The Best Places for Training in the World

By Steve Moneghetti

© Steve Moneghetti, all rights reserved.

One of the benefits of being a world class marathon runner throughout the 1990’s was the amount of travel around Australia and around the world I got to do. I tend to be a person who doesn’t like training on flat, straight roads but rather could get lost for hours in a forest with its undulations and variety. I am sure it is, in part, to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life but I also love the fresh air and connection with the environment.

Some of the highlights of my training travels are?



My all time favourite is the Wildwood Trail which is only minutes above downtown Portland in Oregon. I was there for an extended period doing some road racing in America and was introduced to it by a friend from Nike who has their worldwide base in Beaverton, a suburb of Portland. You climb a gravel hill to get to the origin of the trail which is a bad way to start but once on it, paradise quickly looms.  It basically follows a ridge line on a dirt trail in one direction for almost thirty miles and obviously you can then turn around and run back. I never actually did it all in one go but it would be a challenge worth contemplating. There are quarter mile markers placed on the entire track (The U.S. still works in miles) so you have an exact record of how far and how fast you are travelling, although it is certainly not a trail to run a PB on so just sit back and enjoy the views. It is a rolling course on a relatively thin path and is always under tree cover so in hot weather it provides great respite. Be aware, though, that it gets very muddy in the winter and while it is still runable you spend a bit of time dodging mud patches and then washing your shoes post-run. Despite all this I would certainly recommend it as a run to put high up on your bucket list – just do it!

When I was looking for a place to do some hot weather training prior to competing in a championship marathon (and escape a Ballarat winter!) a friend suggested Noosa. Well, I thought great place for a holiday but I do have to get some running done in between the time at the beach, drinking coffees and eating. To my surprise on my first run along the boardwalk out from Hastings Street and up into the National Park I was blown away by the coastal scenery and the inland sandy trails. It now feels like my second home and the loop around Tangelwood Track from the ranger’s headquarters is a must for every Australian runner. Head out along the coastal path to hell’s gate where you can see surfers riding great waves, dolphins playing or a pod of whales drifting by. Then you go inland on secluded trails with a close canopy of flora giving it a tunnel like feel. It is the one place in the world where I actually prefer to run on my own – I feel a connection with the place that I haven’t experienced elsewhere. I have discovered a few alternative paths including the boardwalks of sunshine beach that add more distance and mix up the scenery.

I spent a lot of time in Europe running international marathons such as Berlin, Rome and London. The latter was clearly my favourite and I competed in it four times finishing second twice by three seconds both times (at least I was consistent). Prior to the event in 1995 and 1997 I stayed with friends in West Wickham, a suburb about an hour south east of London, and my long run from their house was a personal favourite. It started with a run through a beautiful little park appropriately named Sparrow’s Den and across through the grounds of a church perched high on a hill with commanding views of the surrounding countryside. After this dose of religion I headed out along one of the public walkways that stretch across the length and breadth of England and strolled through farms and along rambling country lanes passing the odd English person out walking their dogs on Sunday morning. At one point I ran into a car boot sale where quite literally people drive out to a designated spot, back in and open up their car boots and sell their junk; the equivalent of a trash and treasure market for us I suppose. While I found it weird to stumble upon this out in the middle of nowhere they were looking at me as if I came from another planet! Anyway, on I ventured until I wound my way back to the ovals and fields just below Sparrow’s Den and on to home. I was actually just a short train trip from London central but I felt more like an Aussie adventurer out rambling amongst some magnificent English countryside.

I think everyone knows that I am a Ballarat boy through and through and another one of my favourite places to train is along the Great Dividing Trail. Although it has many different tentacles to it now, the section I particularly like is the one from Castlemaine through Daylesford to Ballarat. A lot of the first section follows the gold digging works and the Chinese water races that were built for the 1850’s gold rush. You are quite literally running along history. Once you cross Vaughan Springs you enter volcanic country and pass the majestic Mount Franklin (yes, the famous water is named after it) and follow the creeks and rivers that flow into one of the world’s most famous spa centres in Hepburn and Daylesford. From here you track along the old rail cutting through Wombat State Forest, meander past the potato paddocks of Mollongghip and trek through my local favourite, Creswick State Forest into Ballarat. There is even a tunnel under a Freeway for you to enjoy. It totals about one hundred kilometres but done in sections over a few days or weeks it is well worth the effort and planning. A group of four of us did it a few years ago and we still rave about it. I was amazed at how few people we saw on the trail and in more recent times it has certainly become more popular, especially the sections into and out of the major towns. We love the serenity of this run and it is one of those courses that you can do at any time of the year. It is so well protected that it never gets too cold, is not windy, never hot or affected if it is raining – sounds too good to be true? Well, try it out for yourself and you will be pleasantly surprised.

These are just four of the special places I have been able to enjoy as a part of my marathon career. As I like to tell people – it can be very difficult for me to lace up my shoes and head out into my office for another day of hard work.   

Steve Moneghetti

Marathon Runner