Australia’s toughest team endurance event, The Kokoda Challenge, calls on Sunshine Coast locals to participate in the Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge to raise much-needed funds for Australian youth programs run by the Kokoda Youth Foundation.
The event will commence with a commemorative service to honour Kokoda veterans and all men and women in service.
Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge, 2025 Dates, Map, Entry Prices
The Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge kicks off at the quaint country town of Kenilworth, where teams set off into the Imbil State Forest to climb rugged mountains and wade through rivers. Not far from this very forest, in the Blackall Ranges, is where many of the Diggers were trained in jungle warfare before being deployed overseas to fight for our country, many of them never returning.
Whether it’s the 18km, 30km, or 48km distance your team chooses to tackle, you’ll need the four pillars of the Kokoda Spirit to get you all to the finish line: courage, endurance, mateship, and sacrifice. These are the values that our Kokoda Veterans displayed while defending our country along the Kokoda Track in 1942 and are the values that you’ll need to push yourself and your teammates to keep going on your adventure despite the hills, the heat, and the hardship that you’ll face while on the Kokoda Challenge course.
Whether you’re a hiker or a trail runner, this Sunshine Coast hiking event might be one of the most demanding physical and mental feats you’ll ever face. But the feeling of crossing the finish line after pushing yourself far beyond your perceived limits is indescribable. Every step is worth it, knowing that your journey supports local kids in our community and honouring our Aussie heroes.
The men who fought along the actual Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea during 1942 not only had to battle torrential rain, relentless humidity, poor sanitary and medical supplies and therefore malaria, dysentery and other illnesses, they also faced an enemy that posed a threat to Australia and our allies. These men fought in adverse conditions yet still prevailed. The purpose of the Kokoda Challenge hiking event on the Sunshine Coast is to provide you with a deeper understanding of what these men endured to protect our great country.
This is also an opportunity for you to participate in a Sunshine Coast charity event and give back to your community, as the funds you raise will go directly towards helping youth in the local area. The Kokoda Youth Foundation offers a variety of programs, all of which are provided free of charge thanks to your fundraising. The programs’ objectives range from keeping disengaged high school students out of the juvenile justice system to mentoring opportunities that guide teens through a journey of learning resilience and structure by instilling in them the values of the Kokoda Spirit.
The Kokoda Challenge promises to transform you in a way that you’ve never experienced before. You’ll form unbreakable bonds with your team, reflect deeply on the sacrifices made by past generations for us to enjoy the freedom we know today, and walk alongside the kids you are fundraising for who are also completing the challenge.
48km Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge
You’re at the Kokoda Challenge start line with your teammates beside you. You are standing amongst hundreds of other teams, all fuelled with nerves and excitement for the long day and night ahead. You stand silently as the bugler plays The Last Post and The Ode is read to the crowd. You then take the first steps of an unforgettable 48-kilometre adventure through Imbil State Forest.
You’ll climb hills that feel almost vertical, wade through creeks and trudge through mud. There will be times when your team is buzzing with conversation as you walk through a beautiful, lush forest. Other times, everyone will be silent, as it takes all your focus to keep putting one foot before the next.
After walking through the night, you start to see bright lights up ahead. You’re overwhelmed with emotion, as the experience has not been like any other. You feel a strong sense of accomplishment. You’re tired and sore, but you couldn’t be happier to finish with your teammates beside you.
Once you cross The Kokoda Challenge finish line, you may be bruised and battered, but the word ‘Kokoda’ will hold a special place in your heart, knowing that you conquered possibly one of the greatest challenges of your life. Not only that, but you changed the lives of local kids through your fundraising and ensured the legacy of our Diggers lives on.
After the event, you’ll reflect on your journey and feel a profound respect for all those who served during WWII, especially in New Guinea. Not only did they double the distance that you completed, but they also faced the harsh reality of minimal medical supplies and a lack of artillery, all while facing a highly trained enemy.
In 2024, the average finish time of the 48km Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge was 12 hours and 35 minutes. The winning trail running team crossed the finish line in 8 hours and 31 minutes, and the final team completed their walk in 16 hours and 41 minutes. Eight percent of people did not finish.
30km Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge
The difficulty of the 30-kilometre Sunshine Coast course is not to be underestimated. Described by past teams as “harder than childbirth”, “a challenge to test you both physically and mentally”, and an event that will “test your grit”, this track will be sure to push you well outside of your comfort zone.
