The official webpage can be found by clicking here.

Portland is a small country town in eastern Victoria(Pop 11,000), and is the oldest European Settlement in the State of Victoria.

It is about 360km(225Miles) west of Melbourne on the coast of Bass Strait, which is about a 4hr 30min drive.

It is also about 570km(360Miles) from Adelaide, which is about a 6hour drive. Which leaves open the option of hiring a rentacar, and driving between Melbourne and Adelaide, taking in the breath taking coastal scenery(See below for the Great Ocean Road), and the Marathon.

All three(3) domestic airlines fly into both Melbourne(Tullamarine Airport) and Adelaide, with Melbourne being a major International gateway, and Adelaide being a minor International Gateway, generally via some Asian Cities.

Some smaller budget Airlines like ‘Tiger’ and the regional carriers of Southern Australia also fly into Tullamarine and some Jetstar Flights land at 'Avalon Airport"

Please Click here to find out more about the two(2) Melbourne Jetports.

The airlines webpages are:

QANTAS

Virgin Blue

Jetstar

Tiger

If you fly ‘Jetstar’ domestically, some flights land at Melbourne’s “Avalon Airport”, which is about 70km(40Miles) closer to Portland, saving about 1 hour driving time.

You can also fly from Avalon to Portland direct with Sharp Airlines, or from Melbourne’s “Essendon Airport”, which is a smaller “Non-Jetport”, about 5km(3 Miles) from the Tullamarine Jetport.

Surface Public Transport is via train from the Melbourne CBD to the City of Warrnambool, then via Bus. More details can be found by clicking here, and it is about a 5hr 30min trip.

Being a small town, most accommodation in Portland will be within a 5 min walk of the Start/Finish.(But if you won’t have a car with you, please check prior to booking your accommodation)

More information is available by clicking here.

This race is on a 42.2km loop, though some of the most scenic parts of the coast.(Which is why they call it “The 3 Bays Marathon”)

I’ve run it twice, once in ‘clockwise’ direction, and once in the now used ‘anticlockwise’direction.

Note: When you front the ‘hills’ in the 2nd half of the race, I think you have me to blame, as I suggested to the Race Director that the anticlockwise direction would be safer.

Did I mention ‘The Hills’, which have names like, “The Shuffler” and “The Crawler”, and in the current configuration, you go down the Shuffler at the halfway mark, and then straight up the Crawler. Don’t complain that I haven’t warned you!, but hey, Marathons should be challenging.(The official webpage has maps and elevations showing the true story, so please check this out.)

There is also a Half Marathon, and provision is made for walkers and slow runners in both the Half and the Full Marathons.

There is also a pre-race Pasta Party on the night before(Bookings are essential), and at the post-race function, the local ‘Ladies committee’, of the local Football club put on a ‘light lunch’, of sandwiches and home made cakes, which will defeat the hungriest Marathon runner. Then at about 6PM on the race night there is an informal function(Pay as you go, and no need to book) at a local hotel.

I don’t get to this race as often as I would like but I have ran it twice in recent years, and will most likely return in 2009.

Depending on how long you have, this is a great place for a holiday.

You can drive the “Great Ocean Rd” to Warrnambool, take in “Tower Hill” when passing through Warrnambool, and do parts of the 'Great Southern Walk'(or all of it.)

Then either drive to Adelaide via Mt Gambier, or return to Melbourne via ‘The Grampians', Ballarat and the ‘Central Victorian Goldfields’.

And the following video's will also give an insight to what is to be scene.