First Light Marathon, Half & 6K

Excursions & Extensions for 2025

Pre Tour Extension:

Hobbiton & Bay of Plenty – 20 – 23 January (4 days) – From £995pp

Explore the magical Hobbiton from Lord of the Rings, get lost in Hamilton Gardens and relax at Bay of Plenty.

Excursions:

Stingray Encounter – 24 January (2.5 Hours) – £75

Of all the ways to experience the magical marine environment around Tairāwhiti Gisborne, feeding the stingrays on a reef ecology tour is one of the most memorable.

Gisborne Astro Tours – 25 January (2 Hours) – £65

The Southern Cross, Centaurus, and Carina are just a few of the constellations awaiting you in the Southern Hemisphere…

Learn To Surf – 26 January (3 Hours) – £65

Tairāwhiti Gisborne offers excellent surfing conditions all year-round. There is a variety of stunning beaches within a short driving distance from the city, and the skilled surfing instructors are eager to get you standing up on a board.

Tolaga Bay and Hike to Cooks Cove – 26 January (5 Hours) – £50

Head to Tolaga Bay, a bay and small town that, at 660m, boasts the longest concrete wharf in the country. Along the bay is a path that leads to Cooks Cove, where Captain James Cook stopped in 1769 as part of his circumnavigation of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Post Tour Extension:

Lakes & Legends – 27 January – 1 February (6 Days) – From £1995 pp

Trek the Tongariro Pass, relax in a Polynesian spa, and marvel at cavernous glow worms on this exciting tour.

Marathon Tours & Travel First Light Marathon Package 2025

For 2025 we are offering three accommodation packages to choose from starting at £761 per person based on sharing a twin (2 beds) or double room (1 double bed). Each package includes the following inclusions:

• 4 nights accommodation in Tairawhiti Gisborne
• English-speaking tour leader
• Meals according to itinerary inc. Pasta Dinner
• Powhiri (Maori welcome) incl. lunch
• Guided shakeout run with a beer and finger-food
• Celebration dinner at a local vineyard
• 2-week free trial of Coopah bespoke training plans. Details on how to claim will be sent in your booking confirmation email

Event Entries

• Marathon – £95
• Half marathon – £55
• 6K Fun Run – £25

Race entry includes

• First Light Marathon T-shirt from Craft
• Exclusive medal
• Experienced medical personnel
• Timing and results
• Finish line refreshments
• Manned water and supply stations along the route

Time limit

The race officially ends at 13:40. This means that both marathon runners and half-marathon runners have a cut-off time of 8 hours.
For the MARATHON there is a 4 hours cut-off time half-way (at 21km). Any runners left on the route after this cut-off time will be collected by car.

Weather

Remember, January is summertime in the southern hemisphere. Summer is the driest season in Tairwhiti Gisborne, but the chance of rain is still around 20% each day. Daytime temperatures will be warm and humid, on average around 24°C / 75°F.

Route Logistics

The route will be well-marked with many small flags, arrows, and kilometer signs. Water stations will be positioned along the route at approximately every 4 kilometers. Some stations will also serve energy drinks, bananas, and energy gels. Personal supplies can be deposited at the start/finish area in a staffed bag drop area. There will be toilets and post-race refreshments in the start/finish area as well.

Start / Finish

Both the marathon, half-marathon and Fun Run will start and finish at the boardwalk next to Midway Surf Club. Refreshments will be waiting for you after the race in the start/finish area.

Marathon and half-marathon will begin at 5:40 and ends at 13:40.
Fun Run will start 07.10

Surface

The First Light Marathon will be run on a variety of surfaces: pavement, dirt roads, grass, single-track trails, and sandy beach will all be included in this strenuous race.

Route description

All runners will begin on the boardwalk next to Midway Surf Club. Both the marathon and half-marathon race starts just before sunrise and Fun Run 30 minutes later. Participants will follow the boardwalk out of Tairāwhiti Gisborne until the first hills are reached. Fun Run will run a flat loop in Gisborne and return via the boardwalk to the finish line in front of Midway Surf Club. When marathon and half-marathon crest the first hill, they’ll be rewarded with a view of the sun slowly rising out over the Pacific Ocean. You will be among the first people in the world to greet the new day as the sun illuminates the landscape around you.

Both 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 two kilometers through the sand next to the sparkling waves. Then, marathon runners will head back into the hills to tackle even more challenging climbs until they once again reach Tairāwhiti Gisborne.

All distances will finish the race on the same boardwalk where the race began, running onto Midway Surf Club for some well-deserved rest and refreshments.

Note: Do not forget that this is first and foremost an adventure. We are far away from comforts of home and this makes it impossible to offer services at the same level usually provided in city marathons.

The Seven Continents Club®️ (SCC) offers a unique opportunity for runners to run on all seven continents of the globe, as well as providing numerous benefits to its members. The club operates as a global frequent traveller club for runners, offering waitlist priority for high-demand events, early pre-registration periods for a number of races in popular destinations and tour package vouchers for money off international tour packages. What’s more, Seven Continents Club®️ rewards all its members for the extraordinary achievement of running marathons on each continent with their own special finishers medal and certificate of completion. Join the SCC today!