Info for First Time Ultra Runners

Haven’t you heard…? Ultra marathons are the new marathon! And if you are interested in joining the revolution by running your first Ultra Marathon then you’ve found the right event…

As with all things in life, the bigger the challenge… the bigger the reward. Most first time ultra runners recall their first finish as one of the most incredible moments of their life.

It’s amazing what your mind and body can achieve. So step up, sign up for a challenge and re-write your own limits.

Amplified Recognition for first-time ultra runners in 2025

Running 50km or 100km for the first time is an amazing effort so we’re going to truly celebrate your accomplishments with a range of new initiatives to celebrate your success!

  • ‘First time ultra runner’ noted on your Race Number Plate
  • Name highlighted on the Centurion Honour Board to highlight first timers (must be entered by 28 August, 2025)
  • A giant gong to ring at the Finish Line signifying a first timers first ultra FINISH!
  • plus other added support by us as you prepare for your goal!

This was my first Ultra and I signed up due to the amount of information that is supplied before you have even signed up. The 50km course had great views, great terrain, a couple of nervous moments from the height but that was overshadowed by the views!! The food stations had a great array of food and drinks to keep up your energy. Very keen to give it another go next year. – (Shandelle, 2023 Participant)

As a first ultra, I loved it and had so much fun out there.  It’s a great community event with amazing volunteers, organisers and stunning scenery!! – (Kim, 2022 Participant)

Brilliant race for a first-timers like myself. The views, the different terrains, the amazing vollies in the checkpoints, the fellow runners, the vibe in general and the laughs and hugs and celebrations at the finish line…  I’ll be back, for sure! – (Carolina, 2021 Participant)

Ideal Race for First Timers

Over and over our runners say how perfect the Surf Coast Century is for those tackling their first ultra marathon for many of the reasons listed below:

  • The course is not super hilly. In fact with ‘just 1,800m’ of climbing this course would be less technical and more flat than most other ultra’s in comparison.
  • The support and enthusiasm amongst runners, volunteers, officials and everyone involved with the event gives you an incredible lift.
  • The course is very accessible for support crews and friends to clap and cheer you along the way. In addition to the 7 checkpoints there are countless locations where they can give you some encouragement
  • The course is all on public land (most is in National Parks) and is freely available for training runs from now right through to race day. So you can train on the course and become familiar with it.
  • There is a very supportive network of other runners down this way (such as the Surf Coast Trail Runners group) who love sharing ideas and enthusiasm with runners to help you get there
  • And there is a wealth of information on these pages to help get ready to race…

So if you’re thinking of tackling an ultra-marathon (being any run over 42km) then we believe this is the ideal event for you. Read on for a bit of added encouragement.

Testimonials

We’ve a asked a few first-time ultra marathon runners about their journey to ultra runner status and how they found things on race day.

Read on and be inspired:

Great experience for a first timer. Beautiful scenery and lovely people. (Toni, 2022 Participant)

Trail Running Ambassadors

Feel Good Ultra Ambassadors for 2025 – View Here >>

Rookie Ambassadors (2016 to 2024) – View Here >>

Training Programs

We are very happy to provide three training programs to help guide you through your preparation for either the 100km solo race, 50km solo race or as a member of a team running 25km each. These are an incredible resource and used by many runners through to experienced runners looking for some guidance.

These programs are available on the Training and Preparation webpage here

How slow can I go and still finish?!

Completing a 100km or 50km race is not about moving fast. Even those near the front of the field will agree, it’s more about moving consistently and keeping some cookies in the jar until the end (when you need them the most!).

You do not have to move fast to finish this race, in fact you could walk the whole thing and finish OK. Yes, we have cut off times at the end of each leg to help manage the course but even these are very achievable if you know what to aim for.

But how fast are we talking about? Well for 100km runners…:

Leg 1: the cut off time is 4 hours and 15minutes after starting – that’s to do 21km. That’s just ~5km/hr and it is a flat course along the beach at low tide!

Leg 2: the cut off time is 9hrs after starting, or 5hrs just to do leg 2 and 28km. That’s about 5.6km/hr or 10min45/km and it is also pretty flat.

Leg 3: the cut off time is 14hrs 15mins after starting, or 5hrs and 45minutes to do leg 3 and 28km. That’s about 4.6km/hr or 12min55/km. This leg is hillier but it is still VERY achievable.

Leg 4: we have a cut off at CP7 which gives you over 1hr45 to do 9km (4.5km/hr) and 4hrs30 to do leg 4. That adds up to 20hrs to do the whole course. That’s about 4.6km/hr and it is also pretty flat.

Obviously if you finish inside one cut off you have more time for the next leg (so could move even slower!).

(The 50km course has the same cut offs for leg 1 and leg 2 in 2024 as its the first half of the 100km course)

See what we mean – these paces are slow, especially considering the non-mountainous / non-technical terrain you race over. So what’s the trick to finishing?: KEEP MOVING! Don’t linger in the check points eating, talking, sleeping or wishing it was over….! Get in, get out and keep walking and you will make it easily!

Nutrition advice for training and racing

What you eat beforehand and especially during your race (and your long training runs) can make the difference between a great race experience and not finishing. Make sure you read the variety of information on our Nutrition and Hydration page to learn a lot more.