached to your number. You should check your bib on a timing screen at registration on Saturday.

Attach your race number with pins provided – do not fold, bend or wrinkle your race number. For identification purposes, and ease of locating your photographs post event, wear your race number facing forward. We urge you to complete the medical details on the rear of your race number. Race bib colours are coded by race distance. You are entitled to keep your race number and timing tag as a souvenir. Remember no race number means no race time.

Race Briefing

Race briefings will be conducted on registration day, Saturday 3rd August 2024. Join our Event and Race Directors between 12pm and 2pm at Race HQ on Saturday to get the low down on your race course, view course maps and ask any questions you may have about the courses.

Rac e gear preparation

Before arriving on race day please ensure your race chair is in sound working order - you must pre-inspect for your safety as well as that of others. It is advisable that a final check is made on race day after transportation to the event precinct. Ideally your support crew should bring any spares/repair kit that may be needed for repairs during the race.

The Marathon start is pre-dawn so some suitable form of front and rear lighting (e.g. cycle lights) is strongly recommended for safety reasons. Although sections of the course to be negotiated in the dark are lit, the available lighting is poor in places. For better vision of small details on course it may be advisable to include a head torch as part of your kit.

Race day:

Chair drop off

Day chairs may be left at the HQ area pop your name on the provided tags. A nominated person may collect the chair for you after the race.

Start line

Start lines/areas can create several risks to both wheelies and able-bodied competitors. Please ensure you can be seen getting to your start area. It is ok to have another athlete or helper get you to the start line.

Start zones can be chaotic due to the large numbers of participants moving as one. The race start is slightly uphill so be aware of your starting area and its relationship to the potentially fast-moving group of athletes nearby. The group should thin out within the first couple of kilometres, but clear communication with athletes ahead and behind will be the key to a safe race.

Please allow a safe spacing between you and other competitors when overtaking and when navigating turns.

There are a number of 180 and 90 degree turns on the course which will provide varying degrees of difficulty for chair athletes/chair types. In particular, the 180ᵒ turns at the Casino end of the city loop, and the marathon turn at Pallarenda, are quite narrow/tight turns. Similarly, the 90ᵒ turn from Sir Leslie Theiss Dr into the Strand has a narrow passageway between median strips.

Surface changes and curbs are present throughout the Marathon course but almost all curbs/median strips are easily avoided. There is a median strip to be negotiated as you pass the end of Lower Wickham St along the Strand.

The final 63 m of the course is grass. There is a curb (with ramp) to be negotiated to enter the grassy finish straight so ensure you are ready to successfully negotiate the curb and blast downhill to the finish and rapturous applause.

All general information about the McDonald’s Townsville Running Festival can be found in the Competitor Handbook which is available on the website.

We strongly encourage all competitors to familiarise themselves with the contents of that booklet so they are fully informed about the lead in to, and race day, logistics.

Course maps can also be viewed in a number of different formats on the website.

Hill training for running performance

hello@townsvillerunningfestival.com (Michelle Adventurethon) — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 08:44:03 GMT

Hill running is a fantastic way to help develop improved running economy and stiffness at the joints, for someone who is new to running doing too many hills can put too much strain on the muscle fibres and connective tissues and on the Achilles tendon.

While there is not a fantastic body of literature with hill running and performance there has been plenty of practical results with incorporating hill running into training. In the early 1960’s a large amount of New Zealand athletes were winning Olympic medals for middle distance running, what changed? Arthur Lydiard had his athletes training more like marathon runners, instead of the classic (at the time) training regime that consisted mostly of interval training. Another important difference was the implementation of hill running, Arthur believed hill sessions to also be key.

Running rolling hills helps the body adapt to greater stress with the changing of cadence and stride lengths, which also improved running economy and reactive power.

Tips For Hill Running:

1. Ensure you have a fair amount of running Km’s in the body before moving into including hill running into your training regime.

