Blackall 100: the best of the Sunshine Coast hinterland

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There are lots of beautiful places in the world to run trails, and the Sunshine Coast hinterland in South East Queensland is definitely among them. That’s the setting this weekend for the Blackall 100, an iconic and much-loved event on the local trail running calendar.

The event features races over three distances - 100k, 50k and 21k - starting and finishing in the beautiful township of Mapleton. The town is located on the Blackall Range, which gives the race its name, overlooking the beaches of the Sunshine Coast.

Blackall 100 is the blue ribbon event for Run Queensland and follows the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk. Connection to country is a strong theme that runs through the event.

The races start on Saturday morning, but founder Brett Standring urges runners to attend the welcome to country and smoking ceremony on Friday night at the race precinct at the Queensland Conference and Camping Centre (QCCC) in Mapleton.

Races traverse the lush, green country in the state forest north of Mapleton - although it may not be as green as usual for this year’s edition of the race as rain has been sparse to say the least in Queensland’s south-east of late.

Being run in October, it’s usually a hot race. In each of the past two years, the mercury has risen beyond the 30 degree mark - getting closer to 40 in 2024. For this reason, Standring advises runners to take more water than they think they’ll need.

The team has added a water station to the course this year, acknowledging just how taxing the heat can be. For the 100k race, there are six checkpoints and three water stations. It may sound like plenty, but even experienced runners have been surprised by the heat here.

Which begs the question why run the event in October? The answer goes back to the race’s origin story. When Standring first conceived of the Blackall 100, his aim was to make it a qualifying race for Western States in the US, one of the world’s most famous and prestigious ultras.

Western States is famed for being a hot race, and Standring wanted to run an event that would get runners ready for that challenge. October in Queensland ticked that box.

Back in 2014, the first Blackall 100 featured just 179 runners. This year there will be about 1,000 taking part across the three events. It’s become a fixture on the trail running calendar in SEQ.

One possibly unique, certainly unusual feature of the event is the “Blackall Bell”, the massive cowbell it’s the privilege of every finisher to ring. And that theme flows through to the event trophies - finishers receive a 21k, 50k or 100k bell of their own.

Blackall is also well known for its event shirts. This year the design celebrates an encounter a number of Run Queensland crew had on a run on part of the Blackall course.

It was a night run a day or so after a decent dump of rain and as the team ran a loop near checkpoint 6, they encountered thousands of small, green frogs making a racket on the trail. So the 2025 shirt features a frog. It was designed by a local First Nations artist.

This year the team has also introduced a live YouTube stream which will show vision of the finish line, plus some footage of the 100k runners passing through checkpoint 2 - which is located at the start-finish line - when they are about 22k into the race.

Course info

This year there’s been a course change for the 21k race. It previously started at Baroon Pocket Dam, but for 2025 it will start and finish - like the 50k and 100k races - at the race precinct at the QCCC. This reduces the elevation from around 800m to just just under 600m so should make for a faster race.

The race starts on the road as runners head to the Mapleton Falls day use area to join the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk. There is a diversion from the Great Walk as the course loops up and around, before runners retrace their steps back to the QCCC.

There is a checkpoint 12.8k into the course and a water station at the 10k mark. Like all Run Queensland events, the course is clearly marked with reflective flagging tape and arrows.

The 50k makes use of two checkpoints and three water stations and like the 21k, it starts with a road section. Before too long though, runners hit the Great Walk. The course then takes a short diversion onto fire trail to get to the Ubajee water station, before rejoining the Great Walk.

This part of the course is a long downhill. At the bottom is checkpoint 3, and then you climb Gheerulla Bluff, or just “The Bluff” as it’s known. This is the most fabled part of the Blackall course. Most runners will strike it during the heat of the day - and it can be unforgiving.

Thankfully there is another water station at the top and another a further 8k along, the "Halfway Oasis” which is halfway down a descent and about 35k into the course.

From that point there’s another steep climb to a water station and checkpoint 6, after which runners retrace their initial steps back to QCCC. Total elevation - 1,580m.

The Blackall 100 has a total of 3,290m elevation gain. Unsurprisingly, it also follows much of the Great Walk. The race starts with about 7k on the road as runners head from the QCCC to the Kondalilla Falls car park, where checkpoint 1 is located.

From there, runners complete the 4.4k Kondalilla Falls circuit, running to the base of the falls before heading back up again. The 10.4k section between checkpoints 1 and 2 features a steep descent into Baxter Creek Falls.

Runners cross the creek via a suspension bridge (strictly two people at a time). The best view of the falls is from the bridge. The 19.3k from checkpoint 2 to checkpoint 3 starts with some road sections before hitting the Great Walk.

Once runners leave the road they hit sections of single track before turning off the Great Walk and onto fire trail to get to the Ubajee water station. What follows is a long and initially steep descent to the 49k mark and checkpoint 3.

Shortly after checkpoint 3, runners start the long, hot climb up The Bluff. However much you are suffering up this section, don’t miss the great views down into the Mary Valley.

It’s more than 20k to the next checkpoint, but there are three water stations to ensure you’re not caught short. From checkpoint 4 it’s downhill for about 5k before kicking back up to the water station at the 72k mark.

Many runners will be running in the dark by this stage, which makes the journey around, then over Cooloolabin Dam all the more evocative. There’s single trail in the run-in to checkpoint 5.

The 10.4k to checkpoint 6 starts with some downhill before the last big uphill of the course. This section is a mix of roads and trails and includes trekking across a weir at the base of Kureelpa Falls.

Checkpoint 6 is located in the Mapleton Falls day use area, and by this stage runners are just 8.5k from home. This section starts with single trail, part of the Great Walk, before runners come out onto Mapleton Falls Rd and Obi Obi Rd for the run back to the QCCC.

All that remains at that point is to ring the Blackall Bell, collect your own miniature keepsake and soak up the atmosphere of the finish line.

Upcoming Events

There are way too many events for me to list everything that’s happening around the country, but here is a selection of upcoming races (with a bias towards South East Queensland).

The Running Calendar website is a great source if you want a comprehensive understanding of what’s available around Australia.