Centennial Park is located in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and is one of Sydney’s favourite venues for runners.

The park opened on 26 January 1888 and features a Grand Drive, with road, path and horse trails. The road loop of Centennial Park featured in the marathon course for the 2000 Olympic Games.

The park is open to vehicles during daylight hours, with ample parking along the Grand Drive.

Inside the white fence that tracks the Grand Drive is the default running route within the 189 hectare park, and features in a number of other favourite running routes within the park. The route is predominantly dirt, due to runners wearing a well worn path.

From the Grand Drive there are a number of options to add hills to a run, such as running up towards the Oxford Street Gates or Paddington Gates. The below 5km loop includes a climb up to the Oxford Street Gates and a fast descent down the grass from the Paddington Gates.

A popular extension to any run – or used separately for interval training – is the mile (1.6km) loop around Busby’s Pond.

Other popular extensions include running around the outside perimeter of the park (popular at night), or utilising Queens Park or Moore Park. Take care when crossing roads due to high levels of traffic that can be present in the area.