EVENT INFORMATION
The Our City Real Estate Orange Running Festival features nine races: Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K and five 2K Dash events. All nine events will take place on Sunday 9th March with the first event, the Marathon starting at 7:00am. On Sunday, the event site will include the start and finish areas, award presentations, food and drink vendors and prize draws.
The Orange Running Festival is owned and operated by the Orange Runners Club. The first Festival was held in 2007 and has grown to be one of the premier Festivals on the running calendar each year. The festival continues to be a big supporter of local charities and businesses and due to the Festival’s success, makes significant donations each year.
Please review the information below prior to event weekend.
EVENT GUIDE
Our 2024 Orange Running Festival Event Guide can be downloaded, printed or stored on your favourite device. It’s loaded with useful information about bib pickup, parking, event day schedules, race courses and weekend activities. Everything you need to know before you head to Gosling Creek Reserve.
The 2025 Event Guide will be released during January, 2025.
Orange Running Festival has partnered with Pinnacle Performance, a local running coaching company that originated in Orange NSW. Pinnacle Performance provides athletes with and programs to reach their goals, and has developed 12-week training programs for our Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K events.
All the details are on our Training page.
Event Schedule
Before Event Weekend
| Registrations open | Friday, November 1, 2024 |
| Early Bird registrations close | Tuesday, December 31, 2024 |
| Registrations Close | 4pm Saturday, March 8, 2025 |
Event Weekend
Race Bib and Merchandise Collection
| Saturday March 8, 2025 | 1:00pm to 5:00pm | Gosling Creek Reserve |
| Sunday March 9, 2025 | From 6:00am | Gosling Creek Reserve |
Sunday Events
| Marathon | 7:00am |
| Half Marathon | 7:30am |
| 10K | 8:30am |
| 5K | 9:45am |
Award presentations will occur shortly after the lead runners from each race have finished.
| Women's Dash | 11:00am |
| Men's Dash | 11:05am |
| Primary School Dash | 11:10am |
| Secondary School Dash | 11:20am |
| Community Dash | 11:30am |
Award presentations will occur shortly after the conclusion of the Community Dash.
Event Location
Each race will start and finish within the Gosling Creek Reserve, which is located between Forest, Bloomfield and Bargwanna Roads, Orange (about 6km south of the Orange CBD and just to the south of the Orange Hospital).
The Orange Running Festival event site will include:
- Bib and merchandise pickup
- Food & drink vendors
- Water station
- First Aid provided by Rural Fire Service volunteers
- Physio and massage services by The Pinnacle Physiotherapy Clinic
- Fresh fruit for finishers
- Sponsor information
- Presentation podium
- Volunteer check-in
- Toilets
- Parking including accessible parking and dropoff locations
On Sunday, we’ll have plenty of food and drink choices to refuel after your race. So come for your run and plan to stay a while. The list of food and drink vendors will be available closer to festival weekend.
Licensed phsyios and massage therapists from The Pinnacle Physiotherapy Clinic will be available in our massage tent to offer quick after-event massage treatment to relieve muscle tightness, increase blood circulation, reduce inflammation and muscle soreness and fasten recovery. Stop by if you’re feeling the effects of your run!
Merchandise pickup will be available for items ordered during the registration process. All remaining stock will be available for purchase on event weekend – shirts and caps. Just ask when you pick up your bib and we may have your size available.
Our full event site map shows the location of race starts, vendors, other services and parking.
The Orange Running Festival site is fully accessible including priority parking and dropoff. Please see our Accessibility Map for more detail.
PARKING
Our main parking area is in Bloomfield Reserve, in the Dog Park oval area. Please plan to arrive from Huntley Road, to the east of Gosling Park Reserve. From Huntley Road, turn west onto Bloomfield Road and follow the signs to the parking area. Marshals will be there to assist and answer any questions.
Some early arrivals may be able to self-park along Bloomfield and Bargwanna Roads, space permitting. Please reverse park along Bloomfield or Bargwanna Roads.
Accessible parking will be on Bargwanna Road, at the point closest to the event site.
ROAD CLOSURES
Road closures: For the safety of runners, there will be road closures in the area on Sunday, March 9th. For full details, please see Orange Running Festival Road Closures.
Training Plans
To help with your training for the longer distances, we have training plans for Beginner or Intermediate Half Marathon runners. These plans can easily be adapted for Marathon or 10K runners by increasing or decreasing the length of the long runs. For Marathon, long runs should be about twice as long. For 10K, long runs should be decreased by half.
The training plans were prepared by triathlete and coach Owain Matthews, with the generous support of our sponsor The Athlete’s Foot Orange. For more training advice, follow Owain on Instagram and stay tuned for additional training tips along the way.
Spectators and Volunteers
Friends and family are welcome to join you at the Orange Running Festival! Spectators may use the same parking as runners, and are welcome to enjoy the full facilities at the event site. Please note – we welcome human spectators only! Dogs, even those on leads, are not permitted in Gosling Creek Reserve, due to the wildlife in the area. Accredited assistance animals are welcome.
The Orange Running Festival simply couldn’t happen without our volunteers. Friends and family are encouraged to volunteer before or during the event to enjoy the full event vibe. More information and a signup form are on our Volunteers page. Every volunteer will receive instructions including location and time ahead of their shift. For Volunteers at the event site, there will be a check-in area on event weekend.
Race Guidelines
| Bibs and Timing Transponders | All participants must wear their race bib including the attached timing transponder. The transponder will be automatically activated when you cross the start line of your event. Your time will be automatically recorded when you cross the finish line. |
| Reflective Clothing | Participants are encouraged to wear reflective clothing if they will be arriving or starting their event in the early hours when visibility is limited, or if weather conditions are poor and impact visibility. |
| Prams | Prams are permitted in the Community Dash, 5K and 10K only and must start at the back of the field. |
| Bicyles and Scooters | Bicycles, scooters, skateboards and walking poles are not permitted in any of the events due to the potential safety impact. |
| Dogs | Due to the wildlife in the area, dogs are NOT permitted in Gosling Creek Reserve, with the exception of accredited assistance animals. Please do not bring dogs or any other pets to the festival. |
Transfers and Refunds
We realise that plans can change or training might not go according to plan. We will accept requests for transfers or refunds according to the following rules:
- Transfers to other race events will be permitted until midnight on March 1st, 2025. If the transfer is to a higher priced event, we will ask you to pay the difference. If the transfer is to a lower priced event, we will refund half of the difference to cover processing costs.
- Full refunds will be provided BEFORE midnight on Tuesday, December 31st.
- Partial refunds of 50% will be provided BEFORE midnight on Friday, February 28th.
- No refunds will be available from March 1st onwards.
If you would like a transfer or refund, please send a request via the webform on this site, or by email to info@orangerunningfestival.com.au. Please include your name, the race you’re in, and the race you’d prefer (if applicable).
Most importantly, enjoy the journey and have fun!