First Light Marathon

Run with the sun at the First Light Marathon on 24 January 2026 in the first city in the world to see the sun each day, Gisborne, New Zealand.

The spectacular coastline and the steep green hills provide a magical backdrop to this unique race with Marathon, Half Marathon and 6km distance options.

All distances start at Midway Beach. Marathon and half-marathon runners will face a series of short, steep hills once they are out of the city. The race is a mix of single-track trails, roads and off-road surfaces. Half-marathon runners will loop through the hills back toward the city, while marathon runners head out to Wainui Beach for roughly 1km through the sand next to the sparkling waves. Then, marathon runners will head back into the hills to tackle even more challenging climbs until the finish line back in Gisborne.

The 6km Fun Run will run a flat loop in Gisborne and return via the boardwalk to the finish line in front of Midway Surf Club.

This event is being organised by Albatros Adventure Marathons. It is for international and NZ entrants.

Distances/Events

6K
Half Marathon
Marathon