Frequently Asked Questions

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Yes, absolutely. You can choose to walk or run any of the course options. So you don't need to be a runner to enter and have a fun day out. As with anyone, choose the course option that best suits your fitness level.

Maps of each of the courses will be released as the courses are finalised. You can check out the maps here:

Long course 

Medium course 

Short course 

No. We want the Awa Adventure Run to be as inclusive and achievable as possible. If you cross the start line, our volunteer team will support and encourage you as much as they can to make the finish line. Therefore there are no cut-off times that you need to worry about making. However, we do reserve the right to withdraw any participants from the course for safety reasons.

Yes. All finishers of the short, medium and long courses will receive a finishers medal. 

2024 is the first time that we have run The Awa Adventure Run, and is also the first time that That Place MTB Park have hosted a trail running event of this size. We have capped numbers to ensure that the inaugural event is logistically manageable and fun for participants. We want you to enjoy the scenery of the great location that you are running in, not worry about jostling shoulder to shoulder with other runners all day.

There's heaps on offer to fill in your time before and after The Awa Adventure Run. Whanganui surprises with just how much is packed into a small city. There are fantastic parks and beaches for the family, a vibrant arts scene, award winning breweries and distilleries to check out, and lots of bars and restaurants for a drink and a feed. Check out Discover Whanganui for other activity ideas for your visit.

We offer a family (2 adults and up to 2 kids) entry rate to the short and medium courses to make it more affordable for families to take part together. It is important when registering with the family option that you only enter the details of one person during the registration process. 

Do not select the "add another registrant" option. Click "Continue". It's one of the limitations of the entry portal, if you try to enter all family members together you'll be charged each time and we don't want that! 

After the one entry comes in, we'll see the family category and email you to ask for the details of the other family members. Then we'll load them into the entry portal manually for you.

Here's a link to our cancellation policy. It covers off what refund you might be eligible for if you need to withdraw after entering, or if the event itself is cancelled. 

Yes. Because The Awa is limited to 300 participants it'd pay to enter as early as possible. Once we reach 300 entries, then the entry portal will close. We will keep a waitlist for anyone who misses out. Email us at event@theawa.co.nz to go onto the waitlist.

Yes. There will be a place to leave your bag of things you might need post-run at the Event Hub. Whilst we cannot guarantee the security of bags left, our team will take all reasonable precautions to ensure your belongings are safe.

We are running a schools event on Friday 27 September, the day before the Awa Adventure Run proper. This is for rangitahi in years 6 - 13 and will utilise the kids (2km), short (7km) and medium (13.9km) courses. Entries for this will be managed by your school's sports co-ordinator.