sky marathon 42km

7:15 am Sunday March 30, 2025

Meet: Event Village for 5:20am Shuttle

START: Mount Buffalo Chalet, Gorge Day visitor Area

Distance: 42.4 km

Elevation: 1,542m Ascent+ 2,554m Descent-

Cut off: 10:45 hours 

Prizes: (TBA)

Course Description

Starting at the Mount Buffalo Chalet, athletes will cover 9km up the top of the Mount Buffalo Plateau on a mix of dirt road, dreamy singletrail and 1.3km of road. Experience Lake Catani, The Monolith trail and the Underground River Track.

Descend down the epic Big Walk, 10k trail descending 1000m, to Eurobin Picnic Ground. Watch out for the technical trail at Mackey's Lookout and try not to trip when marvelling at the views.

Grind over Keatings Ridge, Up and Down 6km with 310m+-. This dirt road brings you through a serene forest of the beautiful Mount Buffalo National Park.

Traverse the 3km of road in the Buckland Valley. Be sure to enjoy the faster running and see your crew along Harris Lane.

Now comes the crux of the race, the Dingo Ridge climb to Clearspot! From the Right Turn onto Dingo Ridge Road to the Clearspot Aid Station you'll climb 757m+ over 6.29km. The climb is a beast, and situated at this stage of the race it can really hurt. Also, it can get very hot, so make sure you carry extra water from the Buckland Aid Station. 

From the Spectacular views of Clearspot it's all downhill to the finish!! The race now has a fast finish for those who saved their legs. The descent off Clearspot to Bakers Gully is steep in sections, but is broken up nicely into different gradients, and is 4.7km with 661m-. 

From the bottom there is 2.2km to go, scooting around some local single tracks and dirt roads, before hitting the tarmac down Ballroom court with 640m to go! Cross Coronation Avenue with CARE, bomb down the grassy slope, where you will see the long awaited finish line at the Pavillion in Pioneer Park!

The Course

SingleTrack Events have partnered up with friends of trail CAPRA to equip you with the cleanest, easiest to follow maps you’ll ever come across.

It is a mandatory inclusion for all participants to have both the CAPRA app AND the relevant Buffalo Stampede maps on the mobile phone they will be using during their event.

Grab your mobile phone and scan the QR Code below to get started.

FAQs

    • Race Entry

    • GST and registration platform fees

    • Professional on-course sports photography available for purchase

    • Coveted Finishers Medallion

    • Fully marked course

    • Expert event medical support

    • On-course nutrition and refreshments

    • Professional event timing

    • Live real-time results via on-course checkpoints

  • - Mount Buffalo Chalet: 9.6km, 273m+-

    - Eurobin: 10.2km, 83m+, 1100m-

    - Buckland Valley: 8.1km, 325m+, 351m-

    - Clearspot: 7.6km, 800m+, 88m-

    - FINISH: 6.9km, 77m+, 761m-

  • - START Mount Buffalo Chalet: 7:15 am

    - Mount Buffalo Chalet: 9:00 am

    - Eurobin: 11:30 am

    - Buckland Valley: 1:30 pm

    - Clearspot: 4:00 pm

    - FINISH: 6:00 pm (10:45 hours)

  • There is a mandatory shuttle service that will take ALL runners in the Sky Marathon 42k on Sunday morning to the start line. Runners will need to arrive at the Event Village at Pioneer Park in time for a 5:20am rolling departure of shuttles to the Mount Buffalo Chalet.

    Important: No cars other than SingleTrack Crew will be allowed to turn left at the first big main intersection on Mount Buffalo to go towards the Chalet. Cars will have to either drive back down the mountain or find a park in a further away car park to spectate the race.

  • There are many places over the course where spectators and crew can see their runners. Please refer to the interactive CAPRA Map to find the best places to see them. All Aid Stations are easily accessible in 2WD as well as all roads on Mount Buffalo. If you want to drive to Clearspot to spectate or crew, please follow the CAPRA map route to the summit as it can be confusing to find your way.

    • Waterproof Jacket with hood. Must be made with a waterproof and breathable membrane. The hood must be attached to the jacket by the original manufactured design and must be seam sealed. Must be suitable for protection in bad weather in the Mountains.

    • Thermal long sleeve top weighing at least 180g (mens medium) made of polypropylene or wool textile only.

    • Warm headwear (beanie, buff or balaclava) 

    • Warm full fingered Gloves

    • 1.5L Litres of liquid storage capacity

    • Snake Bite Bandage with indicators (not less than 10cm x 2m). We recommend SMART bandage (LINK HERE with valuable information on snake bites as well)

    • Fully charged Smart Phone that is switched on.

    • Survival / Emergency Blanket

    • Collapsible cup 150ml (recommended, this is a cup free event)

    • Ice Bandana / Neck Cooler (recommended if over 23C). There will be ice, at key points on course to cool runners heading into hot sections. The T8 neck coolers are very easy to use and cover the neck perfectly.

The 42km Sky Marathon is a UTMB® World Series Qualifier Event.

All runners who complete the course gain qualifier points for their UTMB® Index.

Runners with a valid UTMB® Index will have privileged access to register for a UTMB® World Series Event or UTMB® World Series Major and will use their UTMB® Index to validate their entry into the UTMB® World Series Finals lottery.

Learn more about UTMB Index here >

The 42km Sky Marathon is a registered with the International Trail Running Association (ITRA).

All runners who complete the course will gain qualifier points for their ITRA Performance Index.

Learn more about ITRA Performance Index here >