Last weekend, I was in Gold Coast, Australia, for the Gold Coast Marathon. 

So while there I decided to throw in the Surfers Paradise parkrun nearby, as well. This would be my first Australian parkrun event.

Location and start

Photo: Surfers Paradise parkrun

The Surfers Paradise parkrun location was quite near our accommodation, about 2.3km away in the centre of Surfers Paradise. So we decided to take a slow jog there to warm up for the run. 

Thanks to Google Maps, it was not hard on foot to find and we arrived early, at about 6.30am. 

If you are not staying close to this parkrun, I would strongly recommend taking an Uber; the area is not very accessible via public transportation.

The start time for the parkrun was at 7am. Well, at least there was plenty of time for us to head to the toilet.

The meeting area was quite easy to spot, thanks to the parkrun flags prominently placed at the location.

Two loop course

Photo: Surfers Paradise parkrun

Taking place at HOTA – Home of the Arts, Surfers Paradise, the route is a two-loop course of the Evandale Lake precinct.

The event attracted a total of 154 runners, many of whom were parkrun tourists and also running the marathon the following day.

There are plenty of loops, twists and turns, as well as short out-and-backs, which I thought can make the route rather confusing for first-timers. 

So I would suggest to constantly keep an eye out for the route marshals who will direct you on where to go if you are uncertain.

Photo: Surfers Paradise parkrun

Sections narrow

As well, many sections of the route were rather narrow. Due to the out-and-back design of the route, this created some congestion with two lanes of runners on a narrow path, and making it quite difficult for overtaking.

But otherwise, it is a flat course. There are small pockets of grass patches that you are required to run through, but otherwise it is mostly on pavement.

Weather 

The weather on Saturday morning was wet and rainy, with a non-stop drizzle that had let up momentarily during the parkrun.

As well, it was raining nonstop on Friday. So I was worried that segments of the the route would be muddy. 

Fortunately as it turned out, there were no puddles of mud that would get my shoes too dirty.

Overall impressions 

Other than the route, which could have been simplified, I would say that the Surfers Paradise parkrun was a nice parkrun centrally located and catering well to tourists visiting the area for holidays.