Athletics

The organising body for Athletics in Canberra is Athletics ACT. Competition is all year round, although the most popular athletics meets are from October through to the ACT Athletics championships held at the end of March.  Meets are generally held on Saturday nights, although combined Thursday night meets with The ACT Veterans (below) are also run from time to time.

The ACT Masters Athletics Club caters for those men and women aged over 30, with athletes right up to their 80s competing. The Masters meets are held on Thursday nights from October through to March.

For young athletes aged between 7 and 15, the nationally popular Little Athletics is held on Saturday across 11 different venues in the ACT and Queanbeyan. Click here for complete information on the different venues.

Triathlon

The organising body for Triathlon in Canberra is Triathlon ACT. Events are held throughout summer and winter mainly focusing around Lake Burley Griffin. Triathlon ACT has conducted numerous National Championships in the disciplines of Triathlon, Duathlon and Aquathon. In 2006, the World Long Course Triathlon championships were held in Canberra. Every December the successful Canberra Half Ironman is also held. Sri Chinmoy also holds numerous Triathlon, Swimming and Running events in Canberra including the iconic Triple Tri.

The affiliated Triathlon clubs in Canberra can be found on through a link on the Triathlon ACTwebsite.

Bilbys

The biggest club in Canberra is the Bilbys Triathlon Club which is ideally located for Northside and Central residents. A wide range of inclusive sessions that cater to all fitness levels are conducted throughout the week. Training times for each club can be found on their website.

Tuggeranong Vikings

Live southside? Check out the Tuggeranong Vikings Triathlon club. With over 100 enthusiastic triathletes of all ages and all levels, the Vikings have a great club culture with a ton of experience, particularly for those looking to tackle the half ironman and ironman distances.

Novice Programs

Bilbys, Tuggeranong Vikings and Females in Training (FIT) all run highly successful novice Triathlon programs starting September/October and leading up to the first Triathlon ACT race of the season. FIT also runs a popular Womens and Girls only Triathlon that occurs in late November / early December.

Training Groups

New to running? Attempting your first half marathon? Here’s some training groups options to help you along:

Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday Training Group (TTS) – part of the Canberra Runners Club

This group caters for social runners ranging from 4min/km to 7.30min/km. It meets at Lennox Gardens, Flynn Drive (near the toilet block) at 0630 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at various venues around Canberra at 0700 on Saturdays (hence the name!). Midweek runs are about an hour while Saturday runs are generally longer with a coffee or breakfast afterwards at a local cafe. All runners must be members of the Canberra Runners Club and the atmosphere is very social. This group is great as runners with varying fitness levels and speed are present, and runs occur all year.

A program for the Saturday runs is produced quarterly and is available from www.canberrarunner.com.au.

Half Marathon Training Group – part of the Canberra Runners Club

This training program runs from the end of February leading up to the Canberra Runners Club half marathon in May. This program is ideal for runners who are running 8 kms (or more) at least 3 times a week comfortably and are looking for more of a challenge. Runs on Tuesday and Thursday are from Lennox gardens at 0630 for about an hour. Saturday morning runs are generally around the lake and build up in duration to two hours. This program is not only for first timers to the half marathon distance but also caters for more experienced runners who may be aiming for a PB or the social runner looking for some training partners. More information will be available closer to the commencement of the program.

Training Group – part of the Canberra Runners Club

This training program is ideal for runners wanting to complete the 10 km Canberra race in September and / or the Goorooyaroo Half Marathon in mid-September.  Jo and George give great support and encouragement for all participants of different ages and abilities.

As well as having a group of enthusiastic runners to join, this training group also features information sessions from The Runners Shop , The Walking Clinic and Kingston Physio.  

Elevate Running and Fitness

Canberra-based coached running groups available for all levels of runners, with a focus on improving running technique and strength, and developing a passion for trail and mountain running.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/elevaterunningandfitness/about/?ref=page_internal

Pioneer Training

Pioneer Training is proud of its reputation for providing real training for real people through programs such as boot camps, boxing for fitness, group fitness, adventures and individualised personal training taking people safely out of their comfort zone and onto the next level.
The owner, Kristy Janszen leads up the training team for all services offered so you are dealing directly with the best. The team is fully qualified and insured.

https://pioneer-training.com/

Speedygeese 

We the speedygeese are a diverse, inclusive Canberra running group who take flight at Parliament House on Mondays and on Thursdays, just come along at 12 noon either day and join in. We also meet to conquer various ACT trails on Sundays, check the "Events" listings here for the latest meeting place and time. All are welcome to join in, it's all free of charge.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/speedygeese/

Races and Events

Canberra offers a unique opportunity to race multiple times a week without hours spent travelling or hefty entry costs. The options are explored below:

The Canberra Runners Club

The Canberra Runners Club has long been the heartbeat of running in Canberra. For a small fee, join the club and gain access to weekly races all year round. Tuesday night races during Spring (October-November) and Summer (February-March) are highly popular, while Saturday morning races in Autumn will be held at Stromlo Forest Park. One of the feature races for the year, is the picturesque Rex Foulkes Half Marathon (also the traditional ACT Half Marathon), which happens in May each year and almost always in superb conditions. The Canberra Runners Club also organises the Womens Jogalong (see Running for Women) as well as numerous training programs throughout the year.

Parkrun

Parkrun is a free weekly 5km happening every Saturday morning at 8am, it is an ideal hit out for novice runners to through to elites. There are numerous locations to choose from in Canberra; Ginninderra parkrun held around Lake Ginninderra, Belconnen, Gungahlin parkrun held at Yerrabi Pond, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong parkrun held around Lake Tuggeranong in Canberra’s south, as well as Queanbeyan, Mt Ainslie, Burley Griffen (Weston Park Yarralumla) and Coombs

Orienteering ACT

Canberra has a great history and tradition of Orienteering. For the competitive Orienteer, The Runners Shop Twilight Series takes place every Wednesday evening from October right through to March. For novices, the Monday night Street Orienteering offers the perfect introduction.

Mountain Running ACT

Numerous mountain running events occur regularly in Canberra. On the first Tuesday of each month there is a race up Mount Ainslie, while the third Tuesday of each month is a run up Black Mountain. One of the highlights on the mountain running calendar in Canberra is the Bush Capital Marathon festival held in late July each year. Events range from a 2km children’s run up to the full 63.3km ultra and relay. 

Australian Running Festival

The biggest running event held in Canberra happens in April, taking in the picturesque sights around Lake Burley Griffin in central Canberra. Events range from 5km and 10km fun runs up to the half, full and ultra-marathons.

Weston Creek Half and Fun Run

The Weston Creek Athletic Club runs a half marathon in March each year. Full details can be found on the Weston Creek Athletics Club website.

Fun runs

In addition to the wonderful variety mention above, there are of course several corporate fun runs held throughout the year. The calendar on CoolRunning Australia can be a great source of information regarding whats available in the ACT and interstate.