The mud pits, mounds and logs will be familiar. The hills will not.
The Australian Cross Country Championships returns to Victoria Park in Ballarat on 22 August with a course that, on paper at least, looks considerably more demanding than the one athletes tackled 12 months ago. While many of the artificial obstacles remain, the 2026 layout has been tightened from 2km and 3km loops into shorter and twistier 1km and 2km loops ,and appears to pack in roughly twice as much climbing as last year’s course.
It is not simply the amount of elevation that stands out, but how it is delivered. Rather than long, rolling rises that allow athletes to find a rhythm, the new course is punctuated by a series of short, sharp — and occasionally sadistic — climbs. One rise on the 1km loop gains around six to seven metres in barely 50 metres, an average gradient of roughly 13–15 per cent, while a climb midway through the 2km circuit appears steeper again.
The result should be a very different type of race. Rhythm will be harder to find, repeated accelerations will exact a greater price, and athletes who can combine aerobic strength with power, balance and efficient hill running may find themselves with an advantage as the laps — and the climbs — accumulate.
The 14 day forecast ahead of the event shows a week of rain, before fine weather the week leading into the event, with a sunny 17 degrees expected. With the mud, climbs, twists and turns and potentially soft ground in shaded areas, 9mm Pyramid Spikes are likely the best choice for athletes, with a pair of 12mm or 15mm spikes as a back up should it be wetter than expected.
Strintzos vs Marks in men’s race
The start lists are out and are headlined by Australia’s strongest recent World Cross Country performers converging on Ballarat for a high-quality men’s 10km.
Haftu Strintzos, who owns Australia’s best finish across the past two editions with 22nd place, goes head-to-head with Ed Marks, 23rd in 2025 and 25th in 2026. But even that understates the depth of the field: Marks was only the second Australian home at this year’s championships, with Australian 5000m and 10000m record holder Ky Robinson finishing one place ahead in 24th.
Strintzos will line up in his first race since setting the Australian marathon record at the beginning of Gold Coast last month, where he ran 2:06:20. Marks enters with a strong string of runs including a 60:57 half marathon debut on the Gold Coast and a 28:12 10km at the Sydney Harbour 10.
