Christchurch Marathon course expands as record runner numbers surge

Author: NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2026, 4:25pm

The Christchurch Marathon is getting a rejig for 2027 as more runners lace up for the famously flat and fast course.

The 42.2km marathon, previously run over four laps around the central city, will change to a two-lap course, extending further east into the red zone.

It comes as participation in the marathon has more than doubled in three years.

Christchurch Marathon 2026. Photo / James Foy Natural Light Photography

Marathon director Chris Cox said that with more than 10,000 runners expected at next year’s event, they had to do something about congestion.

He says the extension will take half and full marathon runners across Fitzgerald Ave, through the Red Zone to Kerrs Reach and back along the river to link with the old course.

This year’s marathon in April was the biggest to date, with a record 8479 participants across all race categories and a projected $3 million boost to the local economy.

The Christchurch Marathon created a projected $3 million boost to the local economy in 2026.

Last year alone, it generated $2,088,901 in visitor spending, underlining its growing economic impact.

The marathon also continues to draw an increasingly global crowd.

This year’s event featured participants from 36 countries, with 40% travelling from outside Christchurch City.

Out-of-town runners and supporters spent an average of $362 each on accommodation, hospitality and other local businesses in 2025.

The track spanned generations, from an 88-year-old participant to a 5-year-old.

The Christchurch Marathon was first held in 1978, inspired by the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Photo / James Foy Natural Light Photography

First held in 1978 and inspired by the 1974 Commonwealth Games, the Christchurch Marathon was the first in New Zealand to combine a half and full marathon, and the first to welcome recreational runners alongside club athletes.

More than 450 volunteers were on hand to keep the event running smoothly, many of them supporting the marathon’s charity partner, the Bone Marrow Cancer Trust.

The trust runs Rānui House and Rānui Apartments in Christchurch, offering a home away from home for patients and families travelling for lifesaving medical treatment.

In 2025, the partnership raised $27,000. This year, trust CEO Mandy Kennedy says the goal is set even higher at $60,000.

Entries for this year’s event open on July 16.