2. Don’t lean too far forwards when running uphill. Overly tilted forward body posture can move the pelvis into a posterior tilt where the gluteal muscle group (a major force production muscle) does not work efficiently and can stress the low back.

3. Use your arms. Normally the casual endurance athlete has a very relaxed arm swing, compared to the sprint athletes who actively swing their arms, active arm swing is a good way to help generate force at the legs through the stretch shortening cycle, so while climbing those hills and you need a little extra power going up those hills, powerful downward arm swing can help.

4. Cadence, the longer the foot is in contact with the ground the greater eccentric forces the legs experience which in turn leads to greater muscle fatigued and inefficient strides. Using cadence to reduce your contact time and improve muscle efficiency is a great way to help get you over the hill and powering through the run.

Whilst hill running is a fantastic way to help develop improved running economy and stiffness at the joints, for someone who is new to running doing too many hills can put too much strain on the muscle fibres and connective tissues and on the Achilles tendon. Most common causes of running injuries are related to incorrect loading of training, so before incorporating a hill run every week in your initial program, ask the advice of either a running coach or health professional.

Thank you to the team at The Physio Movement for sharing this information.

Thank You

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 04:10:07 GMT

Townsville City Council's contribution to the McDonald's Townsville Running Festival

The McDonald's Townsville Running Festival would like to thank the Townsville City Council for their ongoing support within the Community Grants Program. The Council's two core social priorities consists of: Developing healthy and active lifestyles in the Townsville area and creating local spend opportunities in Townsville, prioritising the use of local subcontractors and staff for the Townsville economy. Secondary benefit is creating tourism and income opportunities for Townsville in the form of visitors accommodation, local spend at restaurants, cafes and in shops.

The McDonald's Townsville Running Festival exhibits all of the above social principles as a family oriented running festival catering for elites through to beginner runners and walkers. It promotes a healthy lifestyle, family participation and delivers education on a healthy lifestyle through training plans, expert tips on recovery/injuries and motivational information. Beginner runners to elite and school kids are able to join regular training runs and sessions through Townsville Road Runners which ultimately promotes running in Townsville.

This great festival promotes Townsville as the premier running destination in the North of Queensland with the famous Strand and Pallarenda beaches featuring in it's courses. It is also immersed in running history as the 2nd oldest consecutive running marathon in Australia starting in 1972.

From 10km to Half Marathon (21.1km)

Mon, 30 May 2022 05:03:45 GMT

A simple approach to running a longer distance

For many runners, particularly the younger ones, the 10km is at pinnacle of their distance goals. However, at some point you will ask yourself, is it time to step outside my comfort zone? I use the word comfort in a relative sense here because a 10km run can hurt like hell but remains within your comfort zone in terms of achievable distance. At some point when you are feeling fit and brave you will wonder about the idea of stepping up to the next traditional mark, the Half Marathon or 21.1km. Now is the ideal time to take the challenge and see how you go.

Here we provide you with some simple steps to raise your bar. These steps towards the half will also help you improve your 10km performances so provide valuable assistance even if you don't fancy trying a longer distance.

First, here are some basic dos and don’ts:

Build your distance gradually – being patient will help avoid injury
Take rest days – rest is important for muscle recovery
Cross train (Xtrain)– helps keep training fun and more interesting
Stretch – helps avoid injury
Set achievable goals – helps maintain motivation
Print your training plan and stick it on the FRIDGE DOOR

Training schedule

This is a schedule that should suit a less experienced 10km runner to expand their distance repertoire. It will not suit everyone, some will have the time to train more often, others will have less time. You should adapt this model to suit your starting level and available time and don’t neglect your REST days. Feel free to adjust distances, change sequence of exercise, etc, but do try and maintain the base level of exercise per week.

If you find this model too much initially, then ease back a little and spread the program over more weeks (race day is not until August 4th).

If you have the time and your body is not feeling too tired or stressed you can occasionally exchange one rest day for a Xtrain or an easy run, but remain aware that you need the rest to recover well and gain most benefit from your training. Xtrain can be any form of training (eg swimming and cycling are good) at a moderate level for 30 – 40 minutes.

