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The Three Sisters and a forested valley below the cliffs at Katoomba
Stephen Tafra / Unsplash

Six Foot Track Marathon aid stations and cutoffs

45 km on the old bridle track from Katoomba to Jenolan, down Nellies Glen to the Coxs River and up onto the Black Range.

March 13, 2027 Blue Mountains, New South Wales

The Six Foot Track Marathon follows the Six Foot Track, a horse track marked out from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves in 1884, across the Megalong Valley and the Black Range. It's been run since 1984. The race is not-for-profit: the profits go to the Blue Mountains Rural Fire Service, whose volunteers crew the aid stations.

With the main road into Jenolan Caves shut by landslips, the race now finishes at the Binda Bush Cabins (Jenolan Caves Cottages) on Jenolan Caves Road, which cuts the old last 4 km down to Caves House. A 4 km loop of fire trail at the end of the Black Range keeps the distance at 45 km.

The organizer says mobile coverage is very unreliable at the finish and can be non-existent elsewhere on the course. Download the map before race weekend. GPS still shows where you are without a signal. The map's aid stations are the 2026 list, the latest the organizer has published.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Six Foot Track Marathon. Check the official site before you enter or race.

Six Foot Track course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

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Six Foot Track courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
Marathon45 km (28 mi)Sat, Mar 13, 7:00 AM

Six Foot Track Marathon

Down to the Coxs River at 283 m, then up to the Black Range and along it to Jenolan.

Distance
45 km (28 mi)
Start
Sat, Mar 13, 7:00 AM

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You start near the Explorers Tree on the western edge of Katoomba and drop straight into Nellies Glen, a narrow, rocky descent that bottoms out at 1.7 km. Through the Megalong Valley the track crosses paddocks to Megalong Road at 8 km, then winds down granite gullies into the Coxs River valley to the crossing at 15.5 km. You take the ford: the swing bridge isn't part of the race. After the Mini Mini Saddle at 20 km you drop to Alum Creek, then make the big climb, from the creek at the bottom of the Pluviometer hill (550 m, 22.5 km) to the Pluviometer at 26 km.

Most of the last third is fire trail along the Black Range, with the 4 km forest loop near the Black Range campground before the run to the finish. The organizer's climbing figure, 1,528 m, was measured for the old finish at Caves House, so it doesn't fit this course. The aid stations and their kilometers on the map are the 2026 list; the 2027 one isn't out yet. Cutoffs: Coxs River at 2:10 elapsed, the Pluviometer at 4:10 and the Deviation, at 39 km, at 6:05. Those are the race rules' times. The organizer has added a 7:30 finish for women but no checkpoint cutoffs to go with it.

The Blue Mountains escarpment seen across bush from the Megalong Valley
April Pethybridge / Unsplash

Qualifying and entry

Every entrant needs a qualifier from 1 July 2025 to 30 November 2026, and must be 18 on race day. For 2027 that's any of these: a 2025 or 2026 Six Foot finish under 7:00; a UTMB or ITRA race score of at least 415 (men) or 390 (women) from a race of 30 km or more; a marathon under 4:20 (men) or 4:35 (women); an Ironman run leg under 5:00 or 5:20; or one of the organizer's named races. The organizer says it isn't a race for your first marathon, and compares it to a 60 km road race.

Preferred entry runs from 9am on Monday 30 November to 9am on Wednesday 2 December 2026. The lottery opens straight after and closes at 5pm on Friday 4 December, with results and payment on Monday 7 December. Lottery places are split evenly between men and women, and there's no waitlist. Entries are on Race Roster. Raise $1,000 for the Blue Mountains RFS through the fundraising page and you're eligible for preferred entry the following year.

Getting to the start and home from the finish

Megalong Road running toward sandstone cliffs, with a kangaroo warning sign
April Pethybridge / Unsplash

Katoomba is 102 km by road west of Sydney and on the Blue Mountains train line. You can't park, stop or be dropped off anywhere near the start, and a runner linked to a car that does is disqualified. Park in Katoomba and catch the free shuttle from Violet Street, by the Katoomba Christian Convention car park, or from the YHA or the Carrington Hotel. Buses run from 5:30am until the last wave goes at 7:45am, and you can also walk to the start on the footpath beside the highway.

