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Orange Running Festival

COMMUNITY DASH

 
 

The Cook and Roe Community Dash is a non-competitive, inclusive 2K run and walk for everyone. 

The course consists of a two kilometre lap of the asphalt Gosling Creek Reserve bike/running track. Participants start near the festival start and finish area and head east following the running and bike path.  The course then turns west to the northwest corner of the reserve.  Walkers and runners will then make their way south west, turning toward the water, and then back east to be cheered in at the finish.

Although not a competitive race, all participants are assigned a numbered timing transponder to enable them to receive a position and time.

If you’re concerned that 2K might be too long for you, there is an optional 450m short course version.  The start point will be at the Western end of the course adjacent to the Forest Road / Bloomfield Road intersection.  Just let us know on the day that you’ll prefer this shorter course.

The 2K Dash events feature in our Sunday program starting at 11am. The Community Dash run and walk will begin at 11:30am as our final event, with a very generous one hour cutoff time at 12:30pm.

The event site is open from 6am onwards, so come early, enjoy the running festival vibe and stay a while to celebrate after you finish!

Event Location

Registrations OpenFriday 1 November 2024
Registrations Close4:00PM Saturday 8 March 2025

Note: There will be no entries on the day.
Cost$10 early bird entry, available until 31 December, 2024
$15 full price entry (+processing fee)
Race DateSunday 9 March 2025
Suggested arrival time11:00am
Race Brief11:20am
Start Time11:30am
Cut off Time12:30pm
Race Bib CollectionSaturday 8 March 2025 Gosling Creek Reserve
1:0pm to 5:00pm

Sunday 9 March 2025 – Gosling Creek Reserve
6:00am until race time
Age RestrictionNil
PrizesEvery finisher receives a medal.
Parents and carersParents and carers are permitted to accompany participants if needed
PramsPrams, assistive devices and wheelchairs are welcome

Additional Information

The Community Dash is for runners and walkers of all abilities with a focus on getting out and having fun.  We love seeing runners and walkers of all ages and abilities taking part in the Community Dash.  

There is very generous cutoff time of one hour, and it’s expected that many of our Community “Dashers” will walk some or all of the distance.  

The full Dash course is a 2K lap of Gosling Creek Reserve.  If you’re not up for this distance, we do have a short course option that measures about 450 metres.  

The short course start is at the very western end of Gosling Creek Reserve, near Forest Road and Bloomfield Road, the same location as our accessible parking and drop-off area.  Any participant can choose to do the short course instead of the full 2K.  

The short course group will start approximately 10 to 15 minutes after the 2K group to make sure the course is clear for them.  We’ll guide our short course group toward the short course start at roughly 11:30am, ready to begin around 11:45am.  Alternatively, you can park or be dropped off at the accessible parking area, right near the short course start.  If you choose to do this, please be sure to pick up your race bib beforehand, possibly on Saturday afternoon.

The short course start location and route are on our Accessibility Map.

The full 2K Dash course is on paved pathway through Gosling Creek Reserve.  There a couple of moderate hills on the course, so please consider whether you’re up for those hills.  Alternatively, we have a 450 metre short course that is very flat and fully accessible.

The full Gosling Creek Reserve event site is accessible, but please be aware that some of our event is held on the grassy area, so surfaces may be slightly uneven.  We do have accessible parking and toilets, along with first aid and our Runners HQ tent should you need any assistance.

Please see our Accessibility Map for more detail.

Suggested arrival time is 11:00am.  If needed, this will allow you to pick up your race bib and have plenty of time to get ready for the briefing at 11:20am and start at 11:30am.  

The event site will be open all morning so feel free to arrive a little early if you’d like.  Parking will be available from 6:00am onwards, allowing plenty of time.

Race bibs can be collected on Saturday March 8th between 1pm and 5pm at the event site at Gosling Creek Reserve.  This may be the easiest option if you’re concerned about having enough time on Sunday.  Saturday bib pickup is advised for those doing the shorter 450m course, as the short course start is a long way from the Sunday bib collection area.