There’s so much to be discovered. A great place to start is the fantastic Visit Ballarat website.

Ballarat boasts a diverse range of accommodation options to suit every lifestyle and budget. A number of accommodation providers have partnered with us and Visit Ballarat to offer a 10% discount for people visiting our beautiful city for the Ballarat Marathon. Use the code BALLMARA2024 to access the discount:

• Hotel Vera (two-night minimum)

• Sovereign Park Motor Inn (two-night minimum)

• The George Hotel (book via phone or email - two-night minimum)

• Quest Ballarat Station

• BIG4 Ballarat Windmill Holiday Park (three-night minimum)

• Eureka Stockade Holiday Park (two-night minimum)

• Flair BnB (22 unique BnB properties located across Ballarat - two-night minimum)

• Kryal Castle Accommodation

You can click through to the Visit Ballarat website to see all the local accommodation options.

One thing's for sure: you won’t go hungry or thirsty in the Ballarat region. Wander along the streets and laneways and you'll come across some great cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars.

Click through to the Visit Ballarat website for lots of options.

Power up before the race and replenish after it with the ultimate runner’s pasta! Ballarat’s restaurants and cafes are dishing up their finest pasta creations to fuel both local and visiting athletes (and spectators) for the 2024 Ballarat Marathon.

Participating venues include:

Racers Bar and Café: Chilli Prawn Spaghetti;

The Boatshed: Fresh Seafood Spaghetti, prawns, mussels, calamari;

Ellington’s Wine Bar: Nonna's Spaghetti Bolognese;

The Forge: Rigatoni Amatriciana, Salt Kitchen bacon;

Golden City Hotel: Roast Vegetable Lasagna;

Mitchell Harris: Salt Kitchen Pancetta Pumpkin Gnocchi;

Ballarat Golf Club: Prawn and Chorizo Fettuccine, Napoli sauce;

Aunty Jacks: Crab and Prawn Pasta, chilli, cherry tomatoes;

Grainery Lane: Tagliatelle al Prosciutto Crudo;

Roy Hammond: Flying Noodles with prawns;

Pipers by the Lake: Creamy Penne Carbonara;

Carbonis: Casarecce al Ragu’, lamb shoulder and beef brisket;

P. Frangos & Sons Greek Restaurant: Pastitsio! Greek lasagna, beef ragu, béchamel sauce;

Freight Bar & Rooftop: Chillie Prawn Linguini.

A number of Ballarat’s inner-city cafes are extending their opening hours on Sunday, 28 April to cater for the thousands of runners participating in our Marathon, Half Marathon and 10KM events. These are the perfect places to get your pre-race caffeine hit!

Participating cafes:

Cobbs Coffee: open from 6am

The Hydrant Food Hall: open from 6am

The Turret Café: open from 5:30am

1816 Bakehouse: open from 7am

Yellow Espresso: open from 6am

The Lane: open from 7am

Golden City Hotel: open from 7am

L'espresso: open from 7am

We have recruited some colourful volunteers for the first Ballarat Marathon road running festival. Alice and the Mad Hatter from Kryal Castle's Alice in Wonderland show will be helping hand out the medals after the 5km and Mile races on Saturday!

There are also great deals on offer for runners at a number of Ballarat's most popular attractions.

Kryal Castle: Explore Alice in Wonderland and unleash your inner child with adults at kids' prices. Not only that, but all Ballarat Marathon participants will receive 12 free archery arrows upon arrival to further test their athletic limits.

Sovereign Hill: Show your Ballarat Marathon registration when you enter and get a free jar of raspberry drops. One jar per entrant with a valid Sovereign Hill ticket purchase. Redeemable at the ticket box.

Ballarat Wildlife Park: Use the code MARATHON to receive 20% off adult and family entry tickets. With over 100 free-roaming kangaroos (you can hand-feed), more than 35 koalas, wombats, emus, an exhibit of the world’s smallest penguins and the chance to see ‘CRUNCH’ the Super-Croc feed, the family-owned Ballarat Wildlife Park is a must-visit destination for nature lovers young and old.