Course Descriptions

Getting There

Enter Manly Dam via King St Manly Vale. Turn into King St from Condamine Street which is the main road through Manly Vale. There is lots of parking available within Manly Dam. Parking is free if you have a Northern Beaches Council parking permit on your windscreen, otherwise it is metered. Parking is also available in surrounding streets - we ask participants to respect neighbouring residents by parking safely and legally move quietly into the Manly Dam precinct. 

The Start

Runners start at Section 1 on the Manly Dam Grounds. It is easy to find and you will see our tents and finish arch when you arrive. Enter via the main Manly Dam entry gates at the end of King Street in Manly Vale. Manly Dam Course distances for all courses have been increased by 1.5km from 2016 due to the addition of an out and back road section to spread runners out and get them warmed up before they head into the single trails

Short Course - 10km

Follows the same trails as the medium course except when runners meet the main Circuit trail at the end of the Wildflower Walk Trail they turn right and follow the Circuit Trail instead of running up the Curl Curl Track to the pipeline and back down Evas track.

Medium Course - 12km

The majority of the 10km course is on the various trails that make up the Circuit Trail and surrounding walking trails. Runners head along the Nature Trail on the southern side of the Road, there are some hilly and technical sections to start with, before entering the Wildflower Walk Trail and following this along for 2.5km before crossing the main Circuit Trail fire trail and continuing north along the Curl Curl track. In this section, runners will pass by two waterfalls and some splendid scenery. After crossing and then recrossing the pipeline runners head back towards the dam along Eva’s Track. When runners reach the 6km mark the trail becomes fire trail for the next two km’s with some fast and open running sections before runners head back into the bush at the 8km mark for some more single trail. Travelling past the waters edge – along more single trail, runners then pop out at the Dam Wall. Runners cross the Manly Dam wall and into the finish area at Section 1.

Long Course - 21km

This starts the same as the medium course, but when runners cross the pipeline, they turn left, run up onto Aquatic fields past the Aquatic Centre, over the footbridge over Wakehurst Parkway, then into single trail mountain bike trails between the Parkway and Bantry Bay Road, before coming out at the end of Bantry Bay Road, and running down the main fire trails, which turns into single trail and down to Seaforth Oval. A left turn takes runners down Timber Getters Trail and to Bantry Bay after descending some steep stairs. Runners follow Bantry Bay along the Bay Track, and climb steeply up to the Bluff, and back across Ararat Reserve before joining back to the mountain bike trails they came on, back over the footbridge back past the Aquatic Centre and then back to where they originally came under the pipeline and re joining the medium course to the finish.

Cut Off Info:

The 21km long course will have a 2.5hr cut off in place at AS2 at Ararat Reserve at 14.7km. If you have not made cut off at this point, you will be driven back to the start / finish area.

Extra Long Course - 30km

The extra long course is great training for some of those longer events coming up later in the year. The 30km course consists of the 21km long course, followed by another lap of the Dam using the 12km course (without taking in the out and back road section at the start of the race). This will be a tough course, and sure to get you puffing!

Cut Off Info:

The 30km extra long course will have a 3 hour cut off in place at Section 1 of Manly Dam before starting the second loop. If you have not made cut off at this point, you will be able to cross the finish line and have a result recorded for the 21km course.