At 9am, you and your team will stand in silence as the MC reads The Ode, followed by the bugler playing The Last Post. With thoughts of the diggers’ sacrifice still fresh, you will embark on one of the most challenging 30-kilometre courses the East Coast offers. The beauty of the Imbil State Forest will be sure to distract you as you face multiple false peaks throughout the 1,200 metres of total elevation gain.
The climbs from below are steep and daunting. However, once you reach the ridgeline, you will experience jaw-dropping views of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, which the public rarely sees. But what goes up must come down, so be prepared for many gruelling downhill descents that will put your knees and walking poles to the test!
You may find yourself so lost in conversation or captivated by the beauty of the track that you hardly realise the sun has gone down. With the track lit only by your head torches, you and your team will walk closer together as the brisk night unfolds. This is where the real mental battle begins.
As you walk through the evening, you will be sure to feel the spirit of Kokoda on the track. The four pillars of courage, endurance, mateship, and sacrifice will be seen in your team’s abilities and how the Kokoda community walks alongside you.
By putting one foot in front of the other, you will find yourself at the 30km finish line! Your team will surround you, walk under the Kokoda Challenge arch and receive your dog tags. Despite doubting yourself sometimes, you will push yourself and your team to achieve what you may have thought was unachievable, just like the diggers who fought along the Kokoda Track in 1942 did.
Regardless of the aches and pains you may feel afterwards, you will find yourself reminiscing with your team about the memories made on the 30km course. By taking on the Kokoda Challenge, you have helped change the lives of young Australians while fighting to keep the Kokoda Spirit alive, which is something to be proud of.
In 2024, the average finish time of the 30km Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge was 8 hours and 20 minutes with the winning running team completing the course in 4 hours and 47 minutes and the final team coming through the finish line in 11 hours and 59 minutes.
18km Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge
The Kokoda Challenge is a tribute to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice during the 1942 Kokoda Campaign. It is also an opportunity to make a huge impact in your community through fundraising for local youth programs and the ultimate test of your mental and physical ability.
Don’t let the fact that the 18km is the shortest distance in the Sunshine Coast Kokoda Challenge trick you into thinking it’s easy because it is not! The total elevation of this course exceeds 800 metres, and the highest peak is over 450 metres, so you can imagine how steep some of the inclines and declines are!
While this distance attracts many trail runners, the 18km Sunshine Coast event is still predominantly filled with hikers. It is tough but very much achievable, especially with your team beside you. It’s believed that change does not come from your comfort zone; therefore, if you want to achieve something great, you must push yourself past what you think you can endure. As the name suggests, this is supposed to be a challenge after all.
At the start line, you will stand in silence with thousands of other hikers and runners as the bugler plays The Last Post, an integral part of each and every one of the events. You’ll also be standing near where many soldiers trained in the Blackall Ranges before being deployed to New Guinea.
They also wouldn’t be doing the name Kokoda much justice if this were a stroll through Imbil State Forest. This event is designed to emulate the actual Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea that took the lives of thousands of Aussies during the Kokoda Campaign in 1942.
In 2024, the average finish time for 18-kilometer teams was 5 hours and 42 minutes, with the fastest team coming through in 2 hours and 58 minutes and the lucky last team rolling through in 8 hours and 38 minutes. With an 11:00 a.m. start time, this means some teams will be walking after the sun has set and the cold has well and truly set in.
Fundraising
Through this event, you will raise funds for Australian kids participating in Youth Programs run by the Kokoda Youth Foundation. They are a local charity with a mission to change the lives of Aussie teens in the community by providing experiential programs that engage and inspire them to reach their full potential.
The Kokoda Youth Programs provide disadvantaged and disengaged youth with the appropriate tools to realise their full potential by instilling the values of the Kokoda Spirit: Courage, Endurance, Mateship, and Sacrifice.
They also aim to educate all Australians about the history of the Kokoda Campaign in 1942 and offer a life-changing experience for all Kokoda Challenge competitors in the amazing team events!
Held around ANZAC Day, the 18km, 30km and 48km courses will traverse through the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, encouraging hikers to walk in the footsteps of Australian Diggers during World War II, while they walk to raise funds for the Kokoda Youth Foundation.
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