Remember this training schedule won’t be suitable for everyone but should be appropriate for anyone that can run-walk 10km or walk 10km briskly, already. You can always reduce distances and times to suit your starting point, just remember not to increase your levels too rapidly. Be patient and repeat weeks if you are really struggling.

There are many 10-21.1km training plans on the Internet so an alternative approach is to find one that seems to suit your situation. Just be careful that some of those plans will be aimed at fit individuals that have been running for a long time and others may be compiled by less experienced people with poor understanding of safe training approaches. One good source of reliable information is the Running Channel ( HERE ). They have a 10-21.1 km training video ( HERE ) as well as many helpful, interesting and motivational videos and resources.

Easy Couch to 5km Training Plan

Mon, 30 May 2022 05:03:40 GMT

From Couch to 5km - Training Plan

How do I get to a point where I can run 5km well? Well, I think we can help. All it will take is a little discipline with your training if you follow our easy program.

Here we deliver a 6 week program, but there is no shame in taking longer to achieve your 5km goal. The McDonald's Townsville Running Festival is coming up on the 4th August 2024 so our plan is a great place to start building your confidence ahead of the festival.

If this plan seems a little easy for you then it is ok to progress at a faster rate but you need to be cautious of getting injured if you haven't been running/walking in recent weeks. Confident you can already run 5km? Then go check out our 5km to 10km training plan and see how you go. Muscle soreness is normal when you first start running but you should seek medical advise if it becomes painful to run (a great reason to be patient and stick to the program without rushing ahead).

The most important thing to remember is that there is no compulsion to run the whole 5km in any race. Walking is perfectly ok. Walking is a great way to complete your 5km challenge if you can't run all the way. The achievement of completing the challenge is just as sweet.

From Couch to Marathon

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 04:27:04 GMT

Part 1 – Couch to 5km

Yes, this is a huge step if you haven’t run before, but it only requires you to have the desire to achieve that goal. Desire is what drives us towards success in achieving our goals. Yes, a marathon is a dauntingly large goal if we think about it in its entirety. Fortunately it is also easy to break it down into some more manageable smaller goals that ultimately lead to the successful day.

Many first-time marathon runners have taken up the challenge despite having no, or little, previous running experience. All they start with is a desire to claim marathon bragging rites and a sound training plan. You have until August 2024, plenty of time to get into marathon shape, you just need to be brave and let yourself acknowledge how awesome it would be to complete a marathon. Townsville has a flat, seaside course that is ideal for your first Marathon, you know you would like to try, and we are here to help with a fantastic set of training guides.

First, a word of warning. If you have any doubts about your health and ability to undertake this challenge you should seek advice from your medical professional before commencing any training. There are a multitude of training plans available on the internet, and plenty of coaches that can assist both virtually and in person, so you need to consider what the best approach (most likely chance of success) will be for you. If you need the ‘push’ of personal interactions to keep you motivated to train then perhaps a coach is best, or you could convince one of your mates to train and compete with you. Whatever approach you take remember that there is no single correct pathway to success, you need to continually reassess your path to ensure you are getting what you need to achieve your goal.

Traditionally the first step towards a marathon for an inexperienced runner would be working towards completing a 5 km run. If you can already do this, then you are well on the way to success. We see no reason to break from tradition and will make the 5 km mark our initial important goal. Remember, the training plan presented here is just a guide and may not suit your time availabilities, family commitments, etc. but don’t give up, a quick internet search should uncover a more appropriate option for your particular situation.

Couch to 5 km

This first step may appear ‘big’ to some of you, don’t let that become a concern because with a little thought this step can be broken down to smaller chunks, chunks that suit your requirements such as aiming to complete each week to start with. We are sure you will get beyond those intermediate goals quickly though if you are committed to train.

Interval training, mixing up the pace you move (e.g. mixing running & walking), is the underlying process in this stage. Using a mixture of running and walking, or changing the effort of your running components, is a great way to condition heart and lungs to the joy of running.

