They say “life’s not a race”, but if it were, Australia would be lapping the field. We’d no doubt be crowned champions for having the world’s best beaches, along with some of the most underrated national parks and magical sunset locations. But our latest victory? We’ve officially outpaced the rest of the world with the most top-rated cities for running on the planet.
Running had a real moment in 2024, with every second Aussie lacing up for a half marathon or joining a run club. Inspired by the trend, the health insurance experts at Compare The Market set out to uncover the best running cities in the world. They ranked 50 hotspots based on eight factors, ranging from the number of running events, run clubs, parks and trails to the air quality and average rainfall.
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While London and New York led the pack as the highest-ranking cities for running worldwide, Australia broke the record as the country with the most cities in the top ten. We had four cities included in the ranking, while the US and Spain both had two, and the UK and Sweden had only one each.
Sydney bagged the bronze medal, boasting more running events (15), clubs (6,150) and trails (545) than anywhere else in Australia. Locals hardly have an excuse not to lace up, with Sydney being one of the safest cities for outdoor activities and having a low average rainfall that ensures pleasant running conditions year-round. It wasn’t factored into the study, but we’d argue that Sydney is also home to many of the world’s most breathtaking running routes, whether it’s a sunrise sprint from the Sydney Opera House to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair or a coastal jog from Bondi to Bronte.
Melbourne just missed out on a podium finish, ranking as the fourth-best city for running on Earth. It didn’t quite match Sydney, tallying only four major running events and 4,850 run clubs, but it made up for it with a higher number of parks (146) to stretch your legs.
Perth is chasing at Melbourne’s tail, being named as the world’s sixth-best city for running, while Canberra was the final Aussie city included in the ranking, landing in ninth place. Ready to take your running shoes on a global tour? You can check out the full rankings below.
The top 10 cities for running in the world:
- London, UK
- New York City, USA
- Sydney, Australia
- Melbourne, Australia
- Los Angeles, USA
- Perth, Australia
- Madrid, Spain
- Valencia, Spain
- Canberra, Australia
- Stockholm, Sweden
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