Running
Is Adelaide Australia’s best-running city?
Endless parklands, easy navigation, and a local beach make Adelaide hard to beat.
Ah, Adelaide. What’s not to love? Beautiful parks, wide city streets in an easy to navigate grid, the majestic River Torrens gracefully meandering through the heart of the city, and the Adelaide hills providing a breathtaking backdrop. It really is a haven for runners - except for those few days in the middle of summer when it feels like the pavement is melting.
If you’re new to running, or you’re dropping into the City of Churches for a few days and looking for places to run, look no further. We’ve got the ultimate Adelaide City Guide right here.
01
Torrens River Run
Running over Adelaides Torrens Bridge
© Riley Wollf
Distance: 5km
Surface: Path
Terrain: Rolling
Let’s start things off with a simple and scenic loop of the River Torrens. You can get onto this loop at any point at the northern end of the city - the area around Adelaide Oval is particularly central (and beautiful with its wide open spaces). The western end of the run crosses the river at the Torrens Weir Bridge (you’ll know it when you see it, it’s unmistakable), while the eastern turn point is at Frome St - also well marked. It’s a beautiful 5km loop that has a few small ramps but is accessible for runners of all ability. You can also extend the loop very easily by continuing along the river until the next crossover point - but we’ll cover that later.
Post-run, the move is to wander into the northern end of the Adelaide CBD and find yourself somewhere to refuel that energy. If you’ve got it in your legs, head down to Ebenezer Place for a variety of great spots.
Torrens River Run Adelaide
© Natural Earth Data, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap
Check it out on Strava here.
02
Botanic Park Loop
Distance: 1.75km loop
Surface: Path
Terrain: Flat
Trying to run fast while you’re in town? This one’s for you. Located in the north east corner of the Adelaide CBD, this loop is a favourite for some of Australia’s best distance runners - it’s a great place to run repeats if you have a big workout to do. Like most things in Adelaide, it’s close to parklands and the river, so it’s popular to warm up nearby, then hit Botanic Park for the session. It’s a beautiful, tree lined loop offering plenty of shade as well as shelter from the wind, so on a hot day this is a great place to be.
If you’re staying in the city centre, it’s an easy jog up North Terrace (which is beautiful, by the way) and a left turn and you’re right there. Jog back along the river post session, and start thinking to yourself, ‘I wonder if work would let me base in Adelaide?’...
Botanic Park Lap Adelaide
© Natural Earth Data, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap
Check it out on Strava here.
03
Pakapakanthi Parkrun
Distance: 5km
Surface: Gravel path
Terrain: Flat
It’s hard to give you the Pakapakanthi Parkrun course, because the organisers rotate through a number of alternates depending on what’s happening in Adelaide’s glorious parklands. But what you need to know is the Pakapakanthi Parkrun is Adelaide’s biggest, and can be the home of fast times - if that’s what you’re there for.
Check them out on Facebook when you’re in Adelaide for an up to date look at the course for that week - Pakapakanthi Park is located on the east side of the Adelaide CBD and boasts an incredible amount of tracks and trails. When you’ve finished Parkrun you can wander over a couple of streets and find some great refuel options, or immerse yourself even more in the park with a long meandering stroll. That’s one of the things we love about Adelaide - there’s an almost endless supply of green space.
Pakapakanthi Park Run Adelaide
© Natural Earth Data, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap
Check it out on Strava here.
04
Adelaide City Loop
Running alongside Adelaides Torren Rivier
© Riley Wolff
Distance: 20km
Surface: Path
Terrain: Mostly flat
If you’re looking for a long run, this is it. An Adeliade stunner. You can start and finish anywhere, but I’ve got it starting at The Run House; a running themed cafe from elite distance runners Izzie Batt-Doyle and Riley Cocks. The 20km loop takes you along the River Torrens and into the northern end of the CBD; you go past the Adelaide Oval as you head west.
From here, you’ll pop out near Thebarton before heading south - you’ll pass very close to the newly re-laid athletics track at the South Australia Athletics Stadium, before you turn again and head east along the parklands at Greenhill Road. If you’re getting tired, this section can feel like it goes on forever; it’s one long straight for over 4 kilometers. Finally, you’ll hit the south east corner of the Adelaide Park Lands, and from here you have many options. If you cut back into the park you’ll find drink taps and a shortcut back into the city - but I recommend heading back to the Run House.
Overall this loop is a fun way to see more of Adelaide; it’s not hilly, there’s lots of shade, and you’re never contending with excess traffic.
Adelaide City Loop Adelaide
© Google Maps
Check it out on Strava here.
05
West Beach to Glenelg
Running alongside Adelaides Torrens River
© Riley Wolff
Distance: 11km
Surface: path
Terrain: flat
You can do this run a lot of different ways, but one the locals favour is starting at West Beach where the local Parkrun starts, and then heading south towards Glenelg (side note - the West Beach Parkrun is also pretty quick and worth a look if you’re staying in the area). This is your typical beach run - very open and runs right alongside the water for nearly all of it. It’s obviously best on a calm day, and you might even choose to stop in Glenelg for a quick dip - or save it for when you’re back at the finish point. There’s no right or wrong way to run this one - you can keep going almost as far as you want. We would recommend using West Beach as the start point as it’s a little bit quieter if you’re parking or have a large group - but if you’re staying in Glenelg, just jump onto the route there.
There you have it - 5 great options for your next trip to Adelaide. Of course, there’s much more to discover in the nearby Adelaide Hills if you’re up for it, but city running in Adelaide is about as good as it gets.
West Beach Glenelg West Beach Adelaide
© Google Maps
Check it out on Strava here.
So there you have it, five great Adelaide runs. From city river romps to beachside jogs, it's all there!
Why do we care about running? There are of course the mental and physical benefits of putting on a pair of trainers and stretching your legs but the big one is our annual charity run Wings For Life which looks to raise funds to support spinal cord research. Every year millions run globally for those that can't.
3 min
Best moments from the Wings for Life World Run 2023
Hundreds of thousands people worldwide raced to support cutting-edge spinal cord research. See the highlights.