Running/walking speed is not important, only you can judge a speed that you can maintain for the required time. Please remember:

You should warm up with a 5 minute walk before commencing each session.
Always take your rest days – they are very important for recovery from your training.
It is ok to miss a session, or spend an extra week at the same level, if you are struggling.
It is ok to start at any level in this program if you feel you have the fitness to do so.
Do not get upset if you have a poor training session. Every day you will feel a bit different and we can’t all be at the top of our game every day. Just put the poor session behind, remind yourself where you have already come from, perhaps repeat the session (or all week) and move on.

Cross training (Xtrain) is about building muscle endurance and strength so don’t neglect it. Ideally you should do 3 Xtrain sessions per week. Xtrain can be almost any type of exercise you like and may include swimming, cycling, gym classes, etc.

Once you have a 5 km run under your belt, stop and congratulate yourself, this is an achievement to be proud of. Now you are a 5 km runner you should be ready for the next step in your quest for Marathon glory.

5 km (parkrun) to 10 km

Many of you will already be familiar with parkrun, a great place to meet and run with likeminded people, but you might also consider joining Townsville Road Runners (TRR) now you have mastered your 5 km efforts. TRR hold weekly runs that would be ideal training for the 5 – 10 km step up, there is a club coach, and there are plenty friendly runners willing to help guide and assist you to move toward your training goals.

Down to business though, and the McDonalds Townsville Running Festival website has your next step covered with an excellent 5 km to 10 km training plan and training suggestions. There is a downloadable version of that training plan here: https://townsvillerunningfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Training-Schedule-Parkrun-5km-to-10km.pdf

Completion of the 5 – 10 km plan will see you 25% of the way to your goal and you can then take on the 10km to Half Marathon Program.

Giving yourself as much time as possible to repeat programs and progress distances.

From parkrun (5 km) to 10 km

Sun, 02 May 2021 04:33:43 GMT

A simple approach to running a longer distance

Yes, some of us struggle at 5 km, and some blast through to the end, but in both cases it is possible to expand your current limits to the next traditional mark, 10 km.

Here we provide you with some simple steps to raise your bar. These steps will also help you improve your 5 km performances so provide valuable assistance even if you don’t fancy trying a longer distance.

First, here are some basic dos and don’ts:

Build your distance gradually – being patient will help avoid injury
Take rest days – rest is important for muscle recovery
Cross train (Xtrain)– helps keep training fun and more interesting
Stretch – helps avoid injury
Set achievable goals – helps maintain motivation
Print your training plan and stick it on the FRIDGE DOOR

Training schedule

This is a schedule that should suit a less experienced 5 km runner/walker to move towards completion of a 10 km run. It will not suit everyone, some will have the time to train more often, others will have less time. You should adapt this model to suit your starting level and available time and don’t neglect your REST days. Feel free to adjust distances, change sequence of exercise, etc, but do try and maintain the base level of exercise per week.

If you find this model too much initially, then ease back a little and spread the program over more weeks (race day is not until August 4th).

If you have the time and your body is not feeling too tired or stressed you can exchange one rest day for a Xtrain or an easy run. Xtrain can be any form of training (eg swimming and cycling are good) at a moderate level for 30 – 40 minutes.

Remember this training schedule won’t be suitable for everyone but should be appropriate for anyone that can run 5 km or walk 5 km briskly, already. You can always reduce distances and times to suit your starting point, just remember not to increase your levels too rapidly. Be patient and repeat weeks if you are really struggling.

There are many 5-10 km training plans on the internet so an alternative approach is to find one that seems to suit your situation. Just be careful that some of those plans will be aimed at fit individuals that have been running for a long time and others may be compiled by less experienced people poor understanding of safe training approaches. One good source of reliable information is the Running Channel ( HERE ). They have a 5 – 10 km training video ( HERE ) as well as many helpful, interesting and motivational videos and resources.