The WA Marathon Club at a glance
If you’ve run a road race in Perth, there’s a good chance the WA Marathon Club organised it. The West Australian Marathon Club (WAMC) was founded in 1970, has more than 1,000 members aged from four to over eighty, and describes itself as WA’s largest running club. This October it runs the 47th Perth Marathon at the Perth Running Festival.
So how does a volunteer-run club put on a calendar that size? This profile looks at how WAMC is run, what’s left on its 2026 calendar, where it trains each week and what membership gets you.
- Founded: 1970
- Members: over 1,000, aged four to over eighty
- President: Kim Vivian
- Base: Burswood Water Sports Centre, 1 Camfield Drive, Burswood
- Adult membership: $75 a year (2026)
- Weekly runs: Monday to Thursday, at Point Walter, Perry Lakes, Burswood and Kings Park
Information checked October 2026.
What is the WA Marathon Club?
The West Australian Marathon Club is a running club based in Perth, Western Australia. According to the WAMC About page, it was “founded in 1970 to bring together West Aussies who love to run”, and it was formed by runners to put on events that are well organised and fun to be part of.
Don’t let the name put you off. You don’t need to have run a marathon, or want to. The club’s homepage says membership is open to all runners regardless of ability, and its events range from a 300m dash to the full 42.2km.
Who runs the WA Marathon Club?
Kim Vivian is the club’s President. The President is backed by a volunteer committee covering finance, events, sponsorship, race programming, public relations, membership, social activities, IT and volunteer coordination.
That volunteer structure goes all the way down. The club says only its office staff are paid. Race directors and committee members aren’t, and all marshals and race officials are club members.
How does WAMC organise its events?
The short answer is: its members do. This is the part most runners never see, and it’s the reason WAMC races can stay affordable.
Every member pitches in
The WAMC membership page says members living within 100km of Perth are expected to volunteer at two club events a year, with some flexibility to do at least one. Spread across more than 1,000 members, that adds up to a lot of helping hands on race mornings.
The jobs behind a race
The WAMC volunteer page lists more than 16 roles. They include:
- Set-up, pack-down and equipment
- Timing and registration
- Course marshalling
- Drink stations (at least four people per station)
- Photography and social media
- Catering
- Lead cyclist
- Race director and assistant race director
- Event traffic control (this needs an ETC certificate, and the club offers training)
How volunteering works
You register your interest through the club, and the volunteer coordinator contacts you two to four weeks before an event with your role. Volunteers get a pack with role details, timings and a small gift.
Some roles, such as set-up, pack-down, tail runner and registration, still let you run on the day. If you’re new to Perth, a shift on a drink station is also one of the easiest ways to meet people in the local running scene.
What’s left on the WAMC 2026 race calendar?
The club’s 2026 race programme runs right through to Boxing Day. Here’s what’s still to come, with start times as the programme lists them.
| Date | Event | Distances | Where and when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Oct | 47th Perth Marathon (Perth Running Festival) | 42.2km, 21.1km, 10km, 4km | Optus Stadium, 6:30am |
| 18 Oct | Wally Cairns Pancake Run | 15km solo or relay, 10km, 5km, 300m | May Drive Parklands, Kings Park, 7:15am |
| 23 Oct | John Gilmour Track Race | 10km | Coker Park, Cannington, 6pm |
| 8 Nov | Revo Fitness Fremantle Running Festival | 21.1km solo or relay, 10km, 5km, 300m | Fremantle Oval, 6:15am |
| 22 Nov | McNally Applecross Shoreline Run | 15km, 7.5km, 3km | Tompkins Park, Applecross, 7am |
| 13 Dec | Founders City Beach Christmas Cup | 8km, 4km | Challenger Parade, City Beach, 7am |
| 26 Dec | Parlouf Relay | 5km | Perry Lakes Hockey Club, 9:30am |
The John Gilmour Track Race and the Parlouf Relay are listed as free for members. The Perth Running Festival is sold out, with a waitlist on the official festival website. For the others, check the programme for entry details closer to the day.
