The Great North Walk is a 250 km walking track that runs between Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia.  It was opened in the Australian Bicentennial year of 1988 and passes through some of Australia's most outstanding scenery.

The Great North Walk 100s (GNW100s), organized by the Terrigal Trotters running club for the first time in 2005, are two simultaneous trail races, a 100 Mile and a 100 Kilometre, along The Great North Walk south from Teralba on Lake Macquarie.  The 100 Kilometre race will finish at Yarramalong in the scenic Yarramalong Valley and the 100 Mile at Patonga on spectacular Broken Bay.  Although the route is primarily on foot tracks and fire-trails, it does include some minor back roads.  There is more than 6,200 metres (20,000ft) of ascent (and descent) in the 100 Mile and 3,800 metres (12,500ft) of ascent in the 100 Kilometre.

The first three GNW100s were a great success with very positive feedback from participants and spectators.  To read more about them click here.

Both races will start at 6:00am on Saturday, 8 November 2008.  There will be cut-off times at Checkpoints en route and the overall time limits will be 22 hours for the 100 Kilometre and 36 hours for the 100 Mile.

The number of entrants, in total for both races, will be 100.  Entries will open in mid-July 2008 and close on 24 October 2008.

If you have any questions about The Great North Walk 100s, or want to be placed on the mailing list for event updates, please contact Dave Byrnes at dave@davebyrnes.com.au or on +61 (0)428 880784.

WARNING

Despite its proximity to the populated Central Coast of New South Wales, the course passes through rugged and spectacular terrain and is a demanding challenge for all runners. Entrants need to cope with precipitous ascents and descents, muddy trails and creek crossings, slippery rocks and roots, and hard-to-follow trail.  There are a number of sections where running is impossible. There will be no marshals on the course and all runners will need to be capable navigators and prepared to travel at night in remote areas on difficult trail. 

IT IS EASY TO GET LOST OR INJURED ON THIS COURSE IF YOU DO NOT EXERCISE SUFFICIENT CARE AND/OR ARE ILL-PREPARED.

Runners will also be required to carry certain equipment and must carry sufficient water to last them between checkpoints which can be up to 30 km apart.  a number of runners dropped out suffering from dehydration after the relatively short second leg in 2006.

IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT, ON AVERAGE, ONLY A THIRD OF 100 MILE RACE STARTERS COMPLETE THE EVENT.