Pick up your bib at the Carrington Hotel on Friday from 11am to 7pm, or at the start from 5:30am. You can leave one bag at either, and it goes to the finish. Buses from the finish back to Katoomba start at midday.

Watching the race

A wooden Six Foot Track sign in a grassy paddock with scattered trees
XXWW / Unsplash

Supporters ride the same free buses. The Megalong Road crossing at 8 km is reached through Blackheath, but you won't make it there after watching the start. The best stop on course is the Black Range campground, about 33 km along Jenolan Caves Road from the highway and then 1 km in on Black Range Road: runners pass there at 34 and 38 km, either side of the forest loop. From there you can't drive on to the finish.

For the finish, either drive in before 8am and stay parked until 4:30pm, take a bus from Katoomba or the start, or park at the Millionth Acre rest area at the Duckmaloi Road turnoff and catch the shuttle. Pack cash and print what you need, since phones may not work.

Weather and what to carry

A limestone arch over a stairway at Jenolan Caves
Tyler Mower / Unsplash

March in Katoomba averages 21°C by day and 12°C at night, with 168 mm of rain over about 16 days. The valley is much lower: the Coxs River crossing is at 283 m against 1,041 m at the start, and the organizer warns it's often hot on race day. The March 2025 race was called off for a heavy rain forecast and run in September instead.

Every aid station has water, Tailwind, Vaseline and sunscreen. Coke is on offer too, and some stations add fruit and lollies. There are no gels and no cups, so bring a bottle, flask or bladder to fill. The organizer recommends a 2 litre pack. Poles are banned, and headphones are only allowed after the Coxs River.

Six Foot Track aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • Start (near the Explorers Tree, Katoomba)

    1,041 m (3,415 ft)

    -33.70395, 150.28842

  • Megalong Road crossing

    572 m (1,877 ft)

    -33.73581, 150.23637

  • Coxs River

    283 m (928 ft)

    -33.74283, 150.17878

  • Lemon Tree Yards

    -33.74518, 150.15676

  • Alum Creek

    -33.75764, 150.13938

  • Pluviometer

    1,006 m (3,301 ft)

    -33.77612, 150.12005

  • Black Range Trail

    -33.77589, 150.07928

  • Black Range Junction (start of forest loop)

    1,212 m (3,976 ft)

    -33.75571, 150.05118

  • State Forest Junction (end of forest loop)

    -33.75443, 150.04908

  • Finish (Jenolan Caves Cottages, Binda)

    1,193 m (3,914 ft)

    -33.78879, 150.02235

Six Foot Track FAQ

When is the Six Foot Track Marathon 2027?

Saturday 13 March 2027. In 2026 the waves went from 7:00am to 7:45am, and you are put in a wave by your qualifying time.

What is the cutoff for the Six Foot Track Marathon?

7:00 for an official finish and a medal. From 2027 the cutoff for women is 7:30, though the organizer hasn't published separate checkpoint cutoffs for women. On the way there are cutoffs at the Coxs River (2:10), the Pluviometer (4:10) and the Deviation at 39 km (6:05), and sweepers can pull you at an aid station if they think you won't make it.

How do you get into the Six Foot Track Marathon?

With a valid qualifier, through preferred entry if you're eligible or the lottery in early December. The 2027 fee is $240.

Where does the Six Foot Track Marathon finish now?

At the Binda Bush Cabins (Jenolan Caves Cottages) on Jenolan Caves Road. The road down to Jenolan Caves House is closed after landslips, so the old last 4 km was swapped for a 4 km loop at the end of the Black Range.

Can you use poles in the Six Foot Track Marathon?

No. Walking poles are banned on every part of the course.

Is there phone reception on the Six Foot Track?

Not much. The organizer says coverage is very unreliable at the finish and can be non-existent elsewhere on the course. Download the map before you go.

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Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.