The 2026 edition of the ASICS Waterfront Half Marathon will be held on April 12^th, it has been announced. Event organiser, Running Events have revealed the new date as the event’s traditional home on the first Sunday of April, coincides with Easter in 2026. By moving the event back a week, the benefits of daylight saving will continue to be felt, an important consideration with the marquee 21.1km race setting off from St Heliers at 7am.

“We had a good look at other options,” Race Director Rob Docehrty explained. “However the earlier dawn following the onset of daylight savings makes for a more comfotable experience for everyone, athletes and spectators alike. Plus, the rising sun just before race start has become a signature look for the Waterfront half.”

The 2026 event marks a watershed moment for the Waterfront Half Marathon. For the first time, the 21k distance will feature a single lap, all the way into Downtown Auckland and back. A new home to accommodate the course change has been found at Vellenoweth Green in St Heliers and a new title sponsor, world-leading running shoe brand ASICS, are on board to. It promises to be one for the record books.

Organisers are catering for over five thousands participants in 2026, with many new runners and walkers attracted by the new single-lap, flat and fast course and the chance to run through the centre of Downtown Auckland.

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The ASICS Waterfront Half Marathon is owned and operated by Running Events, one of the largest independent event organisers in New Zealand. First held in 2018, the Waterfront Half has grown to become the third-largest mass-participation sporting event in the upper North Island. For more information on Running Events, see werun.nz.