The mix is a big part of the club’s appeal. In two months you could do a stadium finish, a Kings Park pancake run, a night track race and a Boxing Day relay.
Where does WAMC train during the week?
You don’t have to wait for race day to run with the club. The WAMC training page lists four regular sessions, all marked as free.
| Day and time | Location | Session |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, 6pm | Point Walter (meet to the right of Walters River Cafe) | 8km time trial |
| Tuesday, 5:30pm | Perry Lakes (Alderbury St Reserve) | 4.8km interval session |
| Wednesday, 5:30pm | Burswood (Water Sports Centre) | 6km+ social run |
| Thursday, 6pm | Kings Park (meet at Aspects) | 8-10km group trail run |
There’s also a northern suburbs group around Joondalup running 5-15km, with times that vary. The training page lists contact details for it.
The club lists four coaches: Peter Grose (Tuesday intervals, Athletics Australia certified), Sasha Johnson (beginner to experienced, endurance), Carl Douglas (marathon and ultra) and Vanessa Carson (all ages and abilities, accredited exercise physiologist).
Which session suits a beginner?
The Wednesday social run at Burswood is the gentlest way in. It’s a social session, it starts at the club’s base, and the membership page lists it as a free member benefit. Monday’s time trial is handy once you want to track progress, and the Kings Park trail run suits anyone who’d rather run on dirt than bitumen.
How much is WAMC membership, and what do you get?
These are the 2026 fees on the WAMC membership page.
- Adult: $75
- Youth (under 18): $40
- Senior (65+): $40
- Family (up to two adults and four children): $145
Membership benefits listed by the club include:
- Reduced entry fees for races and seminars
- Free entry to designated club runs
- VIP benefits at the Perth Running Festival
- A welcome pack with a cloth bib and timing chip
- Eligibility for club championship trophies
- A quarterly newsletter and an online account with your race history
- Partner discounts, including 15% off at Running Warehouse Australia and 20% off initial consultations at SportsMed Subiaco
If you plan to race a few WAMC events a year, compare member and non-member entry prices on each race page to see how quickly membership pays for itself.
Is the WA Marathon Club right for you?
It depends on what you want from a club. Here’s a fair comparison.
- It suits you if you like having a race on the calendar, you want structured sessions like intervals and time trials, or you’d like to give back by volunteering.
- It may not suit you if you mainly want a weekend coffee run with no racing, or you can’t commit to the volunteer shifts.
Plenty of Perth runners do both: WAMC for races and structure, and a social crew for the weekend. WAMC’s own training page points to community groups such as DOSE Running and Manning Park Trail Runners. You’ll find those and more in our Perth run club directory.
If you’re more interested in track and cross-country, Athletics West is the governing body for athletics in WA and runs the state championships.
WA Marathon Club FAQs
Do I need to run marathons to join WAMC?
No. The club welcomes runners of every ability, whether or not they’ve run a marathon. Its events range from 300m dashes and 3km runs up to the marathon.
How much does it cost to join the WA Marathon Club?
For 2026, adult membership is $75. Youth and senior memberships are $40, and a family membership covering up to two adults and four children is $145.
Do WAMC members have to volunteer?
Members who live within 100km of Perth are expected to volunteer at two club events a year, with some flexibility to do at least one. Roles range from drink stations to timing, and some let you run as well.
Where does WAMC train?
The club runs sessions at Point Walter on Mondays, Perry Lakes on Tuesdays, Burswood on Wednesdays and Kings Park on Thursdays. There’s also a northern suburbs group around Joondalup.
Who is the president of the WA Marathon Club?
Kim Vivian is the club’s President, leading a volunteer committee. The club says race directors and committee members aren’t paid.
What’s the next WAMC race?
The 47th Perth Marathon at the Perth Running Festival on 11 October 2026, followed by the Wally Cairns Pancake Run in Kings Park on 18 October.
Find your running crew
To join, you fill in the online form on the WAMC join page and pay your fee. Then try the Wednesday social run at Burswood and put your name down for a drink station shift. For more ways to run with others, browse the Perth run club directory, read more runners’ guides, or get race-ready in the Perth Running Clubs shop.