Bondi to Manly: Our Course Tips and Shoe of Choice

Bondi to Manly is one of those races where 80km does not tell you the full story.

Starting at Bondi Pavilion and finishing at Manly Beach, the course moves through cliff tops, harbour paths, city streets, bush trails, stairs, gravel and plenty of rolling terrain. The official course lists around 1,375m of elevation across the 80km, but it is the constant changing of surfaces that really defines the day.

That makes training, pacing and shoe choice a little different from a standard road ultra.

0-20km: Bondi to Rose Bay

The opening section takes you out of Bondi and onto the exposed coastal cliffs around Dover Heights before heading through Watsons Bay and South Head. From there, the course turns towards the harbour and follows the Hermitage Foreshore Walk into Rose Bay.

It is a spectacular start, but don't let fresh legs dictate your effort.

There are already plenty of changes in terrain, including stairs, undulating paths and small sandy sections. The goal here should be to stay comfortable and resist the temptation to race the runnable parts.

Key moments: Bondi Beach, Dover Heights, Watsons Bay, South Head, Hermitage Foreshore Walk.

Our tip: Settle in. If you feel like you're holding back slightly, you're probably doing it right.

20-40km: Rose Bay to North Sydney

This is probably the most urban and runnable part of Bondi to Manly.

From Rose Bay you work through Rushcutters Bay towards the city, around the Royal Botanic Garden, past the Opera House and through The Rocks before crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The leg finishes at Milson Park in North Sydney.

It is easy to get carried away here. After the stop-start nature of some earlier sections, smooth paths and pavement can make you feel fantastic.

Use it to find a rhythm, but don't suddenly start chasing your road-running pace. You haven't reached halfway yet.

Key moments: Rushcutters Bay, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney Opera House, The Rocks, Harbour Bridge.

Our tip: Take advantage of the runnable terrain without turning it into a 20km tempo.

40-60km: North Sydney towards Clontarf

Now the character changes again.

Leaving North Sydney, the route hugs the harbour through Cremorne Point before heading into the red gum forests around Bradleys Head and Gubbah Gubbah. The official third leg is actually the longest at 23km and continues all the way to Clontarf Reserve.

This is where being comfortable on trail starts to pay off. Your legs already have a marathon in them, and the constant little climbs, descents and changes underfoot become more noticeable.

It is also where training exclusively on roads can come back to bite you.

Key moments: Cremorne Point, Bradleys Head, Taronga Zoo area, Gubbah Gubbah and the approach towards Clontarf.

Our tip: Forget pace. Run to effort, hike when it makes sense and keep eating.

60-80km: Clontarf to Manly, but not quite...

The final section is only around 18km. Do not mistake that for an easy finish.

From Clontarf you take on the famous Spit to Manly terrain before eventually reaching Manly. And then comes one of the course's great psychological tricks.

You get to within roughly 200 metres of the finish line, but you are not finished. Instead, the course sends you past Manly Wharf, uphill and around North Head Sanctuary before finally bringing you back down to Manly Beach. The organisers describe this final leg as one of the toughest despite being the shortest.

Knowing that beforehand matters. Do not mentally finish the race when you first reach Manly.

Key moments: Clontarf, Spit to Manly, Manly Wharf, North Head Sanctuary and finally Manly Beach.

Our tip: Save something for North Head. Seeing Manly does not mean you're done.

What shoes should you wear for Bondi to Manly?

This course creates an interesting footwear problem.

A road shoe is great through the city and smoother sections, but can leave you wanting more grip once you hit gravel and trail. An aggressive trail shoe solves that problem, but can feel like too much shoe for the significant amount of pavement and hard-packed terrain.

For us, the sweet spot is road-to-trail.

And our pick is the Salomon Aero Glide 4 GRVL.

Why the Salomon Aero Glide 4 GRVL makes sense

The Aero Glide 4 GRVL takes the feel of a highly cushioned road trainer and adds the grip and security needed to comfortably leave the pavement.

Underfoot is Salomon's optiFOAM² midsole with a 41mm heel, 33mm forefoot and 8mm drop. Reverse Camber geometry helps the shoe roll smoothly through the stride, while the Gravel contaGRIP outsole and 2.5mm lugs add traction without making the shoe feel like a traditional trail shoe.

The upper uses Salomon's sensiFIT and endoFIT systems to keep the foot secure when the terrain becomes less predictable.

The result is a shoe that feels at home across exactly the surfaces Bondi to Manly throws at you.

Road: excellent
Gravel and fire trail: excellent
Light trail: very good
Technical or muddy trail: a more dedicated trail shoe makes more sense

Most importantly, it still feels good when you get back onto the road.

That versatility is the reason we'd look at the Aero Glide 4 GRVL for Bondi to Manly. You aren't choosing a shoe for the hardest 5km of the course. You're choosing one that needs to work across the entire 80km.

A few things to get right before race day

Train on mixed terrain. Put road, stairs, gravel and trail into the same long run rather than treating them as completely separate types of training.

Practise your fuelling until it becomes routine. The race has aid stations around Rose Bay, North Sydney, Clontarf and Manly, but you still need to know what works for you between them.

And get plenty of time in your race shoes. Bondi to Manly is not the day to discover that something feels different after four hours.

The course is long, varied and difficult to judge purely by pace. Respect the first 40km, keep eating through the middle, save something for North Head and remember that when you first see Manly, you're not quite there yet.

Shop the Salomon Aero Glide 4 GRVL in-store or online now at Pace Athletic.